(Archive) Swell4D

Study of material and formwork testing inflating 3D printing PLA with hot water and air pressure.

My project is inspired by the techniques and formal richness of glassblowing. In this work, I have tried to combine the age-old aesthetic of glassblowing with the new and contemporary potential of 3D printing technology. I tested different methods of designing and controlling inflatable containers, including methods dealing with structural changes and additional materials. What I found most intriguing and innovative was the configuration of the inner partitions; the containers are printed with partitions and inner ties. Inflating these containers restricts them from the inside, producing new and surprising shapes.

I titled the project "Swell4D" to describe this process: Containers designed and printed in 3D undergo a process. After printing, an unexpected and slightly uncontrolled change occurs in time and space. The lack of control in this process gives the containers a natural, animalistic look that is very different from the look that we are used to seeing in 3D prints.

The study was documented throughout the process as well as before and after inflation of the containers. I also tested the feasibility of container construction by a parametric model in Grasshopper.