Iron Furniture Design · 2022
Ribbing Vase
by Lihsing Wang
- A' Design Award 2022 Iron Winner in Furniture Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 12,486
- Verification code D0F88127E0 · Verify this award
About Ribbing Vase
Ribbing is a vase designed for floral display and for use as a standalone sculptural object. Vertical ribs run across the curved body, and their contours shift as they follow the changing form. The woven appearance is created with metal-filled filament and produced with a 3D printer. A removable glass insert holds water and can be washed or replaced. Ribbing suits both indoor and outdoor settings. When placed in a moist environment over time, a rusted patina slowly appears on the surface and adds nuance to the exterior.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Ribbing vase as a floral display medium also speaks for itself with binary visual language in any spatial setting. Its vertical ribs pattern change their contour as they adapt along the curvy shapes, creating a constant momentum on a solid surface. The woven look of the ribbing vase is made out of metal filament and manufactured with a 3D printer. When exposed outdoors over time, a rusted patina will slowly appear on the surface, also known as oxidizing, adding some nuances on the exterior layer that almost resemble a rusty sculpture.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Large Vase: 140mm,167mm. Small Vase: 90mm, 102mm. Material: copper, iron and brass.
- Tags
- rubbing, vase, 3D printing, home decor aesthetic, fusion, computational
- Production Technology
- In order to manufacture ribbing vases with high-quality production, waste reduction and cost efficiency, I adapted the use of 3D printers and computational software, Grasshopper. After several rounds of testing, I figured out using default slicer software to generate G-code for print is inefficient. Instead, by utilizing G-code directly in Grasshopper allows me to fully control the 3D printer and optimize the production. More specifically, the scripted data transforming my design into a series of curves and paths have turned into the assigned route of the 3D printer. As for the material used, ribbing was made from metal-filled filament, HTPLA.
- Design Challenge
- The making process attains zero waste, zero emission, fully sustainable and self-reliant action by implementing additive manufacturing technology into our production pipeline. Ribbing vases need to fit in 3D printers without any support material and can be manufactured on a small scale by consumer-driven 3D printers. We would also love to support regional markets by manufacturing our products locally. Thus, the ribbing vase was fully designed, manufactured, and assembled in Brooklyn, New York.
- Project Duration
- The Ribbing started in April 2020 and finished in January 2021. Design and manufactured in Brooklyn, NY.
- Operation Flow
- Ribbing vase served as both flower container and diffuser. Users can easily remove the inserted glass piece from the vase to either wash or replace. Ribbing vase itself can fit into both indoor or outdoor environments as a static decor object. If the user prefers the rusted texture, it can be placed in a moisture environment over time as oxidized rust and patina slowly appear on the surface naturally.
- Research
- This project explores a new relationship between vases and plants. People normally think flowers come before vases, and vases seem to be pointless when the plants are gone . My research aims to reverse this vector through designing a vase with inherent voice and sculptural expression. Balancing rigidity and flexibility of the form is the key to achieve the desirable outputs, flipping the general perception of floral decor objects. Ribbing vase presents a feasible option to prove the knit-looking contour can also be made out of metal.
- Inspiration
- Ribbing vase challenges to yield aesthetic expression by combining two contradictory elements: rigidity and flexibility. The Ribbing is inspired from the rib knit, a soft, flimsy and stretchy fabric type. I took this feature and applied it upon the solid form; woven it by metal filament with a 3D printer that simulates a fabric-like surfacing. Ribbing vase presents a refreshing look by fusing the textured appearance, metal materiality and digital manufacturing.
Colors of Ribbing Vase
Design Interview about Ribbing Vase
The Ribbing is inspired from the rib knit, a soft, flimsy and stretchy fabric type. I took this feature and applied it upon the solid form; woven it by metal filament with a 3D printer that simulates a fabric-like surfacing.
The uwu design studio aims for high-quality production, waste reduction and cost efficiency in production. In order to achieve that goal in the ribbing vase project, I adapted the use of 3D printers and computational software, Grasshopper. After several rounds of testing, I figured out using default slicer software to generate G-code for print is inefficient. Instead, by utilizing G-code directly in Grasshopper allows me to fully control the 3D printer and optimize the production. More specifically, the scripted data transforming my design into a series of curves and paths have turned into the assigned route of the 3D printer. As for the material used, ribbing was made from metal-filled metal filament, HTPLA.
The ribbing vase will be launched in early July 2022 only in The United State region. We provide the ribbing vase options in two sizes and three materials on each that are copper, iron, bronze. And the small size will be available on the dates above but the large size will be available in August 2022 or later.
The ribbing vase is a branch of design in my continuous research on digital manufacture topic starting from 2019. Although this is an ongoing research, this ribbing vase project took about a year to develop.
This project is the first product for uwu design studio. Our goal is to embody warm, delightful and amiable feelings into the products and share it with our customers. uwu focuses on commodities designed and manufactured using general 3D printers to achieve in-house production.
The making process attains zero waste, zero emission, fully sustainable and self-reliant action by implementing additive manufacturing technology into our production pipeline. Ribbing vases need to fit in 3D printers without any support material and can be manufactured on a small scale by consumer-driven 3D printers. We would also love to support regional markets by manufacturing our products locally. Thus, the ribbing vase was fully designed, manufactured, and assembled in Brooklyn, New York.
Since 3D printing is getting more accessible for people and designers. Companies and small studios started to mass-produce their product using the 3D printer and selling on the market. This idea,using 3D printers into production, not only saves energy on transportation but is also beneficial to young entrepreneurs for starting their business by reducing investment in the three party manufacturing company and gaining more control on production.
Uwu design studio’s target audience is young women pursuing unique styles.
Ribbing vase is not just another 3D printed product in the market. In fact, this is a brand new manufacturing framework taking computational design into account for optimizing the product’s quality.
The Ribbing is inspired from the rib knit, a soft, flimsy and stretchy fabric type.
Rhino, Grasshopper, various GH’s plug-in, 3D printer, python.
Ribbing vase as a floral display medium also speaks for itself with binary visual language in any spatial setting. Its vertical ribs pattern change their contour as they adapt along the curvy shapes, creating a constant momentum on a solid surface.
3D printing plays an impotent role in mass producing this product.
In order to manufacture ribbing vases with high-quality production, waste reduction and cost efficiency, I adapted the use of 3D printers and computational software, Grasshopper. After several rounds of testing, I figured out using default slicer software to generate G-code for print is inefficient. Instead, by utilizing G-code directly in Grasshopper allows me to fully control the 3D printer and optimize the production. More specifically, the scripted data transforming my design into a series of curves and paths have turned into the assigned route of the 3D printer.
More press features for my work is part of the reason but most importantly is getting feedback from academy awards.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. Never be satisfied, and always push yourself.