Inclusive 3D-Printed Tableware
Not everyone is able to independently eat and drink, this might be due to motor impairment or other conditions. People who suffer from this are often given these plastic cups and plates that are supposed to help them with this issue.
However, a huge part of the problem is overlooked; the wishes of the people that use this tableware. Nobody wants to use plastic cups and plates, while the rest of the table has a fancy-looking set in front of them.
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That's why Ramiro Méndez Morales (a ceramist and good friend of mine) and I worked together with Lies Keramiek to create a tableware set for everyone, by everyone.
We talked with people from our target audience about things they struggle with, and what features they would like to see. So we based our three ergonomic designs on their input and developed three cups that can be used by everyone, and is aesthetically up to par for everyone.
This way everyone on the table can use the same fancy tableware, so nobody has to feel left out.
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Process
Using the Lutum 5M Clay 3D-printer made by VormVrij®, we printed the designs developed in CAD-Softwares Rhino 3D and Vectorworks.
Because clay is a natural resource, printing with it is a lot different than printing with plastic. There are a lot of things to take into consideration when working with clay, such as moisture, consistency and shrinkage. Combining this material with 3D-printing gives the perfect balance between natural arts and mechanical processes.
Before I would be able to 3D-print with clay, I had to learn how to work with clay itself. During my study Creative Craftsmanship, I took courses in ceramics where I learned a good basis of working with clay. Of course when working together with Ramiro, who is very advanced in working with clay, I could apply my CAD-knowledge to his knowledge of clay, which resulted in a good partnership.
CAD Visualisation
We invested a lot of time to make our cups pleasant to hold, while still looking sightly. By printing it with plastic (keeping clay shrinkage in mind) we could keep tweaking the design, to fit multiple hand sizes. Just the overall shape makes the cup easy to hold, but with addition of the slants that circle around the cup, the user's fingers slide right between them.
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Plastic prototype
This project had the intention to be a social product, but was also created to present on an innovation convention. This innovation convention organised by 3D2ACT, in command of the European Union to teach students about the possibilities of 3D-printing and social entrepreneurship.
We taught the other students about the upcoming technology of clay 3D-printing and partook in a competition, in which we received the prize of overall best pitch!
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In cooperation with 3D2ACT we're continuing telling people about 3D-printing and its possibilities.
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