Webert to introduce commercial metal 3D printed faucet series during Milan Design Week
Webert is an Italian high-end bathroom product design studio and, like other high-end design companies, has begun toying around with metal AM for production. The revolutionary and unique One Series is the new Webert 3D printed faucet collection that leverages stainless steel 316 to integrate the extraordinary geometric potential of AM technology in interior design.
This concept was first explored during the Methesis that we organized for Milan Design Week 2016, when we asked a number of top AM designers to envision a tableware collection produced in metal AM with Sisma metal 3D printers. The Webert One Series represents the culmination of an accurate study, redefining the limits in both design and manufacturing – specifically focusing on taps – which seek to enrich daily life with new stimuli.
The One Series will be a constantly evolving collection. To date, it includes of 3 different product lines: Coral, One-A and Essential.
The Coral bath series is a design by BMB Progetti, inspired by nature and its underwater treasures. It uses AM specifically on the lever so that its simple and essential shapes are enriched with a unique detail. Its lever is sculpted and shaped to recall the undersea organic forms and the vibrant color of natural corals. The bathroom environment immediately becomes just as refined and precious.
The One-A kitchen faucet was designed by Massimiliano Settimelli to have a strong aesthetic and emotional impact along with simple and fluid lines. Like a real sculpture, the One-A faucet is so worked inside that it evokes the dynamism and geometry of a 3D texture. Its disruptive design, evolved through technology, gives the kitchen environment a touch of innovative uniqueness.
Finally, the Essential kitchen faucet was designed internally by the Webert team. It is rigorous and minimal, made to to re-invent the traditional water tap. The particular sculptural form of the lever combines with its pure and essential lines, creating a perfect balance between simplicity and refinement. Both contemporary and avant-garde, it seeks to transmit its unique and recognizable character to the whole environment.
While the use of metal AM for consumer products is still confined to very high end and expensive products, operations like this show that the industry has come a long way already. Two years ago, when we organized the Methesis event, we celebrated the fact that only two years earlier it would not have been possible to even create a collection of tableware products envisioning end use production. Today, two years later, we are seeing the production by AM becoming a reality for short runs of designer items. Given the digital nature of AM, this rate is expected to continue to increase, with the size of the collections growing and costs coming down. Webert has embraced the technology at a time when it is still a challenge but this will give the company a unique know how in reaping the benefits of AM for decades to come.
