An innovatively 3d printed table made from CNC – milled walnut and SLS 3D prototyped legs was designed by Aleksandrina Rizova, a London-based, Bulgarian architect in 2014. Founder of ALEKSA Studio in London, Rizova designed the 3D printed table out of interest in 3D products and designing.
The project is envisioned as a spatial construct that incorporates a wide range of new digital manufacturing techniques. The legs create a lightweight, hyper-efficient framework capable of bearing a large piece of natural wood on top. The materiality between soft and hard, light and weighty emphasizes the table’s natural-synthetic method of operation.
As highlighted by the designer, the computer-aided design allowed for higher accuracy and a flawless fit between the 3-D prototyped legs and the CNC machined top. The use of 3D modeling allows for simple future design changes as well as the ability to create in a variety of sizes on demand. A 3-D file of the top was transmitted to a CNC 3-axis milling machine, which milled a solid laminated walnut block into an exact replica of the 3-D model. To generate the 3-dimensional undulating surface on the bottom, the top was machined from two sides. It just took 6 hours to complete the machining.
The legs were 3-D printed to the highest size feasible using an SLS fast prototype machine. The 3-D prototype construction is made up of seven parts that are meticulously detailed to fit together perfectly. The final parts were very accurate thanks to the 3-D model and digital fabrication technologies. The legs were left untreated, while the top was meticulously sanded and varnished by hand.
The end product is a one-of-a-kind side table that is both functional and emotionally and spatially charged, launched at Clerkenwell Design Week, in May 2014 and shown at the Centre Pompidou in 2017, and belongs to the Centre national des arts plastiques Collection (CNAP), Paris.
Project Info
Design: Aleksandrina Rizova from ALEKSA Studio
Location: London
Date: 2014
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