Ceramic 3D Printing: The Next Wave of Sustainable Interiors

Studies show that from the beginning of 20th century the carbon footprint of the people has increased every year. The pollution caused by wastes is effecting our present time but also the future. At this point sustainability has became an obligation rather than a option. For all that sustainability concept has shed light to the new technological improvements and made it increasingly widespread.

One of the most important improvement is the 3D printing technology, which has gradually developed and has reached a point where it provides over %90 environmental efficiency. This new technology has a great potential with its sustainable raw materials, that can grow everyday as a material, as well as contributions such as saving labor time, time and energy.

What is 3D printing?

It is a layered manufacturing technique that can be transformed from a virtual world that it has created into a solid model. 3d printing has many advantages when comparing to the other manufacturing processes as it can create new products very quickly and precisely. In 3D printing, most materials used are plastics and polymers. Ceramics can also be used, and products can be made from recycled or organic materials, reducing environmental impact. These materials are versatile and can be formulate to meet the need of the esthetic requirements.

3D printing creates new opportunities in interior design, the development of this technology has expanded the range of materials which initially consisted mainly of polymers, different materials such as sand, wood marble and ceramic clay can now be used. Since interior design is a discipline that contains creativity, 3D printing is a logical choice that opens a point of view. 

What are the benefits of 3D printing in interior design?

1. Flexibility and speed: 3D printers facilitates the process of rapid prototyping. Normally this process takes more time because of the production and also for the revisions but in use of the 3D printings, designers can test the prototypes in real life by creating them in a short time, this accelerate the design process and effectuate a faster feedback chance for the clients. The flexibility of the technology makes it possible to produce complex geometries. While traditional manufacturing methods can sometimes struggle to realize complex designs, 3D printers offer a huge advantage in this regard. This allows designers to explore  shapes and structures to create with it. At the same time it has a visible benefit with the product cost, they support small-butch production, the designers can produce limited quantities of products cost- effectively. This make it more economical than traditional manufacturing methods that force mass production of custom designs.

1. Freedom of design; 3D printers creates a field that has no limits in almost every aspect, this gives designers and even to the home owners the opportunity to design free and easily. Also this production technology creates more opportunity to personalize, the designers can design more products for the clients desire including; furniture, lighting elements and decorative objects etc. 

1. Sustainability: 3D printing put up less waste compared to the other production technologies , because of its producing scale, in this technology, using only the materials and quantities needed ensures less damage to the environment.  

Even though 3D printing technology offers innovative and sustainable solutions in interior design it  holds negative effects in some aspects.

1. Production speed and cost; Even though it is really  suitable for individuals and small businesses it could be time-disadvantage for large scale  productions and the production cost could create large differences between.

1. Production durability and limitations; Some of the materials may be not as durable as the traditional manufactured  materials therefore some of the 3D printed objects could be ephemeral. Some of the limitations  about the 3D printed objects is caused by the material, even though it has a variety of materials, not  all of the materials can be used in 3D printings and this may cause limitations in the designing and  practice process.

1. Technical knowledge and skill requirement; 3D Printing technology requires  technical knowledge in some kind of way, even if its in a minimum range it needs a skill  requirement to design the exact same model that you desired to have, this can create a learning  curve for users and limit the widespread adoption of the technology.

1. Device limitations; especially rigid and sharp parts of the model it could create obligations because of the potential of the  technology, this may create handicaps for users and designers in some aspects.

1. Support structures and finishing process; in ceramic 3D printing, use of support structures and cleaning process may  complicate the finishing process, the cleaning and removing process is requires time and additional labor. 

1. Sustainable and energy consumption; This technology, hold both positive and negative  effects in same points even though 3D printing can help in energy consumption in small scales and has the potential of reducing material waste, in larger scales the production time may effect the  energy consumption and create contradiction of what is intende in the first place. Even thought it has negative aspects in some subjects; Understanding these aspects is important to create difference  with adjusting the knowledge with the applicability and improving of the technology. 

There are many different printing processes, and the type should be considered with number of  factors such as the desired surface, compatible material or desired finish.

One of the techniques that is used is SLS (selective laser sintering); This technology creates designed objects layer by layer by melting them with a laser, it is suitable for complex and detailed designs for instance; the famous Swedish brand IKEA adopt the 3D printing in their design with the collection that collaborated with Bea Akerlund with SLS printing technology.

Binder Jetting; this technology allows many different materials to be combined with binders to be built layer by layer. A wide variety of materials such as  wood, metal, ceramics can be used with this technique. 

FDM technology; allows thermoplastic materials to be fused together layer by layer, in this technic  materials mostly used are thermoplastics such as PLA, ABS, nylon or PETG therefore it can be also  used for homeowners because of its cheap materials. there is also technologies called SLA  (stereolithography), DLM (digital light processing) MJF (multi jet fusion) Polyjet, LOM  (laminated object manufacturing) DMLS (direct metal laser sintering) CLIP (Continuous  Liquid Interface Production), Material jetting, DOD (drop on demand), Bio printing.

Another one is LDM ( liquid deposition Modeling) which effects the ceramic 3D printing especially, this technic is useful for ceramic material; it allows interaction during the process and make it possible to do printing in medium/large scale, it is fast with using all ceramic materials.

Greek studio Keramik is using this technic for their collections which are diverse products such as tables, furniture, lighting and decorative objects, with merging the traditional and technology. 

The interior design is actually sits on the center of our lives, it is a discipline that creates the  experiment of a space, this practice happens with the formulation of the mass and the surfaces.  Interior design is at every point in our living such as; bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms  and also in the consumer areas.  

3D printing is becoming a part of this interior design discipline as we can see in our living spaces, because the variety coming from the 3D printing assist to personalize your house and design your wants, this is why it also concerns not just the designers but also the homeowner, the adjustment of 3D printing to our everyday life creates advantages for the homeowners because of its personalization. Decorating a house is a very personal thing and hiring a interior designer choice may change due to the budget, this technology gives opportunity to homeowners to create, change  and personalize their environment. 

If we consider professional part there are many innovative and encouraging articles for designers to add more 3D printing designs for the sustainability. The usage of 3D printing has also increased between design offices, for all that it creates an inspiring aspect in the field of design. For instance, Emerging Objects; a design office that creates 3D ceramic objects in many areas and scales, one of the designs is the ’cool brick’ which inspires from the past with its sustainability, this objects meet the need of passively cool interiors in desert environments, in their vision ‘It takes an average of 39 years for a new technology to become normalized. 

3D printing ceramics was invented in 2010, so by this measure, we will see 3D-printed ceramic objects, interiors, and buildings as commonplace by 2049.’ (Emerging Objects, 2024) This gives a positive point of view to see the sustainable movement of this area to became more spread around the world, this studio also provides consultation for the other companies to raise awareness about the sustainable effect and how to use it into their need.  

Another example comes from a architecture studio in Rotterdam, the Studio RAP it creates a harmonious architecture that inspires from traditional and modern, the office designed the facade according to the street in a sustainable solution. The facade formed with 40x20 scaled pearl white and yellow touched 3D printed ceramic tiles, at the upper levels the material is 3D printed bricks polished with three different shade of red. Therefore they made a sustainable design that suits the traditional architecture and this solution shows, sustainable environments and 3D printing may adjust to various parts in design and architecture but also in time. 

The main trend in 3D printing mostly has positive advantages in usage of biological based and  recycled materials, important number of design offices are now adjusting to these technologies and being creative in these technologies. The consultancy service is a positive step to raise awareness and spread knowledge between companies, because designers know that they form the space and with space the environment everywhere is formed therefore the consciousness of the sustainability will be in designs. This process will allow us to see these technologies in more scales in the future, decorative and functional. 

As 3D printing continues to revolutionize design and sustainability, there's never been a better time to explore its potential. Whether you're interested in 3D-Printing Ceramics, or FDM innovations, PAACADEMY offers in-depth workshops covering these techniques. For a comprehensive learning experience, check out the 3D Printing Workshop Bundle—a curated collection of courses designed to take your skills from concept to fabrication.