Design Miami 2015: 3D-printing pioneer Janne Kyttanen has used explosion welding to create a sculptural table that fuses metal and volcanic rock (+ slideshow).
Kyttanen combined 3D printing with explosion welding – a process where chemical explosives are used to bond materials that can't be combined using conventional welding – to create the Metsidian table.
It is one of two new works being unveiled by the Finnish designer during Design Miami 2015, in partnership with Los Angeles gallery All and Rotterdam gallery Vivid.
Shaped like the prow of a ship, the table is constructed using a block of obsidian – a dark glasslike volcanic rock. The material appears to gradually transform into a 3D-printed copper grid.
"The result is a compelling metamorphosis; the impossible becomes reality," said the designer, who founded 3D-printing company Freedom of Creation in 2000.
"Metsidian traverses the boundary between sculpture and furniture, a harmonious union of otherworldly form and everyday function," he added.
"At present we're able to use explosion welding to join materials that wouldn't naturally fuse together – what if we could control this force digitally? What kind of hybrid matter could we create?"
The designer is also showing a reflective bronze table that references the sandstone formations of Arizona.
The Sedona table is composed of an irregular triangular grid, and features legs that taper away from the tabletop and into solid pieces.
Kyttanen is known for his experiments with 3D-printing, and has used the process to create everything from an undulating metal sofa, to a kit of clothes and accessories that can be produced from a single digital file.
Other previous works he is showing in Miami include the Avoid light – a 3D-printed donut-shaped lamp, formed from a hollow metallic grid and plated in 24 karat cold – and his copper-plated Avoid stool, which was inspired by geometrical theory.
Kyttanen's bronze Macedonia tray – based on the shapes of soap bubbles – is also on display.
All works are available in limited editions of eight pieces during Design Miami 2015, which runs from 2 December to 6 December.
Designers are continually pushing the boundaries of 3D printing with metal. Dutch designer Joris Laarman is working on plans for a 3D-printed pedestrian bridge in Amsterdam. Last year he developed a robot that can draw metal structures in mid-air.
Engineering firm Arup is also experimenting with 3D-printed metal structural components that could lead to new building shapes.