[3D Printing Applications] How can KPF Construction Company win front-end business opportunities?

[3D Printing Applications] How can KPF Construction Company win front-end business opportunities?

Over the past few years, physical models have been gradually changing the architectural design process. For example, Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) has improved the daily prototyping and three-dimensional spatial perception of designs with its desktop 3D printers . They understand that increased visibility and reduced costs make tangible printed models more accessible and facilitate design communication in physical environments.



KPF has a research group that assesses the potential value of emerging technologies for the company's architecture practices. A key member of this group, Gerald, closely monitors 3D printing trends and evaluates the trend of introducing new digital manufacturing technologies to the company.
“For us, the change is that industrial-grade desktop 3D printers are now more accessible and affordable than before,” Gerald said. “Previously, we thought 3D printing was just an expensive art, and the way it was set up in our offices in the past made it an inaccessible process for our industrial 3D printers .”

Make the replacement of the prototype more accessible.

KPF has expanded its capabilities beyond previously available industrial printing technologies, integrating twelve Ultimaker 3 Extended printers and six Ultimaker S5 3D printers into the office. Their primary goal is to support and expand upon the existing prototyping process within KPF's design culture, rather than eliminating it.
"Past 3D printing technologies couldn't keep up with the fast pace of our design team. Ideas flow endlessly here, so we need to be able to produce finished products more easily and keep pace with our fast rhythm."



Using these 3D printers , designers can obtain print results with greater flexibility to complement their design workflow.

KPF launched an internal testing program to explore the effectiveness of incorporating the Ultimaker 3D printer into its offices across five major global cities; from the Petersen Auto Museum in Los Angeles to Rosewood in Bangkok and One Vanderbilt in New York, the Ultimaker has played a key role as a tool to support the design process and bring KPF’s well-known projects to life—building cities and making an impact.



The stability and ease of use of these new tools have created new opportunities for production models and stimulated inspiration throughout the design process. The workflow is more seamless, allowing research and development, conceptual design, and detail adjustments to proceed smoothly, thereby enabling more effective communication between internal and external stakeholders.
KPF's new self-service workstations have opened doors to new design approaches and have been widely adopted by the company, offering significant benefits to designers at all experience levels. "Recent graduates are very familiar with this desktop 3D printing technology, so many young designers have a rapid learning curve and are able to execute their designs with minimal training or support. Due to the lower cost, the cost of printing mockups is not even a factor to consider."



Utilize the latest and best parts for Ultimaker S5

In April 2018, Ultimaker launched its latest machine, the Ultimaker S5 , which expanded the print volume and supported materials, providing design studios with an ideal desktop 3D printer .
Other new features, such as the wire flow sensor, high-precision multi-point printing platform, and glass doors, have been invaluable to the KPF team. KPF is not only one of the world's first architecture firms to adopt these new features, but also one of the first Ultimaker S5 production machines in its New York and London offices. We are excited to explore how future architects will use our 3D printers to create impressive, tangible design models!

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