South African designer Kiara Gounder

Kiara Gounder is a student from the Durban University of Technology with a degree in fashion. Kiara Gounder was inspired by the Dutch designer Iris van Herpen’s fall couture collection featuring 3d printing. Gounder explored the worlds of 3D printing by developing a capsule range of garments that showcases the potential of 3D printing in fashion and jewellery. Gounder uses nature in a digital form to explore the concept of symmetry in nature. The silhouette and design of each piece combines various organic and structures elements that can be found in a natural environment. Inspiration is drawn from microscopic images of fossils, plant cells and insect cells for the detailed patterning and line work (designindaba.com). 

  

Figure 1 Kiara Gounder, Neck Piece, 2015, 3D Print, DUT.

Figure 2 Kiara Gounder, Neck Piece, 2015, 3D Print, DUT.

Support Material

After having sent out designs to a 3D printing company, they give you the option to remove the support material in house or one can do it themselves. As an exploration of understanding both the 3D print and the support material it was decided that I myself would remove the support materials from these pieces.

 

 

 

Above is what the pieces look like with the support material, the support material is attached in layers and covers the entire piece. the support is there to help build up the base material in which the piece is manufactures as the base material cannot float in air the support material acts as a support to the base.

 

 

Below are the designs for a pair of earrings, the before and after the support material is removed. these earrings are then later added a hook in silver.

 

 

 

 

The cleaning process of the support material varies according to design. if a design has a larger or thicker frame work it is likely to go through a high pressure spray to remove the support material. however with finer details it is best to do by hand to reduce any chance of breaking.

 

 

 

The process by hand requires some luke warm water and a tool that has a small tip that can scrape out the support material. As seen above AA tweezers were used, one can also use a needle.

 

 

 

 

Above are the pieces with majority of the support material removed, at this point a baby toothbrush with some water is used to remove any finer support material, keeping in mind to still be cautious with the pieces as it is delicate.

 

 

Geraldine Fenn

Geraldine Fenn is a South African Jewellery designer balancing creative innovation with the demands of running a business. Geraldine Fenn originally dreamed of pursuing a dream in archaeology yet instead went out on a whim and became a jewellery designer. Geraldine Fenn studied at the Durban University of Technology, Fenn then set up shop in the late 1990’s and has been making one-of-a-kind pieces ever since. Fenn, along with her husband (Eric Loubser, a fellow jewellery designer) are active in the creative scene. Their shop stocks quirky, hand crafted jewellery designed by some of the country’s most original designers. Fenn helped curate the jewellery section of the Design Indaba Expo for many years and understands the balance of creative innovation and the demands of running her business. Fenn, a designer on the other end of the spectrum has conflicted views about 3D printing in the jewellery industry. Fenn is not directly influenced by what happens in the broader industry as her work is contemporary, handmade, bespoke pieces, rather than mass produced commercial stuff. Fenn recognises that the industry is rapidly moving towards computer-aided design and 3D printing, and sees this as a negative thing, as the idea of old-school hand working skills are being lost. Knowing the possibilities of what 3D printing offers Fenn remains convinced that the pieces that are produced through 3D printing machines “churn out very boring, repetitive, anonymous jewellery”. Fenn remains positive because although these traditional methods of manufacturing might get ‘lost’ people will still value a handmade, unique piece more (designidaba.com).

3D Printing

The leaders of 3D printing

Piece 5

The establishment of piece 5 was inspired by the structure and manufacturing capabilities from the author of piece 4. As piece 4 was more of a statement contemporary jewellery piece. Piece 5 lends hand more to be a more formal contemporary jewellery piece. With unison throughout the piece. This piece is structured and has like elements. This neck piece was chosen to be a short necklace not only to create emphasis on the piece but to create emphasis on the wearer's neck and jaw line. The jewellery piece does not wear the person..

In the process of designing this piece, certain elements from the previous piece were taken and then put in a certain order still leaving the imagination to the fact that this piece is inspired by the cubic system. With the design this piece has the intricate molecule mesh in each Large cube this is however altered in the manufacturing process..

Below an image of the design as originally designed

The manufacturing process

The beginning of this large piece was first metal prep, melting down and rolling in order to get square wire of the desired thickness. Once a large amount of this square wire was produced and having previously prepped metal for the mesh it was time to begin putting it together and assembling and ensuring everything was the correct measurements.

It began with creating two base squares for the cubes. As seen below this was done by measuring 19mm on the first round, marking it and then sawing it and using a square needle file at a 45 degree angle then bending it to a 90 degree angle, creating a right angle, the corner was then soldered with hard solder. To begin the second edge a 20mm length was measured where the process began over again until it was a perfect square with all the corners soldered and the excess metal sawn off.

This was done until twenty squares were produced of 20mm all round. A further 22 squares of 10mm all round were produced, then squares made the cube links In between the larger cubes. 

He assembled get of the cubes, of the 20 large and 22 small squares half of each were put aside for a brief moment.. Whilst the other underwent extensive work. Ensuring that the wire is straight by pulling it straight and the handy parallel pliers the cube construction began, snipping off larger length with a flat filed on one edge and soldering them to the corner perpendicular to the square. For the smaller square the use of typ ex became effective. Once the perpendicular wires were put into place they were all measure and sawn off to the desired height.

The assembling of these pieces became tricky,try to establish a better way to assemble them as the struggles from the previous piece were evident.

Finally discovering an effective way to assemble this. The method was to place the large cube first with a small cube diagonally across from each other on the corners of the larger cube, to which a single square was soldered on to close the cube off.. This process was repeated until each piece was soldered on. 

The link was then manufactured and applied to the neckpiece, the neckpiece can now at this point sit on the neck. Although cube is known for its harsh corners this piece was considered a show it would sit on the wearer, that the corners would be "softened" by rounding the edges.

This piece is still undergoing manufacture but from here the lattice mesh will be manufactured and applied to the cube but in order not to over power the design it won't be done to each large cube but only every second one. 

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