MINNEAPOLIS and REHOVOT, Israel, March 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
South African designer unveils Garden of Eden fashion collection created using world's only 3D printing technology to combine color and multi-material 3D printing capabilities
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), a manufacturer of 3D printers and materials for personal use, prototyping and production, today announced that South African designer and engineer, Michaella Janse van Vuuren, has created a unique collection of color, multi-material 3D printed fashion pieces using Stratasys' new Objet500 Connex3 3D Printer. Van Vuuren's collection features a "Stained Glass" corset, "Classic Serpent" shoes and belt, along with a range of "Fish-in-Coral" bracelets - most pieces 3D printed in a single print run, in a range of unprecedented color and material combinations.
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(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140314/674731-e )
"The ability to combine rigid and flexible materials in one piece is something that is so rare, and introducing color into the process inspires us creatives to think in a whole new way," says van Vuuren.
Inspired by the Garden of Eden story, van Vuuren's latest collection demonstrates a world where Eve is the master of the serpent, preventing the fall of paradise and any punishment upon her descendants - a role reversal to the original parable. "In this depiction, the woman is free, powerful, and in full control. She can be anyone she wants to be, the author of her own destiny," explains van Vuuren.
Stained Glass Corset
The Stained Glass corset depicts the flowers, berries and leaves of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. In a bid to mirror the stained glass effect of a church window, van Vuuren together with Stratasys' Materials Engineer, Tal Ely, used a custom pallet consisting of three base materials: Stratasys' clear transparent and rubber-like materials, along with VeroMagenta to create the vivid pink and purple coloring. The corset is almost entirely comprised of PolyJet digital materials varying in different levels of flexibility and opacity, from the rigid transparent panes to soft colored parts. This ability to mix materials and colors on-the-fly to create new material properties and colors is a world first for 3D printing technology.
"The stained glass corset is a perfect representation of the advanced design and manufacturing capabilities of the Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer," comments Arita Mattsoff, Vice President Marketing, Stratasys. "The complexity of this piece should not be underestimated - droplets of three different materials were combined enabling Michaella to not only produce flexible, rigid and color parts in one print, but also transparent attributes. Designers now have the power to create very complex structures made of different materials and colors never achievable before in one process."
Classic Serpent Shoes
Also featured in the collection are multiple pairs of 3D printed shoes, which incorporate an eye-catching serpent design that symbolizes the reversal of power and the subjugation of the serpent instead of the woman. Each shoe combines rigid parts for the support structure, rubber-like elements for flexibility, and color for stunning aesthethics. In addition, a fashionable serpent belt, designed to be the woman's coat in arms, was completely 3D printed using what is believed to be the industry's only flexible color material.
Completing the collection are a number of experimental bracelets that further underscore the possibilities of the Objet500 Connex3 Color Multi-material 3D Printer. According to van Vuuren, the bracelets harness two different approaches to bending rigid mechanical interlocking parts, as well as the adjustment of material properties to create jelly-like elements. "Depicting the water features in the Garden of Eden, the Fish in Lilies bracelet explores rigid mechanical solutions to bend the bracelet around the wrist while the Fish in Coral piece experiments with different material properties to create a more rubbery part."
"I have only scratched the surface of the possibilities with the Objet500 Connex3 3D Printer," concludes van Vuuren. "Not only does this technology replace traditional methods of fashion manufacturing, it enables one to manufacture in a completely new way. The ability to include different material properties and beautiful jewel like colors in a single print run is absolutely ground-breaking. Like paint on a canvas, this 3D printer is a powerful tool for engineering and creative expression - I cannot wait to see the objects that this technology will enable."
Dr. Michaella Janse van Vuuren, Designer, artist and engineer
Janse van Vuuren'sstudio is on a smallholding outside of Pretoria, surrounded by the African bush, which serves as the inspiration for her work. She graduated from the University of Cape Town with a PhD in Electrical Engineering and she served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein. Her sculptures have already garnered critical acclaim. In 2012, she was named as the Absolut VISI Designer of the year in the emerging designer category, in 2010 she was awarded the honour of Festival Artist at the ABSA Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK), and in 2009 her chrysanthemum centerpiece was voted as Design Indaba 2009 Most Beautiful Object in South Africa. She is also regular speaker on the design circuit.
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq: SSYS), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and Rehovot, Israel, manufactures 3D printers and materials for prototyping and production. The company's patented FDM® and PolyJet™3D Printing technologies produce prototypes and manufactured goods directly from 3D CAD files or other 3D content. Systems include 3D printers for idea development, prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, and the company operates the RedEye digital-manufacturing service. Stratasys has more than 1800 employees, holds over 550 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally, and has received more than 25 awards for its technology and leadership. Online at: http://www.stratasys.com or http://blog.stratasys.com
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Statements regarding Stratasys' beliefs, intentions and expectations, including without limitation statements regarding the development and performance of our products, are forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the United States federal securities laws). The statements involve risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, including the risk and uncertainty that the businesses of the two companies may not be integrated successfully; the risk that the merger may involve unexpected costs or unexpected liabilities; the risk that synergies from the merger may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the risk that management's focus on and disruptions arising from the merger make it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees, or suppliers. Stratasys' ability to achieve the results presented in any forward-looking statement will depend on numerous factors, including its ability to penetrate the 3D printing market; its ability to achieve the growth rates experienced in preceding quarters; its ability to introduce, produce and market both existing and new consumable materials, and the market acceptance of these materials; the impact of competitive products and pricing; its timely development of new products and materials and market acceptance of those products and materials; the success of Stratasys' recent R&D initiative to expand the DDM capabilities of its core FDM technology; and the success of Stratasys' RedEye On DemandTM and other paid parts services. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ. These and other applicable factors are discussed in this presentation and in Stratasys' Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012, as well as other filings that Stratasys, Inc. has made with the SEC and that Stratasys Ltd. has made and will make with the SEC in the future. Any forward-looking statements included in this presentation are as of the date they are given, and Stratasys is not obligated to update them if its views later change, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Stratasys' views as of any date subsequent to the date they are given.
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