ORNL’s Massive 3-D Printed Pavilion Wows Crowd at Design Miami

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has created a pavilion installation, known as Flotsam & Jetsam, which is now one of the world’s largest 3D printed objects. The installations were commissioned by New York-based architecture firm SHoP Architects, and created by ORNL, Techmer ES and Branch Technology. They were printed using two different types of composites. The pavilions’ canopies utilized custom carbon fiber-reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) composite materials, which were developed by Techmer ES. The printing itself was done by Branch Technology, which used its free-form cellular fabrication technique. The pavilions’ seating and counter space were printed with Techmer’s bio-based PLA compound that is reinforced with bamboo fibers. These fibers were printed in DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility located at ORNL using a Cincinnati Incorporated's Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) machine. Over the past few years, BAAM has been used for ORNL’s  record-breaking 3-D printed item, as well as Local Motors’ 3-D printed car and a replica of the Shelby Mustang, among others. During the show, SHoP Architects won the Panerai Design Miami/ Visionary Award for Flotsam & Jetsam. According to outlet PSFK, while previous installations at Design Miami have only existed for the duration of the show, Flotsam & Jetsam will be the first installations to be relocated to Miami’s Design District for a long-term stay. The pavilions will also anchor new a public sculpture program curated by the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami beginning in 2017. Correction: This story was first reported to say Flotsam & Jetsam displaced ORNL's 3-D printing world record. It did not. While Flotsam & Jetsam project is one of the world's largest 3-D printed installations, they were assembled from 3D-printed sections while ORNL's trim-and-drill tool for the Boeing 777X was printed as one solid piece.