Krill Design 3D-prints lamp from orange skins
Orange skins are carbohydrate rich, meaning they are a good bonding substance to make a bio-material with (image: Krill Design).
Milanese agency Krill Design has created a lamp that is 3D-printed using a material derived from the skin of two Sicilian orange peels.
The Ohmie lamp is small, lightweight and highly textured due to its 3D-printed form. Ohmie’s core material is hinted at throughout the design; the colour and cratered surface are intended to mimic citrus fruit, while the design’s composite biomaterial has a distinctive smell, similar to beeswax or “orange cookies”, as described on Krill Design’s website.
“We opted for orange skins as it’s a widely available material in Italy,” says Domiziana Illengo, the studio’s marketing manager “Sicily produces 3 per cent of all oranges consumed worldwide.” Currently, orange skins sourced from Krill’s supplier largely go to local distilleries for spirits or else are used in animal feed. The Ohmie lamp incorporates skins not used in these processes and which would otherwise go to waste.
The orange peels are dried, ground to a powder and then bonded with a biopolymer made from vegetable starch to make a pellet. This is then extruded into a filament for a 3D printer. The team opted for 3D-printing manufacturing because of its low waste and success in creating Ohmie’s shape: a small base with a large hooded shade. “One of the main challenges was to perfect the design so that Ohmie could stand, without the head becoming too heavy.”
The team discovered that “oranges are rich in carbohydrates, the perfect bonding substance to create a bio-material with,” from a previous project, WasOrange – a design for a sugar sachet holder and bar stool created for the food and drink retailer Autogril.
In the case of the lamp, however, “finding the right heat setting that would work for every batch [of lamps] has possibly been the trickiest aspect of all,” Illengo explains. “This is because there are no 3D printers specifically engineered to print with biomaterials.”
Research and development into biomaterials has become increasing popular in recent years, as shown by projects such as pineapple skin leather, algae plastic and 3D printed wood products. One of the attractions of biomaterials is that they are easier to break down and dispose of at their end of life. These considerations need to be weighed against a product’s durability. Ohmie's LED light, wire and material can be separated and the design “ can compost at the end of its life in a composting facility,” says Illengo. “We developed the material to be composted only in an industrial facility because we wanted to ensure the lamp's durability, but in the future we would like to explore other biopolymers that are just as durable, but which are more easily compostable at home.”
Related links: Krill Design