Oregon Dragon Bench designed by Joris Laarman Lab has been installed at the new LeBron James Building, home to Nike’s Beaverton-based Advanced Innovation Center at Nike World Headquarters in Oregon, the USA.

The Oregon Dragon Bench pushes the boundaries in terms of sculptural presence and size, enabled by MX3D’s robotic 3D printing technological capabilities. The bench has included a “structural gradient” in the object that is both structurally functional and beautiful. A “structural gradient” refers to a structure that densifies where structural stability is required and opens up where weight can be reduced. It is printed in Duplex 2209 and measures 10m x 3m x 2.5m / 33ft x 10ft x 8ft.

Joris Laarman has started working with robots around 2010 and soon saw their benefits. By combining robots with smart control software and advanced welding machines, Laarman is able to use them for large-scale 3D printing with metals such as steel, stainless steel, aluminium, bronze, or copper, without the need for supporting structures. Joris Laarman’s Dragon Bench series debuted at Friedman Benda’s exhibition “Joris Laarman Lab: Bits and Crafts” in 2014, and are the first sculptural pieces created with MX3D’s robotic WAAM technology and printer.

MX3D’s robotic printing technique allows higher form flexibility in shapes and textures and leads to material reduction. MX3D is dedicated to Robotic Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). This process allows the creation of geometries with higher complexity than conventional manufacturing processes (such as CNC-milling and casting) and a higher speed at lower costs compared to powder-based metal AM processes. By controlling the full WAAM workflow from CAD to print, MX3D’s technology has many benefits and allows you to go from idea to finished product in one go with MetalXL.