Turning modern day designs into reality through 3D printing
HomeMade Modern uses Robo 3D printers in order to create affordable DIY design ideas for modern home furnishings. By using 3D printers, HomeMade Modern saves significant time and money by incorporating 3D prints into their design concepts. They also have full ability to customize their creations on demand.
DESIGN IS THE KEY COMPONENT
Ever since desktop 3D printing was first introduced, people were left to their own devices to design their own files to print. Now, there are millions of free, easily accessible 3D files available for the general public to download, modify, remix, or even re-create. Still, the design aspect continues to play a crucial role when it comes to 3D printing.
Ben Uyeda, HomeMade Modern’s founder, always showed a keen interest in design ever since he was a child. Growing up in a family with limited resources, he was determined to find cost effective ways for people to own design-forward home furnishings.
“Design was about creating access to new things and experiences no matter how limited the resources.”
START OF A NEW JOURNEY
When he graduated from design school, Ben co-founded his own architecture firm, ZeroEnergy Design, where he was designing homes for the wealthy. After the completion of a pro bono project for a home affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Ben realized that this type of work more closely aligned with his original purpose – to create new opportunities for people that do not have the opportunity to get them.
That was when Ben Uyeda and Jamie Guan decided to start HomeMade Modern - a design studio dedicated to creating smart, affordable modern home furnishing options without having to sacrifice design and the wallet. It all started with Ben creating a YouTube instructional video on how to create a beautifully designed bucket stool for just $5. Since then, the video has been viewed over 400,000 times and has been created on 6 different continents!
INCORPORATING 3D PRINTING INTO BUSINESS VALUES
For HomeMade Modern, the typical design cycle for most of their projects takes about 2-4 weeks to complete from conception to the publishing of an instructional video. Although 3D printers can be costly, they instantly saw the time and money saved just by prototyping their ideas before they turned it into a reality.
“It is extremely costly to make molds and prototypes through traditional methods. Now, we use Robo R2 and C2 3D printers to make prototypes or molds that can be used over and over again with inexpensive materials like concrete.”
Not only does 3D printing fall into their goal to create affordable DIY designs that are useful and accommodate changing lifestyles, it also is a great complement to traditional wood working and making.
INOVATION CONTINUES TO EXPAND
While working on a project that required using the Ryobi power drill, Jamie was often switching between different sized drill bits. She found it frustrating to halt her workflow just to look for a specific size drill bit that was found back inside the toolbox. That was when an idea popped up in her head to design a custom drill accessory kit that will be 3D printed.
To begin the process, Jamie started printing out variations of only the front portion of the drill bit holder using the Robo C2. By printing out only the front, she saved so much time by being able to test the fit and iterate on the design without having to print out the entire piece. After, she measured out the size of the drill bottom to create a mold that would fit the entire bottom piece. Using Fusion 360, she was able to iterate and test each drill accessory holder design until it fit perfectly. When the design was completed, she used the Robo R2 to print the entire piece in one go.
“What's really incredible about the Robo R2 is that prints straight out of the printer are already clean. Minimal cleanup and no sanding that needs to be done.”
The finished 3D printed design was so clean that it was ready to go straight to production. They are now even using the 3D printed drill bit accessory on construction sites!
“Having the Robo 3D printers made this simple useful idea achievable.”
FUTURE OF 3D PRINTING WITH HOMEMADE MODERN
HomeMade Modern continues to incorporate 3D printing into their creative endeavors. So far, they have been able to customize and modify details of people’s homes including custom knobs, stands, and hooks. Recently, HomeMade Modern completed a custom paver project.
“This custom paver project demonstrates the possibilities of 3D printing in a way that would work for a homeowner who wants to DIY something special, for a general contractor who wants to offer unique options, or for the architect who wants to get more involved with construction.”
Ben’s favorite feature of the Robo R2 is that it comes with a heated print bed, which helps keep his projects stuck to the print bed during printing and makes them easier to remove once they are finished. In terms of favorite materials to print with, Ben likes to use white ABS since it has a nice matte finish. With the wide selection of materials and the quality of prints, Robo 3D printers has helped HomeMade Modern take their ideas to the next level.
“3D printing is opening up new business possibilities. 3D models can be used as digital projects and printing services like Shapeways make digital fulfillment a real possibility.”
About Robo
Robo is the future of 3D printing, and that future is now — whose goal is to give makers of all ages and skills levels the tool needed to help turn their passion into a physical reality, as quickly and as easily as possible.
Founded in 2012 by a group of students from San Diego State University, Robo delivered its first model to customers in 2013. Since then, the company has grown into a leading brand in the desktop segment of the 3D printing industry.
Robo is based in sunny San Diego and continues to improve the total experience of 3D printing with its diverse range of products — most recently with the launch of the Robo C2 compact smart 3D printer with Wi-Fi and the Robo R2 high performance 3D printer with Wi-Fi.
Who
What
A design studio that shares affordable modern design ideas with more than 50 million people a year.
Benefits
Rapid prototyping, cost reduction, variation exploration
Sector
Maker, DIY, Home design
3D Printers Used
