ALL3DP speaks to Sylvain Charpiot, founder of “Drawn”, about the success of his Kickstarter campaign for 3D printed furniture.

French start-up “Drawn” offers 3D printed furniture and design objects (All3DP reported on it). It obviously hit a sweet spot, as its Kickstarter campaign reached the funding goal of 15.000 Euro in just three days. We talked to the founder of “Drawn”, Sylvain Charpiot, what’s happening next.

Q: Now that your campaign is financed, have you already commenced printing the first objects? 

We could start printing right away. But we offer some customization to our backers. Therefore, I need to consult them to know their preferences for the object; especially the colors. So we’ll start printing when the campaign‘s over.

Q: What’s the advantage of working with an industrial robotic arm instead of a 3D printer? 

I use a robotic arm, so I don’t to have to assemble everything by myself. It is very robust and accurate. We will use its six axis degree of movement to smoothen the surfaces of the object in a second print.

Q: What materials and colors can I choose from in your current Kickstarter campaign? 

We offer a set of colors, which you can find on our Kickstarter page. But with our extended goal set to 25,000 €, we will offer new colours such as pink, purple, orange, light grey, gold and light green.

Q: What are the most popular 3D printed furniture items in your campaign? 

We have orders for 7 Bottle racks, several customized hangers, and Ottoman seats.

Q: You are offering unique items – how may hours do you spend to set up i.e. an individualized company logo? 

That depends. Usually 30 minutes to 1 hour to create the file and 20 to 30 minutes to print it.

Q: When will shipping of the 3D printed furniture commence?

We will ship in August. We also set a stretch goal for US backers to reduce shipping cost. For that, we need to go to the US to print the rewards there… We just need to bring the extruder and find the equivalent material. I already contacted a robotic arm owner that will help us 😉

Q: You are relying heavily on Galatea… what happens if the machine breaks? 

I’ll repair it. Honestly, these industrial robotic arms are very strong. If there is a problem, I’ll fix it. I used to be a technical manager for a manufacturing factory, I also have a master degree in Mechanical and Engineering; I know all suppliers for spare parts in Europe… so I can cope with that.

Q: Where do you and your designers get inspiration from? 

Each designer is inspired by their own background. For the moment, I let them to chose their own things… I will settle down an artistic direction afterwards.

Q: What are your plans for 3D printed furniture after the Kickstarter campaign? 

Produce my rewards and send them, distribute my products, and promote again and again 3D printing for these kind of products.