Marleen Kaptein has engaged in perhaps an unlikely partnership for a furniture designer—working together with the Netherlands aerospace centre (NLR). The organization gave her access to a fibre placement robot capable of printing thin, but strong, carbon tape in all directions. These strips fuse as they cool, forming a strong yet lightweight surface.
The machine is normally used for manufacturing structural components for the aerospace industry. Kaptein employed this innovative fabrication technique on a more intimate scale to create furniture. She first designed the Fibre placement chair that was selected by the Stedelijk Museum in 2016. From this research she created the Recycled carbon chair with an almost completely recycled base and the Fibre placement lamps that cast beautiful shadows.
