the... 3D print porcelain
Our project is the result of a long journey full of experiments, development, and inevitable dead ends. The result is a 3D-printed porcelain cup inspired by the legendary Czech "duritka"—an iconic pressed technical glass tumbler known to generations from school cafeterias, often chipped and filled with sweet, though not always delicious, fruit tea. We used this "duritka" shape as the ideal canvas for testing and experimenting with thin-walled 3D porcelain printing technology.
Our goal was to let the very essence of the porcelain stand out. We chose unrefined Czech porcelain, which has a specific, visually appealing structure reminiscent of paper. However, to achieve a ceramic body that is only 1.5 mm thick after the first firing and before glazing, we had to significantly push the technological boundaries. A standard 3D printer was not enough, so we rebuilt it to generate sufficient extrusion pressure for printing such a thin wall.
But the challenges didn't end there. It was necessary to adapt standard throwing clay to our needs and develop our own custom blend. We enriched it with natural additives that safely evaporate during firing, do not affect the purity of the porcelain in any way, and thus meet all requirements for food contact (including the glaze and pigments).
Thanks to this demanding process, we managed to perfectly fuse the material. Although the cup is 3D printed and the typical layered structure of the print has been preserved as an original external decoration, the material itself is completely homogeneous on the inside. The result feels incredibly delicate and fragile to the touch, exactly as high-quality porcelain deserves. But this fragility is only an illusion—the cup is surprisingly strong and durable.
After the final firing and glazing, you hold in your hands a pure, safe, and fully-fledged porcelain product. It is pleasantly thin, feels light, and carries within it a story of innovation, thanks to which we can now print almost anything from our unique porcelain.
