A first glimpse at 3D printed door handles by Ross Lovegrove and JNF | VoxelMatters - The heart of additive manufacturing

Ross Lovegrove is a designer whose work we’ve followed closely over the years due to his interest in leveraging 3D printing to realize his innovative, one-of-a-kind designs. If you’re not yet familiar, we suggest reading about the 3D printed fragrance bottles he designed for Formula 1 a few years ago and the impressive four-meter-tall GANIC sculpture he created in cooperation with Nagami. Now, Lovegrove has unveiled his latest project: a series of intricate 3D printed door handles made in partnership with Portuguese brand JNF Architectural Hardware.

The door handle collection, which will be presented at Dubai Design Week from November 5-10, consists of three different designs, all 3D printed from AISI 316L stainless steel. The first, called Architectural, is a timeless design suitable for both small and large doors and offers a unique tactile experience through its 3D printed structure. The second design, Aeroflow, was inspired by the shape of a bird’s aerodynamic skeleton, and leverages topology optimization for an exceptionally lightweight, organic structure. The third door handle is Coral Sync, which—as the name suggests—is inspired by the texture and shape of coral.

All three handle designs, crafted using advanced 3D printing technology, are available in two different finishes—”Hero”, a mirror-polished PVD, and “Pure”, a matte grain—and several colors, including Titanium Natural, Black, Gold, Copper, Chocolate and Champagne.

The collection on the whole was undertaken in order to shift the issue of “sameness” in architectural hardware. Specifically, Lovegrove saw the potential to bring something new to an everyday functional item that is too often overlooked from a design perspective. In addition to the designer’s door handles being unique in their structure and inspiration, the 3D printed metal they are made from is also highly durable and functional.

“My career focuses on using advanced materials and technology to create iconic, distinctly modern designs,” Lovegrove said. “This approach captivates audiences in a market flooded with similar products. For JNF, I aimed to revolutionize the industry by harnessing metal additive manufacturing’s potential, challenging a sector reluctant to embrace new thinking in an era of radical innovation across industries.”

JNF, for its part, was founded in 1965 and has become a global leader in architectural hardware. Over the years, the company has remained committed to finding more sustainable ways to manufacture architectural hardware and has worked with academic teams, architects and designers to both address these issues and create innovative new products, such as this latest collection.

“Working with Ross Lovegrove on this project was an incredible experience,” commented Sérgio Neves, CEO of JNF. “His unique vision and creativity, combined with a seamless blend of design, technology and our market expertise, helped us develop three innovative collections that are truly revolutionary and unlike anything seen before in the industry. The project perfectly aligned with our goals and pushed design boundaries in an unprecedented way.”

While we’ve been given a first glimpse at the 3D printed door handle collection, the finalized products will officially be presented in November at Downtown Design, a design fair hosted as part of Dubai Design Week.