Three innovative businesses have teamed up to design, manufacture, and sell a line of versatile and custom furniture using large-scale 3D printing.
At Stony Lake Furniture Co. in Lakefield, you’ll find stylish planters that have been made with the cutting-edge technology and modern craftsmanship of Cormor and 3DCP Muskoka, both of which are 3D printing companies working in construction and based in Peterborough and Bracebridge respectively.
“What we’re looking to do is (bring together) collective minds because of the freedom of design capabilities of this technology,” says Dwight Corcoran, CEO and co-founder of Cormor, which has been involved in 3D printing for four years. “More imaginative minds and more creative minds are going to push us even further.”
Also known as additive construction, 3D construction printing is a digitized process whereby a specialized material (often specially formulated concrete) goes into a mixer and then is extruded through an autonomous robotic arm, layer by layer. There is no need for formwork as the concrete sets very quickly after each layer.
“It makes beautiful architectural design products that you can’t get through any other form of creating,” says 3DCP Muskoka founder Linda Reisman, who suggests the process of 3D printing sounds much simpler than it is.
“There are many steps involved because you have to get the material just right and there are a lot of different factors that come into play,” she says. “But if you have the material right and the program is right, then off the printer goes and you just have to watch it make this beautiful object — and it can go very quickly.”
Corcoran adds that finding the precise material is imperative because weather, water, and temperature can all have an impact on how the product comes out.
“It’s not as easy as just pushing a button as people might think,” says Reisman. “You can watch all the videos, and it looks so easy and everything comes out perfectly, but we have a lot of bloopers also where things are modelling and then all of a sudden it collapses. It’s definitely a technique that has to be precise.”
With the right material and machinery, Cormor and 3DCP Muskoka have crafted sleek one-of-a-kind planters that can be used indoors or outdoors and demonstrate the custom capabilities of 3D printing.
“It’s just a cool conversation starter when people come into the store because it’s totally new to them,” says Lisa Besseling, owner and principal designer of Stony Lake Furniture Co.
“Being able to come in here and touch it is different than seeing it online. Online you really don’t see the designs well. They’re gorgeous, and the texture of the material in person is really cool and almost looks like rope.”
The 3D printed planters are a good fit for Stony Lake Furniture Co., according to Reisman.
“Lisa’s products are incredible, and they go really well (with the 3D printed collection),” Reisman notes. “She has a premium product in her shop, so I think it’s a very good combination that we hope to expand on.”
For her part, Besseling says she hopes to collaborate with Cormor and 3DCP Muskoka throughout the winter by designing the next products, including side tables, coffee tables, and other furniture, to be featured in the collection.
“It would be fun to come up with some stuff for client work or work on some small pieces for in the store,” she says. “All of that is very exciting from a retail and interior design perspective.”
As for selling customers on the products themselves, Corcoran points to the versality of concrete as a building material.
“Concrete’s been around forever — iIt’s the most widely used construction material that there is and it’s durable,” he says.
“Then it’s really about opening up your imagination. What do you want designed? We can come up with something that will work. We’re looking for people like Lisa who has a creative talent and knows her customers. Then if the customer has an idea, we can probably print it.”
3D printing also offers a sustainable construction solution because, in addition to being durable, the products are also more efficient, requiring less labour, and there is very little waste.
“You can use all kinds of different materials and different concrete or mortar mixes, and most of it is low carbon (with) the continuous push is to use more eco-friendly products,” says Corcoran. “Because it’s digitized, you already know how much material you need and you only make that amount, so there’s not this waste that is usual in construction.”
While additive construction is a relatively new technology and construction activity has slowed from a 2023 peak, Corcoran sees 3D printing as the future.
“It’s taken longer than we all expected to take off in Ontario and in Canada, but in the next five to 10 years, this automation is a real thing,” says Corcoran.
“What’s always happening is there are new advances going on very quickly and so, being involved in that as both our companies are, we’re always playing with the new technology and trying to push it further. It’s going to be here to stay.”
Reisman adds that 3DCP Muskoka and Cormor are the first 3D printing construction companies in Canada to have collaborated to do architectural design products.
“As we start pushing it more to people in the public, there’s going to be more uses,” Corcoran says. “The technology is advancing quickly, the material’s advancing quickly, and then people involved in it are going to push the boundaries. It’s not like it’s replacing people, because it just changes the way people work. You still need minds, and you need people to be able to do the digital process for the robot. It helps save the backs of people that are in that industry, but it won’t replace them.”
Corcoran and Reisman suggest it’s only the beginning of their collaboration and there is so much capacity for customizable projects, from restaurant bars and cash desks to those with company logos and even those made with materials beyond concrete.
“Whether it’s a table or an outdoor BBQ or bathtub, the products are endless,” says Reisman.
“Challenge us on the designs and we’ll come up with something for you,” Corcoran adds. “There are almost unlimited ways of constructing with the 3D printing, so challenge us. We’re looking for that.”
For more information about Cormor and 3DCP Muskoka, visit cormor.ca and 3dcpmuskoka.com. For more information about Stony Lake Furniture Co., visit stonylakefurniture.ca.
