Feature
Building business Starting out in 1969, Hobs Reprographics has grown into one of the biggest independent digital printing companies in Britain. Three years ago it started offering 3D printing services and now produces models for some of the biggest architectural practices in the capital.
Right A model produced by Hobs Studio of London’s Victoria Station helped the construction team by displaying different sections in colour Below (top) The model was produced using the colour 3D printing ability of the 3D Systems ProJet 660, of which Hobs Studio has four Below (bottom) The high resolution, large build area and bright white finish of the SLA models mean that Hobs Studio’s 3D Systems iPro 8000 machine is in high demand by architects
by Stephen Holmes
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3D Systems Projet 660 printers and an older Projet 550, sometimes know as ‘ZCorp’ machines. “Two years ago we had one 3D printer in a corner,” says Hobs Studio director Michelle Greeff. “I would fix the files then print them, take them out, deliver them, then run out and get more work. “Now we’ve moved into here with six printers, and we’re the only one with the 3D Systems iPro 8000.” The printer in question is the jewel in the company’s crown. Sitting in its own temperaturecontrolled, glass-walled room, it can produce large stereolithography (SLA) models. SLA gives the customer more model options, with a higher resolution finish. The parts are highly detailed and come with a refined surface finish, producing parts straight from a simple clean up, with a white or clear finish that is prized in architectural presentation models. While initially appearing to be the more expensive process, the SLA is not that much more costly when materials can be reduced by, for example, deploying thinner walls, Ms Greeff says.
he rise of 3D printing in architectural modelmaking has been meteoric. Early adopter bureaux have grown swiftly across the UK as architects look to use fast and accurate models at every stage of design. Compared to the space needed for a traditional model-making workshop, print bureaux housing 3D printers and post-processing facilities can squeeze into relatively small premises. Using this small footprint to its benefit, Hobs Studio has moved closer to its main architectural client base. Its latest bureau straddles the north London suburbs of Clerkenwell and Islington, close to many of the Capital’s biggest architecture practices and construction companies.
All shapes and sizes Unlike a model-maker’s workshop, the bureau has all the familiarity of a standard office, yet past the administration area lies a bank of 3D printers, all busy. A lot of the models are straight prints of the 3D digital model for practical assessment, with few additional flourishes. More complex presentation models include large cityscapes printed in miniature across connecting tiles, and whole schools produced in colour, with removable roofs exposing furnished rooms within. The construction industry comes to Hobs 10
July / August 2014
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Quality and quantity for models of rail stations, showing the various branches of the underground rail network that run underneath. These can be produced in a matter of hours and in full colour on the bureau’s four
On the day of our visit, the iPro 8000 build tray has a mixture of parts for a globally-renowned architect mixed in with those for a luxury handbag designer, filling the build area to its maximum. In an attempt to eke out every inch of prowww.AECmag.com
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