en.Wedoany.com Reported - Italian designer Valentina Bottani (a graduate of Politecnico di Milano), in collaboration with design brand Osmotica Design, has created a modern rocking chair named Duondolo using Caracol's large-format additive manufacturing technology. The chair, exhibited at Milan Design Week 2026, reimagines the traditional rocking motion by shifting from forward-and-back to side-to-side swaying. The designer reinterpreted the rocking chair as a relational object, inviting users to rediscover balance, play, and human connection.
Measuring 2300×1050×1230 mm, the rocking chair was 3D printed using Caracol's Heron AM platform. This platform is a robotic large-format additive manufacturing (LFAM) technology compatible with composite thermoplastics. For this project, recycled PETG (rPETG) reinforced with 30% glass fiber was used, completing the entire chair structure in 18 hours. The material was chosen for its eco-friendly properties and its ability to meet the structural requirements of a large rocking chair.
Caracol stated that beyond sustainability, the project demonstrates the economic viability of small-batch and custom production: no molds, no overproduction, and a one-of-a-kind product can be manufactured to precise specifications in 18 hours. This technology makes it possible for studios and designers seeking to push formal boundaries while adhering to responsible production. Previously, the Heron AM platform has been used for a large-scale public art installation in Colorado in 2025, a retail space for Australian retailer Hardy Brothers, and the world's largest 3D-printed structure by volume at Dubai's Myata Platinum restaurant. The technology has also been applied in the marine and automotive industries for manufacturing large monolithic structures such as hulls and roofs.
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