Dubai-based company Proto21 has caused a stir with a 3D printing project. The interior design for the new luxury restaurant MYATA Platinum in the City Walk Mall was created using additive manufacturing. With a volume of 38 cubic meters and a surface area of over 1,000 square meters, it is the largest 3D-printed interior structure in the world to date, according to the company.
The project took around six months to complete. More than 10,000 components were produced, which were brought together in 27 large-format installations. The biggest challenge was not only the pure printing time of over 150,000 hours, but also the logistical handling. Material consumption was so high that there were supply bottlenecks. In some cases, filament manufacturers had to start exclusive production runs to cover Proto21’s requirements.
PLA+, which is characterized by good strength and reworkability, was predominantly used for the interior areas. Due to the climatic conditions in Dubai, glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PPGF), which offers higher temperature resistance, was used for the exterior. Production was carried out using more than 180 printing systems. These included 70 Bambu Lab devices and a large robot-supported printer for the outdoor modules.
Proto21 is known in the United Arab Emirates primarily for custom-made products at short notice. The company has already produced projects such as a 32-metre-long 3D-printed façade cladding for Adidas in the Dubai Mall and a topographical model for the Ministry of Defense.
