How a 3D printed piece is made
A 3D printed piece takes shape straight from the three-dimensional drawing, one thin layer at a time.
It is a way of building that opens up hollow volumes, forms that pass through one another, and structures that rest on very little.
From design to object
Every Siño Milano collection begins as a three-dimensional model drawn by Dario Covini. The piece is printed in nylon, finished, and then hand dyed by immersion in a color bath. Technology and handwork both stay visible in the finished piece: in the precision of the structure, and in the slight shifts of tone from one bath to the next.
The material
We work in nylon, a technical polymer chosen for how little it weighs, how well it flexes, and how precisely it holds a shape.
The hollow structure carries substantial volume at a low weight. It resists water, and the dyes we use are tested for how they hold up to light, perspiration and rubbing.
Does nylon jewelry contain nickel?
The nylon used for the printed parts is free from nickel. On the earrings, posts, ear wires and butterfly backs are hypoallergenic surgical steel.
The dyes we use comply with the European REACH regulation, and our supplier has them lab tested for heavy metal migration, nickel included, and for color fastness.
Does the color fade?
The color penetrates the material during dyeing and stays where it is. Tests on the dyes show good resistance to light, perspiration and rubbing.
Each bath returns slight shifts of tone from one piece to the next: they come with the hand process, and they make every piece a little different.
Why are they so light?
Two reasons, and they compound. The first is the material, light by nature. The second is the geometry: 3D printing makes hollow volumes possible, so a piece can have real presence while staying almost empty inside.
