“We are the first company in the world to offer this,” reports Andreas Knöchel, Head of Program Management at Oechsler. 

Johannes Steinbauer together with the German manufacturer Oechsler has devised a new aesthetic way to implement 3D technical products with the development of the new Slope Lounge Chair.

The chair features a four-star metal base that holds a seat shell, upholstery with a grid structure, and cushions made of thermoplastic plastic—all of which are the products of a 3D printer. 

Even the connecting elements are 3D printed. 

In terms of comfort, the seat is already more than just a study, since its development is based on Porsche’s manufacturing know-how for sportscar seats.

The latter also includes 3D-printed upholstery, the hardness of which is individually adapted to the customer’s specifications.

Oechsler has even given thought to as long a lifespan as possible for Lounge Chair Slope, exclusively using homogeneous materials that are recyclable. 

Because it features plug-in systems and does not glue its parts together, every single element of this 80-centimeter chair can be replaced if necessary. 

“We only print what we need. We can then recycle the finished parts,” explains Knöchel. 

This means that single Slope Lounge Chairs can be manufactured using several 3D printers.

The chair’s design alternate between closed and open structures. 

The fine geometric grid structures which go to make up its seat shell represent one of Oechsler‘s specialties: The company already uses this particular technology for printing the soles for sports shoes. 

In the version for their lounge chair, the design’s airy structure, printed in several layers, is adapted perfectly, and ergonomically, to the body of a sitting person. 

As a finishing touch, the chair’s seat cushions have been provided with a soft fabric, with stretchy tapes to attach them to the seat shell. 

The customized TPU seating elements feature locally different hardness zones and therefore offer maximum comfort. 

Furthermore, they stand out by their unique lattice structure and the associated ideal air ventilation.

As few materials as possible with maximum flexibility in terms of design and functionality—this was Oechsler’s main objective for their lightweight chair.

So as to cut the number of parts necessary, soft and hard elements were combined within one single component. 

Moreover, by adding extra printed components, frames or textiles it is also easy to modify the chair’s appearance as required. 

Thanks to its modular construction, the chair does not take up much space, as well as conserves resources during transportation. 

The Slope Lounge Chair Slope. represents a comprehensive case study and will be serving Oechsler as the basis for all further developments in the field of furniture design.

“Our objective is not so much to bring the chair to market the way it is now. Instead, what we want to do is, together with the furniture industry, to use the study to illustrate what is currently possible using 3D printing, so that existing processes can be optimized,” states Knöchel.

The chair in nine individual parts can be easily packed and shipped in a small package and is fully recyclable.

Project: Slope Lounge Chair Designers: Johannes Steinbauer Office for Design Lead Designer: Johannes Steinbauer Manufacturer: Oechsler AG  Photographs: David Arzi, Steinbauer Design

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