4. Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello and Emerging Objects

Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello are the cofounders of Emerging Objects, a 3D-printing MAKE-tank that creates innovative architecture and building components. The duo often experiments with nontraditional materials when 3D printing, drawing inspiration from natural resources as well as the design of nature itself.

They innovate through a unique approach to material, size, and overall designs. In fact, Fratello and Rael are working to 3D print an entire home and all of its contents.

The private spaces inside of the house are covered in walls made out of 3D-printable salt polymer based on Saltygloo. Saltygloo is Fratello and Rael’s experimentation in 3D printing using locally harvested salt to produce additive manufactured structures. They use salt from the San Francisco Bay, an area that produces 500,000 tons of sea salt a year.

Their project The Cabin of 3D Printed Curiosities is made out of 4,500 3D-printed ceramic tiles.

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As part of its initiative to make 3D printing more accessible, Emerging Objects has also created Potterware, an intuitive design app for 3D printing ceramics. The low-maintenance app does not require any previous software experience or computer-modeling knowledge. The app features easy-to-use sliders that adjust 3D models to fit users’ specific needs for their pots.