grohe: Water as a Visual Experience

GROHE is the first of the leading sanitary brands in Europe to offer faucets from the 3D metal-printer. The edition removed traditional design and technology constraints to create limitless design options.

3D printing has long been regarded as the manufacturing technology of the future. Components made by the 3D printer set new standards for premium manufacturers in the automotive and aircraft industry. In the sanitary sector, GROHE is now offering GROHE Atrio Icon 3D and GROHE Allure Brilliant Icon 3D, two faucets created using 3D metal-printing. GROHE, a leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen faucets, has advanced its 3D technology process to meet the unique challenges of metal printing, enabling a fascinating symbiosis of the latest high-tech and skilled craftsmanship, which redefines the possibilities in product design and creates your individual pieces for the bathroom. GROHE is shaping the future of water by applying the future of design, technology and manufacturing.

Overcoming Boundaries: Water as a Visual Experience

With the reinterpretation of the Atrio and Allure Brilliant lines by incorporating the Icon 3D design, GROHE takes product design and the joy of water to a whole new level. Paul Flowers, Chief Design Officer LIXIL, emphasizes: “Every innovation always starts with a bold vision. To re-think what is possible is for us only a question of perspective. With GROHE Icon 3D, we are entering the future of product design as we are now able to create designs that at first appear impossible. By embracing the still-emerging technology of 3D metal-printing, we are pushing the boundaries of design and truly shape the future of water.” Thomas Fuhr, COO Fittings LIXIL International und CEO Grohe AG, adds: “In order to be a pioneer in the industry and to further expand our technology leadership, we invest heavily not only in research and development, but also in innovative manufacturing processes in our plants. With 3D metal-printing, we are ringing in a new era in production which is made in Germany. We focus on our core business and use our faucets to cover the entire value chain, clearly distinguishing us from our competitors. Essential to us is that we retain our proven GROHE quality and translate it into a 3D-metal-printed product. For this, we have developed our own process, whose magic lies in the powder, a unique formula for the granules that we make.”

GROHE’s 3D metal-printing process makes virtually any geometry possible and invites you to rediscover materiality: By reducing the shapes to their essentials, the stainless steel used as a raw and at the same time highly shapeable material also comes to the fore in the final product. The reduction of the design to an absolute minimum and the emphasis on the pure essence of the shapes not only saves valuable resources, but also offers a new interactive experience of water. The ultra-thin spout of the GROHE Atrio Icon 3D and the hollow interior of GROHE Allure Brilliant Icon 3D in the familiar silhouette make the water flow look like a magical, optical illusion. The faucets of the two lines thus become an aesthetic highlight in a brushed steel finish.

Cutting-edge Digital Technology Meets Craftsmanship, Creating Unique Products

Icon 3D combines state-of-the-art digital technology with hand-crafted, proven GROHE quality. The components are produced by printing metal, using a powder bed laser melting process. Each component for the faucet consists of more than 4,000 layers made of superfine stainless steel powder, providing it with forging strength. After printing, the component is mechanically treated on a CNC milling machine, followed by a manual grinding and fine brushing procedure as the last step of the finish. The elaborate process defines the exclusivity of the Icon 3D series: Each product is unique; the edition of the collection is limited to a few pieces per year. GROHE Icon 3D is available on request as an exclusive piece for the bathroom.