Towards the Meaningful 3D-Printed Object: Understanding the Materiality of 3D Prints.

Digital fabrication (e.g. 3D printing) provides opportunities for people to act as a product designer and create or adapt objects to their needs and preferences. While research has frequently studied the applications of 3D printing, little is understood on how people engage with the 3D-printed objects after production. This paper begins to fill in this gap by investigating how people perceive 3D-printed objects at two levels: first, basic material properties, and second, meaning or interpretation. A study was conducted with 22 participants comparing 3D-printed objects made of two materials (SLA resin and PLA) with mass-manufactured plastic objects. Qualitative and quantitative results revealed that people perceive material differences in texture, shine, and quality, and that they interpret 3D-printed and mass-manufactured objects differently. The study results can inform the design of 3D printing technology and software such that resultant objects are better aligned with users’ design intents and preferences.