GROHE Icon 3D

GROHE has taken the bathroom industry to the cusp of an exciting new era; integrating 3D metal-printing into its production process. First unveiled at ISH, Europe’s leading bathroom fair in March 2019, the Icon 3D range is the brand’s first foray into metal-printed taps, paving the way for new manufacturing innovation in the European sanitaryware market.

Icon 3D offers a reinterpretation of two of GROHE’s firm design favourites, Allure Brilliant and Atrio, whilst pushing the limits of 3D metal-printing and challenging the boundaries of product design. The result is a visually striking tap collection boasting ultra-thin structures and hollow interiors which are created using significantly less material compared to traditional methods, in a strident effort to manufacture more sustainably and responsibly.

The integration of 3D printing into the bathroom poses exciting possibilities for interior design and brings the industry a step closer to achieving a more circular economy; these taps can be produced in small quantities to the bespoke specification of clients with no design limitations whilst the shift away from mass production will help reduce harmful emissions.

The components for Icon 3D are produced by printing approximately 4,700 layers, each 0.06mm thick, using a powder bed laser melting process, a unique material developed by GROHE’s R&D team. Each component is then mechanically treated on a CNC milling machine, followed by a manual grinding and fine brushing procedure. The use of the highly castable raw corrosion-resistant steel comes to the fore in the final product, offering a brushed steel finish that will beautifully enrich the interiors of premium, contemporary bathrooms. The Icon 3D collection already features in the world’s largest underwater restaurant, Under, with further exclusive specifications in discussions for 2020 and beyond.