MATERIALISE
In 2001, Janne saw an opportunity for Materialise to reach the consumer with new products using existing manufacturing tools.
Janne approached the CEO and proposed that the company create a new consumer focused department in order to target new customers and extend their product offering.
The executive team approved the project and a new department called MGX was founded. The purpose was to sell upscale design products which Janne designed and produced using the company’s tools.
In 2002, the initial products were lights, which became the first high end and high volume consumer products created with 3D printing. The products won countless awards around the world and were purchased in several permanent design collections in leading museums in the world. The first 3D printed art work ever acquired by MOMA in NYC were Janne’s lighting designs in 2003.
This not only created new profitable business for Materialise but it disrupted the industry and led the way for countless other consumer products to follow.
“His contributions to the field of designing with 3D printing are very significant because they are the first of their kind. He was the first designer to address a wide range of disciplines within this field, such as lighting, footwear, textiles and furniture. He was also the first to create an Augmented Reality platform back in 1998, which connected a future world of home 3D printing to a seamless consumer experience, which questioned the need for physical transportation of goods in the future.”
Paolo Antonelli, Senior Curator, Architecture and Design, The Museum Of Modern Art