The iconic luxury fountain pen brand “Duchessa 1935” returns to the market thanks to 3D color printing technology

Il Pennaio – an Italian manufacturer of luxury pens, used the multi-color, multi-material 3D printing technology of PolyJet Stratasys to re-launch the historic fountain pen brand – Duchessa 1935. After partnering up with Florenradica, a manufacturer of parts and accessories for high-end fashion, a new product line has already embraced success, ensuring an influx of new customers to Il Pennaio and increasing the company’s sales performance. Additionally, just a few weeks after introducing the new collection to the market, the company became a partner of one of the largest pen sellers in Europe – La Couronne du Comte.

The Duchessa 1935 brand is seen throughout the industry as one of the most prestigious in Italy, even though it was withdrawn from sale in 1958. In an effort to bring the iconic name to life and give it a modern twist, Il Pennaio set out to expand the boundaries of fountain pen making techniques to create distinctive contemporary designs in the unique style of the original Duchessa.

According to Fabio Moricci, co-owner of Il Pennaio, the new designs – featuring vivid color combinations and intricate patterns – would be unattainable with other 3D printers, let alone traditional production methods. Thanks to the PolyJet 3D printing technology, Moricci sees new opportunities to design products on the entire market:

When testing the same designs, other 3D printers were unable to get results that were even nearly comparable; We truly believe Stratasys is the only supplier that can deliver the outstanding quality demanded by high-end luxury brands.

The luxury pens market usually uses the same resins with a similar structure. As a result, of all the key suppliers that large industry brands can turn to, the only differentiator is aesthetics. In addition to creating new design possibilities, the fundamental versatility of 3D printing has also opened up entirely new possibilities for Il Pennaio and Florenradica, allowing the creation of small quantities or single products.

The first collection of the Duchessa 1935 series is now available and consists of 250 pieces, each designed and manufactured at the Florenradica headquarters in Florence using Stratasys J-Series PolyJet 3D printing technology. Florenradica, a longtime partner of Stratasys, recently added the Stratasys J850 3D printer to its business, strengthening the company’s ability to create ultra-realistic prototypes and specialized end parts.

Source: Stratasys press materials