September 2026 · Bucharest
From 17 to 20 September 2026, the mkt team was at BIFE-SIM, the international furniture, woodworking and technologies fair held at Romexpo in Bucharest. We came as a full team, and we brought the process with us, not only the results.
At a glance
Event
BIFE-SIM 2026
Dates
17–20 September 2026
Venue
Romexpo, Bucharest
Organisers
APMR and Romexpo, with the support of ARDI
BIFE-SIM is organised by APMR and Romexpo, with the support of ARDI. This year, the fair returned to a two-pavilion format for the first time in six years.
Our stand followed the same path as our work: research, design, prototype. Visitors could watch a 3D printing robot at work, handle printed samples and see up close the prototypes that come out of this process.
We presented a selection of prototypes and material studies, each one a step in our research:
3D printed samples of the materials we work with
3D printed vases
Noxia, the collection developed for the transformation of the former Carbochim factory into an art space. Its cream-red-black gradient echoes the layered smoke that once rose from the factory's furnace.
Lumvia, shown in three variants. Its top is customisable, so each variant is a different expression of the same concept.
Fagora, shown in two variants. The sculptural table combines solid wood with 3D printed compartments made from a wood-fibre-based composite.
The centrepiece of our stand was our pellet-based 3D printing robot: a robotic arm fitted with an extruder fed directly with granules. During the fair, it printed small side tables and lamps live, layer by layer, in front of visitors.
This is what drew many people to the stand. They stopped to watch a piece take shape, some crouching down to follow the nozzle at the level of the print bed.
A finished prototype shows the result. Live printing shows how we get there.
Visitors were delighted by the robot, and it became the starting point of a full circuit through the stand. Our team guided them from the live print to the material samples, and from the samples to the table prototypes.
Along the way, people picked up the samples, looked at the printed layers up close, then moved on to Lumvia and Fagora. The whole team was there to walk them through each step.
We mainly print with a PLA and wood blend, with a wood content of up to 30% by mass, and with plain PLA. We are also experimenting with combining PLA and textile materials.
The robot's print volume reaches 1.80 × 1.80 × 1.20 m.
They are made from liquid ceramic, cast into moulds and then painted.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our stand, watched the robot at work and asked questions. Every conversation is part of the same cycle we brought to BIFE-SIM: research, design, prototype, test, improve.
Research.
Design.
Manufacture.
© 2026 mkt center
Cluj-Napoca
