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We have seen a whole host of innovative uses for 3D printing over the past few years — everything from pancakes to clay houses have been created using additive manufacturing. Parallel to this is the maker movement, which celebrates hands-on creativity and workmanship. Sitting squarely in between is designer Daniel de Bruin’s Analogue 3D Printer — a hand-powered machine which enables de Bruin to embrace 3D printing’s technological leap while retaining the creativity, ownership and freedom of hands-on production.

The Analogue 3D printer is a two-metre tall machine made up of various gears, chains and metal parts. The operator must crank the machine by hand, making all the parts work in unison and forcing clay out of a syringe by adjusting an assembly of pulleys and weights. The machine adapts the potential uniformity of 3D printing, requiring a greater level of skill from the creator to attain it. This in turn helps the creator retain a connection to the pieces they make and celebrates the imperfections and intricacies of handmade production.

Daniel de Bruin’s machine is a one-off, but is there scope for other products that combine the efficiency and affordability of new technologies with the personality and individuality of handmade items?