Objective:

The third segment in the digital fabrication class is Milling.  Milling is “the machining process of using rotary cutters to remove material.” (wikipedia) Milling is a tool that has a variety of options and can be used on multiple scales.  Inspired by the city and the architecture of Barcelona, the prompt for the milling machine exercise was to design a hexagonal tile, 40mm deep with 144mm sides.  Constraints for the top face of the tile allowed students to explore variations in the depth up to 7mm.

3D Model + RhinoCam:

Students were encouraged to create a topography for the movement of water through a network of tiles. Each group’s tile had specific geometrical edge conditions where their tile would connect to their neighbours via the flow of water. Since each tile would be replicated, and each pair of edges had their own inlet/outlet parameters, it was important to trisect the hexagon to achieve cohesion within a set of 7 (of their own) tiles as well as within a tile network.

Inspiration

Fractal like shapes, reflectional symmetry, rotational symmetry, and self-similarity and the finite subdivision rule drove our initial design.  Recursive subdivision is something that is widely used in tile making and milling but we wanted to tell a different story.  Our group is comprised of engineers and architects and exploring “advanced” topics recently we have been exposed to and are interested in electronics.

Printed Circuit boards (PCB) have been around since the 1850’s, metal rods connected large components mounted on wooden bases.   Circuit boards are in all electronics and some of the most used components and have been around since the 1920’s.  The first circuit boards were hand soldered, and the movement of the wire is that of “sweeping curves” denoting freehand design.  Today, circuit boards are rectilinear, and “printed” on the surface on insulating boards. There are single-double-and multi layered boards made up of layers of printed circuits.  The components are connected through plated and drilled holes to the appropriate circuit layer.  This adds greater circuit simplicity and a beautiful geometry.  Each board is unique, printed for its function and designed to perform each function within an allotted space.Our tile reflects the evolution of the circuit board.

Physical Model

Made from a high density polyurethane foam,Made from  50mm thick high density polyurethane foam the  single mould was created using CNC Milling machine. Three different ball machines were used i.e. 3mm ball mill , 6mm  ball mill , 12mm ball mill for creating different finishes . The mould was then applied with 4 coats of sealant at the time gap of every 20 min and let to dry completely. Once the sealant was dried out completely , a layer of Vaseline was applied to prevent the cement block from getting stuck to the foam.The next step was to pour the concrete mix with proportion of  800ml of cement , 2400 ml of aggregate and 480 ml of water and 100ml of accelerator and dry for 12 hours. The tile was then taken out and allowed to set for next few hours. The process was repeated and a total of 5 tiles were casted. The concrete tile was further processed with hot water to remove the vaseline and oil was applied to give a polished finish.

Derived from a hyperboloid of 1 sheet, the Hyperblob is a free standing structure made up of 25 2mm fiberglass rods, 33mm long, through two 3D printed rings, 150 mm in diameter. Hyperboloids can be found in architecture and are based on the concept of a ruled surface: through every point on the surface lies a straight line. Hyperblob is an exploration of curvature through the use of straight lines. The structure has a variety of movements, in all of the cartesian coordinates, due to the 3D printed joints.

The Digital Fabrication world has introduced the magic of 3D printing to a variety of audiences. As students, designers, and thinkers it was our task to explore this new technology and create a joint was only possible using this process. Using this criteria we produced a repetative joint that comprised of openings, angled at 20 degrees, as well as a bi-axial interlocking connection mechanism. Constrained by a bounding box of 50x50x100 mm, we printed 26 individual joints that when combined form two seperate rings.  The Hyperblob comes to life when rods pass through each ring allowing the structure to stand, move, and deform depending on the users manipulation.

The final dimensions of the scratch joint were determined by the material’s flexibility as well as the joint’s arm length.  The 3mm wood gave us optimal flexibility to bend pieces and form connections adding strength through tension and compression.  The scratch tower went through many iterations: first, we looked at the geometry of a spiral. Creating a spiral configuration would provide us with maximum strength, but left us with less opportunities to play with the system.  Secondly, we combined a spiral base with an organic flow that formed an unstable tower.  Final build experiments taught us that we could achieve a more stable structure as long as we had a strong base, this allowed us to grow our tower from a ridged base and explore the possibilities of natural form using one component as well as experiment with the tower’s maximum height.

Start from Scratch!

Structures arrived around 09:30 Wednesday morning Otober 16, 2013. MAA 2013-2014 students used the past week to explore materials, design, and digitally fabricate prototypical structures, joints, and connections. Groups, comprised of 3-4 students, were prompted to create the tallest structure scaled 1:5 made out of 1mm thick cardboard without the use of nails, glue, or any other supplementary material.

Size, shape, and geometry varied between groups and the ideas of advanced architecture as they are applied to lightweight structures were explored through a process of trial and error. Groups experimented with optimization of material, joints and construction process while considering weight and height constraints.

Tutors: Alexandre Dubor, Anastasia Pistofidou, & Edouard Cabay discussed each prototype and gave feedback encouraging students to crush, force, and push the structures to failure. Moving forward the goal is to create stronger structures by understanding the materials and how they will deform. This will be achieved through the analysis of failed members, connections, or supports of each structure.

Further constraints will be given in the following classes. Final installations, of plywood, will be presented on October 30, 2013.