The milling process has been evaluated with three different ballmills: a 12 mm diameter one to remove material, a 6 mm one diameter to mill the designed shape and a 3 mm ballmill to finish the outputs.

Once the mold was finished we applied 4 coats  of sealer and let it dry. Then we applied a layer of vaseline so that the cement did not stick into the mold. Next step was to pour a mixture of cement, water and additives. The mixture dried for 8 hours. After taking the piece out of the mold, the surface has been cleaned out of the vaseline and the oil has been applied to uniform the finishing.

To be continued… (once we have more tiles) 

Digital Fabrication – Exercise 3D Printing

Group 22: Gökhan Çatıkkaş, Juhi Patel, Sebastian Alvarado

The project consists of simple joints and their response to the stored energy inside the rods. Playful. The rods stay in form with the already stored energy and if you touch and release the energy it “explodes”.

The explosion does not make the installation irregular, but it makes it back to its ordinary geometric form. This explosion does not mean destruction and irregularity, it brings silence and order to the geometry.

The main idea for our joint is to create a tower and manipulate its form in real time in order to achieve several different structures. It is formed by 4 rods in the middle which are the sustain of the tower and allow it to move up and down; then, other 6 on the outside, works as a all to create a structural “skin” or “facade”.

The joint is formed by three parts: The first one is the core which slide up and down using as a path the 4 rods in the middle. Then, because we wanted to have a 360 degrees organic movement of the outer rods, we created two components to allowed us the movement in the XY axis and in the YZ axis, like an increasing and decreasing living tower.

The joint is formed by 13 pieces; the central piece, which is the most important, is the one that allows us to assemble all the elements; then, there are 6 “U” pieces than provides the horizontal movement, that means in the XY axis. Finally, there are 6 “arms” or “legs” pieces that works in vertical movement, the YZ axis; all this configuration provides a movement of expansion and contraction to the entire structure.

The primary goal was to design a kinetic structure that is supported by crossing elements of the same material to each other. This ultimately created a self supported free standing structure with the help of crossing components.

We created several axes by grouping rods together to make the flexible components more durable. To achieve a durable structure that would support itself, we used two three-pieced rods and one four-piece rod. We joined all of these elements with by designing 3d printed joints.

There is a one-hole joint, three-hole joint and a four hole joint. Using the laser cutter helped us attach the joints to the board precisely.

1st geometrical moment

2nd geometrical moment

.gif picture showing the movement of the structure (press on it)

Group 13

Asif Rahman

Sinem Samanci

Irina Shaklova

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.

 Hand In Hand, Tower

“The process began with a Spiral as our inspiration. We wanted to explore the potential of the material to its maximum threshold; hence the Spiral was the best fit for our endeavor.

 Working with this geometry helped us discover various complex issues and challenges at every step of construction. The unique module evolved, has been used in different sizes with variations in engravings.

Series of tests were carried out using different spacing between engravings on strips of wood along with soaking them in water. With the said experimentation, we were able to bend the wood significantly more than expected.  The various permutations and combinations of the modules enabled the unique twisting and interlocking between the modules. The final installation is a dynamic structure put together piece by piece, almost in a poetic way, where the form was evolved purely by the properties of the module rather than following a preconceived idea of the form.”

The exercise was to design a vertical structure consisting of different kinds of connections with wood material. Our goal was to use the necessary number of vertical joints that accentuate the curvy figure of our structure… and of course, aim higher!

Our first prototype was to assemble one module (composed of 4 identical pieces). Using the interlocking technique we connected the modules with horizontal joints. With the use of the bending technique, we connected vertically the other set of modules. The structure was simple, very stable and had the possibility of reaching 3 meters.

We decided to push the connections further, and experiment with the material.

Instead of 4 units, we now used 5, and instead of horizontal connections, vertical ones were replaced, giving the structure a more minimalistic approach.

The organization of the joints along a 360 degrees angle substituted the use of any further structural elements for stability.

After experimenting with the profile of each strip, the joints enabled the exaggeration of the curves and hence magnifying the bloom effect with the possibility of going higher.

The evolution from horizontal to vertical joints

The procedure: heating and wetting of wood, bending, and intertwining

Group members: Hristo Kovachev, Maria Laura Cerda, Rasha Sukkarieh

The central theme of the project was to create a structure that arose from a flat plane into a three-dimensional object while challenging the properties of the materials used.

The uniqueness of the structure lies in the individual strips that lift from the flat surface, requiring no joints hence forming smooth curves.

The structure evolved over time to its final result where the support members were shifted from the exterior to the interior. Also a few curves were detached from the end strips in order to break the monotony of the overall structure.

Furthermore the strips created evolved from being just horizontal strips to multi directional curves using the laser cutter to our advantage.

Although the bending was done against the grains of the wood we were able to achieve the required result by laser cutters precision to create small perforations onto the surface.

To allow further bending of the wood, it was bent while wet. The inner structure was then fitted to hold the bend in place.

Through this process, it was possible to bend the two strips to achieve a gap of more than 15cm between them. Various distances have been used along the entire model that makes the overall structure more dynamic.

Additionally as the whole board was used to create the structure not much waste was generated from the process.

THE PROCESS:

1. Laser cut the perforations perpendicular to the curve required.
2. Wet the board for about 2minutes either by spraying or soaking (both methods were tried and gave positive results)
3. Bend the curve to the distance required and hold in place for a few seconds. Insert the central structure that would hold the bend while the structure dries and also as as the spine of the model.

Group 12 |  Akanksha Kargwal - Mamta Srinivas - Irina Shaklova

The structure is a simple constructive assembly system that allows us to experiment in a single object multiple and different types of joints and their possible variations/combinations that became our primary research, seeking to minimise waste.

The pentagonal footprint force us to generate horizontal elements that are connected by various elements in the vertical direction. The combination of both, horizontal and vertical parts is what generates height increase and stabilisation of the system when connected.

We also explored the void as an integral element in our structure, which reduces weight and helps with the distribution of the different parts to achieve an effective balance in our structure.

The result is, when unassembled; a compact structure system, easy to pack and transport,  extremely easy and quick to assemble based on the interlocking, bending, sectioning and clipping joints experimented and tested in different models and digital joinery. When assembled, is also stable and can be manipulated without the risk to be destroy.

Dimitrios Aidonis | Michele Braidy | Gustavo Triana

]]> http://legacy.iaacblog.com/maa2013-2014-digital-fabrication/2013/11/679/feed/ 0 http://legacy.iaacblog.com/maa2013-2014-digital-fabrication/2013/11/interweave/ http://legacy.iaacblog.com/maa2013-2014-digital-fabrication/2013/11/interweave/#comments Wed, 06 Nov 2013 01:12:39 +0000 Mary Katherine Heinrich http://legacy.iaacblog.com/maa2013-2014-digital-fabrication/?p=710  

Each element in this design is a rectangular wood strip of the same length. The width of the strips begins at 4cm and decreases gradually as the structure continues up. Structurally, the tower is organized in two perpendicular axes, crossing at a central datum. In both axes, the strips bend in an alternating pattern as they go up, switching direction at each bend’s apex. Within each axis, the strips notch together when they cross. When the two axes cross at the central datum, they weave through each other. This weaving joint (along with the surrounding bent strips acting in tension) gives the structure its stability. An “X” in one axis weaves through an “eye” in the opposing axis. The angles of each “X” determine and stabilize the position of the “eye” that encapsulates it. As the width of the strips decreases, the radius of the “eye” increases. This causes all the strips around it to increase in radius, becoming thinner in overall plan diameter. Therefore, as each section’s strips get thinner, that section of the tower gets taller.

TEAM: Efilena Baseta, Elena Mitrofanova + Mary Katherine Heinrich