Our material is MDF and PVC flexible,  for the other 2 excises we used MDF only, so this time we wanted to do something different.

We started from thinking what is the biggest difference between these two material.  Well, one is hard, and the other is soft, and can be bent.

So we decided to use this property, and tried to form a sphere.

What we did is cutting a sheet, and then it could be stretched, then became a semi-sphere.

Then we used the joints we printed to connect 2 semi-sphere.

To provide the force to maintain the shape, we made a another bigger joint to hold a stick in the middle.

We used MDF sheet 4mm. thickness to make a sphere which is self-structure by the connecting of outer rings (vertical) to inner rings (horizontal).

For us. less is more. One single vertical ring can make other ones together, so we don’t need another ring.

For inner rings, MDF sheet was lasered cut into each pieces in different radius but for the outer ring, we have divided it precisely and laser cut it to connect with inner rings.

To make the over structure be more rigid, we need to laser cut the joint between end point of each outer ring in the locking shape by itself

Finally, we connected all pieces together then we got the minimal clean sphere diameter 12 cm. which is  the hollow core without any supporting element.

Luban ball is a kind of traditional Chinese toy, a kind of 3D puzzle. It is made of 6 pieces, and together they locked inside.

The diameter of ur ball is 120 mm,  much bigger than normal Luban balls, but this size is maybe better for milling, for the milling machine is not good at small scaled details. The material is 19 mm MDF.

Click here to watch the video → BALL~1

FORMULA:

Wood:C47O46H6N

MATERIAL DESCRIPTION:

It is dense, flat, can be easily machined and painted. Also as a kind of recycled material it is environmentally friendly, cheap and recyclable. The disadvantage of this material is that it would soak up water and other liquids. Also, MDF doesn’t hold screws very well. Standard MDF is available in a range of sizes, with the most common sheet sizes being 2400 x 1200 mm and 3600 x 1200 mm. Due to its manufactured form, MDF offers a non-directional grain making it easy to work with. MDF is good for interior furniture, it can be sawn, routed, spindled, planned or bored.

EXTRACTION AND REFINING PROCESS:

MDF is a kind of engineered wood product made from wood fibers glued under heat and pressure.

BASIC PROPERTIES:

compressive strength                                      10MPa

tensile strength                                                 18MPa

stiffness                                                             3800Mpa

density                                                                0.75g/cm³

carbon footprint                                               652 g/kg

recyclable                                                           YES

laser                                                                     YES

small laser                                                          YES

milling                                                                 YES

3d printing                                                         NO

ADVANTAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL FABRICATION:

MDF has no direction, no knots, and is flat, easy to fabricate. It can ensure cutting quality, can be precisely cut, and the cut surface will be neat.

MATERIAL SUPLIERS:

MADERAS ESTADELLA http://www.maderasestadella.com/productos.htm
GILABERT http://www.maderasestadella.com/productos.htm
SERVEI ESTACIO http://www.serveiestacio.com/
LEROY MERLIN http://www.leroymerlin.es/

PRICE:

2.128 EURO/KG

PRICE LIST  (FROM LEROY MERLIN)

SIZE                                                        PRICE(€)
600 x 300 x 10 mm                            2.45
600 x 300 x 16 mm                            3.45
800 x 400 x 10 mm                            4.6
1200 x 610 x 3 mm                             5.1
800 x 400 x 16 mm                             5.7
1200 x 600 x 10 mm                           7.15
1200 x 600 x 16 mm                           10.2
2440 x 1220 x 3 mm                           13.3
2440 x 1220 x 10 mm                         24.6
2440 x 1220 x 16 mm                         33.8
2440 x 1220 x 19 mm                         37.9
2440 x 1220 x 22 mm                        43.05
2440 x 1220 x 30 mm                        61.5

PROJECTS REFERENCES 

Project 1
A Laser cut prototype
Link: http://www.artisanmodelmakers.co.uk/Blog/Tag/laser-cut-wood.aspx

A really simple prototype made by MDF and laser. Simple, but showing a way how MDF boards become a volume.

Project 2
Laminae Table
Link: http://www.paredesaleman.com/p/furniture_01.html

It is a bridge-like table of arched supports on two sides. The starting point is an elastic surface stretched on two parallel axes and pulled down to become the supports, while keeping a central vault as its main structure. All the layers of MDF gradually come downward and upward generating the geometry of the entire table.

Project 3
Irregular honeycomb MDF structure
Link: http://www.dezeen.com/2009/05/20/3d2real-by-ilek-students/

An exhibition stand is created by student of architecture with an irregular honeycomb MDF structure. The stand was created to display the work of designers at design fair Blickfang in Stuttgart in March. Each cell of the structure is uniquely angled to focus the gaze of people standing outside the wall onto the individual objects within.
Each element of the structure is unique, generated by algorithms based on the location of the wall and the locations of the items exhibited. The screens are made up of 2,142 pieces joined by 1,376 unique pairs of connecting components. These components are made of CNC-cut pieces of 3mm and 10mm MDF, slotted together without adhesive.

Project 4
MDF laser cut
Link: http://www.lasercuttingshop.com/?projects=wood

Laser and MDF can together produce very fine patterns and go into very detail. It is really good for designers to make their ideas come into reality, as big as a house, or as small as a necklace.

REFERENCES:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-density_fibreboard
2. http://www.addicted2decorating.com/mdf-vs-plywood-differences-pros-and-cons-and-when-to-use-what.html
3. http://www.coastdesign.co.nz/Router.htm
4. http://blog.ponoko.com/2011/05/03/mdf-for-the-month-of-may/
5. http://www.woodsolutions.com.au/Wood-Product-Categories/Medium-Density-Fibreboard-MDF