The works consisted in projects developed throughout the term focussing on exploring the design opportunities arising from three common digital fabrication process that will be explored during the course : Laser Cutting, CNC milling and 3D Printing.

This year the exercise was articulated around the design of a differentiated component (composed of 2 material types) proliferating to form a volume. Each component was part of a common family, sharing the same constructive logic, while being slightly different from each other, evolving from a high density to a low density component.

The outcome of the exercise was a constructed assembly of at least 10 components which inhabited a given shape to create a suspended lamp.

For experimenting with the material we used a 1.2 mm thickness sheet. Before starting the milling the brass sheet was attached to the machine’s board using double sided tape and 6 screws distributed on the edges. The RinoCam file was set using “2D Engraving” in 2 steps of 0.6 mm each; the first one contoured all the triangles of the origami pattern and the second one cut them leaving 0.6 mm bridges that allowed us to fold the piece. In spite of the total depth of the milling was 1.2 mm as the material, some areas were not cut though. The solution found for next experiments was to increase the total depth of the cut.

LASER CUT

MILLING

3D PRINTING

The materials we used for the lamp are canvas and wax; both structurally unstable.

Our final project is an outcome of the experiments we had made over the weeks to study the material properties.

Laser cutting: In this exercise, we used the flexibility of canvas to our advantage by making our sphere stable by twisting it.

Laser cutting – Canvas

Milling: We created a mold from foam and casted the wax. From this experiment we figured that paraffin wax, our first choice of wax; was highly brittle and fragile when set and as a result, extremely difficult to de-mold. We experimented with micro crystalline wax, which though more opaque, was much easier to work with. We also observed that it was flexible even on setting.

molding the wax

3d Printing: We used Form lab to cast resin joints which were not as rigid as the plastic or the ceramic ones.

Resin joints

The process

After many failed attempts to try and link the two materials, we decided to reinforce the canvas with wax. By adding a layer of microcrystalline wax over the canvas, it not only strengthened it but also enhanced its flexible properties.

By this method the canvas could be molded while the wax was still slightly warm and hold the desired shape.

Reinforcing the wax with cotton fibers gave an interesting effect when light was passed through.

Experiments were also made by varying the proportion of paraffin and microcrystalline wax. But we concluded that pure microcrystalline worked best.

The Design

The concept was to create a lamp that showcased the materials in their true element. The canvas being a fabric is made to drape around the structure.  Tessellating the fabric created an added dimension.

The density varies along the length of the lamp with the top most part being highly dense with smaller triangles and openings and the bottom being less dense with larger triangles and openings.

The canvas to canvas joints were 3d printed in resin as it was tested as flexible and complimented the canvas.