3D Fabrication
Design and feasibility studies for projects that move from digital model to fabricated object. Each project below shows the working method as much as the result — what's drawn, what's built, what gets figured out along the way.
3-Day Design Proposal: Building Facade
Bent Steel Panels on Steel Grid
A quick proof-of-concept project. Bent steel panels attached to a 2" square tube steel grid produce a halftone effect across the entire side of a building. A custom plugin expedited the design — it quickly visualizes the final result and generates the supporting documents.
Summary
By the time the proposal is presented, numerous options are on the table with infrastructure in place to quickly visualize new ideas.
Hyperbolic Roof: 1-Day Feasibility Study
CNC-Carved Plywood
3-Point Hyperbolic Roof
Two Problems
- Plywood isn't long enough to make the ribs in one piece.
- Because of the curves, ribs that use the full length of the plywood are wasteful — when cut to 8' lengths, many sheets only fit one.
A Solution
- Cut two copies of each piece from 1/2" plywood, then glue them together to make 1" thick ribs.
- Create enough overlap to be strong.
- Split them on slot lines so the cuts are hidden when the piece is assembled.
Part Organization
These shapes are similar, easy to confuse, and the sheets are laid out to optimize the material — not to keep the parts organized. The fix is to include part numbers in the cut plan and run a quick pass to carve them into the parts before cutting. As with the rib seams, the numbers are placed so that they will be hidden when the piece is assembled.
Summary
At the end of the study the material requirement is known, approximate cutting times are known, and a realistic proposal can be made for this part of the design.
SOFTIES: 1-Day Design
CNC-Carved Foam — 3D Storefront Sign
