Robotic Incremental Sheet Forming

Petroleum Museum Corridor Model

Technique: Incremental Sheet Forming Student: Amir Arsalan Tahouni M.Arch Design for Manufacture Bartlett School of Architecture Jan 2019

Index • • • •

Design Background Grasshopper Definition The Process Final Result

Design Background The Petroleum Museum is one of my projects for my Undergraduate’s degree which is done by me and one of my class mates, Hasti Fakouri, at Oct. 2016.

The project has been honored for the third rank in the studio and is designed in order for the audience to feel, see and learn about the petroleum, the 20th century black gold.

Rotating the Axises

Making the Main Corridor

Cutting the Ground

Site Axises

Dividing the Site

To reveal what is underneath

Design Background The museum is consisted of 3 separate buildings and an entering plaza which are connected together through the main corridor. The office building, the educational building and the main building for temporary and permanent exhibitions.

The main Corridor functions as a circulation connector in the site in two different levels. People can move below it as well as on top of it.

The Grasshopper Definition

The Grasshopper Definition

The Grasshopper Definition 1. At First, the 3 Main curves were imported to the Grasshopper from the Rhino.

The data is internalized into them, so that the GH file can run properly without a rhino file.

2. As the curves were not at the required location in rhino, I needed a vector to move them into the frame’s plane, so that later on I could orient them on to the rotary table.

They are also projected on the XY plane, so that I can make the flat offset out of it.

The Grasshopper Definition 3. The curves which are now moved into the right place, will create the required surfaces using the “Patch” command.

4. The data structure will be resorted using “Sort” command, so that we will have the surfaces in the correct order.

The lower part of this image is related to the projected outline of the shape which Is not a surface.

The Grasshopper Definition 5. The green group is the tool paths which are generated using “contour” Command. Also the “Offset” command will generate the curve for the 3mm flat offset of the outline of the shape.

The purple number slider can be used in order to adjust the distance between contours.

The Grasshopper Definition 6. Toolpath should be defined as “Frames” for the robot. So each curve is divided several points. The distance between points is also called as “resolution” since it determines the resolution of the cut.

7. After the generating the frames, they need to get in the right position with the correct direction. The Z axis should come outside of the tool, and the X axis should be always toward the robot/the ground.

8. The frames are defined as targets for the robot. The movements which are on the sheet are “Linear” and the ones which are not on the sheet and require less precision are “Joint” movements.

9. The zoning is set to 2mm, the speed is set to 250 and the Rotary table as the external input is given to the target command.

The Grasshopper Definition 10. The targets are merged together. The sequence is important in this stage.

11. the program is created and the simulation can be observed thorough the rhino’s viewport.

12. The program is saved to the files and files are now ready to be sent to the robot.

The Grasshopper Definition Setting up three main points of the rectangle which is going to be the frame, the frame Brep and the rotary table.

The robot and the tool setup

The Grasshopper Definition The offset line

The Grasshopper Definition The main surface

The Grasshopper Definition The holes surfaces

The Grasshopper Definition The contours/toolpaths

The Grasshopper Definition

The next step which is working on the rotation of the rotary table for 180 degree and making the holes.

A failure try: I tried to sort the curves by checking whether they are open or close.

But it turned out to be not practical.

The Process

1.

2.

3.

4.

Making the Holes in the Sheet Running a dry-run Mounting the Sheet onto the frame Adding some oil (to make the sheet easier to bend)

The Process 5. If everything is OK‌ First press the white button and then the green button

The Process

The Process

Final Product Later amendments’ goals: 1. I will add the reverse side to the process, so that the holes will be made.

Final Product Later amendments’ goals: 2. According to my understanding of the material and robot’s power, I will try to do deeper steps for the next time.

Final Product Later amendments’ goals: 3. According to my understanding of the material, I will try to hit closer points to the edge of the sheet, in order to use the space efficiently.

Final Product Later amendments’ goals: 4. Determine a “Max Step” distance for the process.

For example, I will know that for the steps smaller than 2mm deep I do not need to tween between the flat sheet and my required frame, but for the steps bigger than 2mm deep I need to tween and divide the forming into steps which are smaller than 2mm.

The “Max Step” will probably vary due to the material itself, thickness of the material, and also the robot’s power.

The End