Portfolio - Dhruv Thakker

Design and Fabrication PORTFOLIO

DHRUV THAKKER

| Computational Robotic Fabrication

The following project developed a novel workflow for earth-based materials found on-site or locally to fabricate Earthen structures. Discrete bullets of material sourced locally were deposited using a pneumatic compression mechanism, utilizing digital fabrication methods such robotics and 3D scanning. The project aimed to develop an integrated on-site workflow from material procurement, recipe development, tooling, robotic toolpath generation, 3D scanning as error mitigation during fabrication.

Computational Robotic Fabrication

01 | Impact Printing Setup

UR-10 Collaborative Robot

Pneumatic End Effector tool

Impact Printed Structure

Pick Position

Based on the toolpath generated, the following are the parameters that were tested to determine the edge conditions of Impact Printing and ideal conditions when using Earthen materials

Impact

Parameters

Computational Robotic Fabrication

04 | Optimal and Edge Parameters

Edge Conditions Parameters

Pressure

Optimal Value

6 bar (Higher pressure equals uniform deformation)

Ideal Plunger Surface Sandpaper (Material doesn’t stick to rough surfaces)

Block

Compression (Compressed Height/ Initial Height)

Overhang (Perpendicular print angle)

Overhang (Aligned print angle)

Print Surface

0-30 mm

Stepover 5mm (Good Adhesion without non-uniformity)

50-95%

-30 to 30 degrees

-25 to 25 degrees (Even though this was expected to go higher than perpendicular print angle, the blocks would slide because of angular force)

3 - 6 bar-

70% (20mm compressed height was used hereon which is 67% of 30mm bullets)-

Acrylic or Top soil with high water content

Computational Robotic Fabrication

05 | Types of Errors Observed

Layer 3 Layer 2 Layer 1

Intended Print Height

Max Actual Print Height

Layer 5 Layer

1. Slumping of Lower Layers

2. Unequal Compression

3. Print Blocks Sliding on Print Surface

Computational Robotic Fabrication

Initial Setup for Workflow with feedback - Captures Height

Impact Printing Tool attached to UR-10 Robot

Model being Fabricated

Updating toolpath in realtime using Scanned data

The setup for the feedback process is shown on the left. The scanner is placed in front of the structure being Impact Printed. First, entire toolpath is generated as before and the printing begins layer by layer. Here, only the (X,Y) values are taken from the generated toolpath and the (Z) Value comes from the scanned point cloud. Both these together generate the updated toolpath for the next layer and this process is repeated until entire structure is fabricated.

Kinect V1 Scanner connected to Grasshopper

Impact Printing Setup for Feedback

1. Digital Design

2. Generate Toolpath (X,Y,Z)

3. Robotic Manufacturing

4. Printing one Layer

7. Final Printed Model

5. Point Cloud Scan

6. Updated Toolpath (X,Y,Z)

Computational Robotic Fabrication

Revised Setup for Workflow with feedback - Captures Position and Height

Impact Printing Tool attached to UR-10 Robot

Kinect Azure attached to UR-10 Robot

Model being Fabricated

Print-base with markers for alignment

Updating toolpath in realtime using Scanned data

To capture X,Y co-ordinate value for position along with the Z value for height was necessary for developing a more accurate adaptive workflow. Hence, the scanner was mounted onto the Robot to capture the scan from the top as shown in the above figure. Here, as all the co-ordinate values are generated from the scanned point cloud, it is crucial for the digital and physical environment be perfectly aligned. The method used for this is discussed in the next page.

1. Digital Design

2. Generate Toolpath (X,Y,Z)

3. Robotic Manufacturing

4. Printing one Layer

7. Final Printed Model

5.

Computational Robotic Fabrication

Process of Aligning Real and Scanned Co-ordinates in Revised Method

To align the co-ordinates of the Robot movement with the toolpath generated from scanned point cloud, three position markers were used. First, their position was calibrated by moving the TCP to the tip of these markers. Next, a scan of the print base was captured from the home position. The tip of the markers were isolated from this point cloud which were then used to align using the actual positional values calibrated earlier. Note that the point of capturing the point cloud should remain constant throughout the fabrication process for this method to work.

The setup for Feedback workflow

Computational Robotic Fabrication

Final Structure - Inspiration

The idea for the final structure was to demonstre the developed workflow while showing that this method can be used to print closed structures. For this, Nubian method of construction was taken as an example where bricks are laid at an angle to build a vault.

A similar technique is used in Infinite bed 3D printers for printing models without support structure as shown.

Nubian Method of Construction - Vault with no Formwork

Infinite bed 3D Printers

Computational Robotic Fabrication

11 | Final Structure - Closed Structure without Formwork - Fabrication Strategies

Use

as

to make monolithic prototype

Printing at 45 degrees

Gradual increase of print angles

Alternate printing with key block at the end

Higher bullet density at base for strength

Higher Bullet Density

Lower Bullet Density

Experiment with cantilever

printed structure

formwork

The aim here was to simplify the fabrication process for making a larger structure using smaller UR-10 robot. Even though It is not possible to fabricate the entire structure from one position because of the limited reachability of UR-10 robot, this hexagonal design tries to remove the complexity of calibrating the relative position between the fabrication steps.

The fixed parts of the print base are mounted to the ground and stay fixed for the entire process of fabrication. The slots in the base are for the pump truck to be able to transport the prototype postfabrication. The rotating module is mounted to this base, which can be demounted, rotated by 120 degrees (hexagon shape helps with precise alignment) and remounted again after each step.

Removable partitions for printing formwork

Boundary supports to hold Topsoil as print base

Base for the rotating part

Fixed base to mount the rotating part

Supports with margins for pump truck

Base with cutouts for lifting prototype using pump truck

Fabrication Images

Computational Robotic Fabrication

13 | Final Structure - Fabrication

The first vault was printed against two formwork supports fixed at 120 degrees. The design here had the least cantilever among all three vaults. The second one was printed against one formwork support, and one part was against the first vault. This vault had the most cantilever angle amongst the three. The last structure was the first one that was printed with no formwork. All the vaults had different cantilever angles, the last one being the most cantilevered.

Computational Robotic Fabrication

Final Structure

Human Load Test

02 | Projects - Manufacturing

This section contains academic projects from Undergraduate (20122017) at CEPT University, India as well as Postgraduate (2021-2022) at Bartlett, UCL, London. These projects are all related to manual and digital manufacturing where variety of materials were used to manufacture and build objects in various scales and sizes.

CNC Manufacturing and Slip Casting

Project : Making a modular planter

Year : 2022

Materials : Wood, Plaster, Clay(Slip)

Techniques used : CNC Milling, Casting(Plaster and Slip)

Softwares used : Fusion 360

Brief : Design a module for half brick keeping the connecting holes constant. Use fusion 360 for CNC milling. Use this to make a plaster module and then partner up to make slip casted modules which can be later assembled to form a larger structure .

The CNC Toolpath in Fusion 360

CNC Manufactured Module

Final Assembled Modules at Bartlett. Here East Slip Casting Process

Additive Manufacturing

Project : Non-Planar Clay 3D Printing

Year : 2022

Materials : Clay

Techniques used : Clay Extrusion (3D Printing)

Softwares used : Rhino, Grasshopper

Brief : Use grasshopper to generate G-code for 3D Printing to get extra control of the WASP. Here, attempt was made to print non-planar structures evenly by controlling the amount of material extruded depending the layer height at each respective point.

Layer height : x hence, Material extruded : y

Layer height : 0.8x hence, Material extruded : 0.8y

Toolpath as generated in Grasshopper for clay 3D Printing

Initial Exploration with Non-Planar 3D Printing

Initial Exploration with Non-Planar 3D Printing

Non-Planar Brick with Infill Interlocking design

Final Interlocking Brick

Making a Traditional Wheel

The components of the wheel

Project : Making a Traditional Wheel

Year : 2022

Materials : Wood, Mild Steel

Techniques used : Cutting, Wood Turning, Sanding, Metal Bending, Welding

Cut 1

Brief : Use the given block of wood to design and make a traditional wheel

Wheel Components

Minimizing material wastage

Hub

Placed Components on Given Material Block

Spokes

Metal Rings

The Rim

Metal Tyre

Fabricating Wood and Metal Parts

Team with the Final fabricated wheel

Kinetic Chair

Project : Making a Kinetic Chair

Year : 2019

Techniques used : CNC Cutting, PCB Milling, Laser cutting, Sensor Integration for automation,

About : This was done as a part of diploma in digital fabrication at FabLab CEPT. My selected final project here was to learn to use different methods of digital fabrication to build an automated chair, which could be opened using a touch sensor and would detect when nobody is using it using an ultrasonic sensor and close itself.

To achieve this, I went through 20 weeks of training in various skills necessary to build each individual parts of the project, including 2D and 3D CAD modelling, fabricating using additive and subtractive methods, designing and manufacturing the electronic components as well as programming them.

Detects

Touch to open

Closed

Pulley System

DC Motor

Ultrasonic Sensor

Touch Sensor

Working with Papercrete

Design for Arch

Project : Constructing an Arch using Papercrete

Year : 2014

Materials : Papercrete

Techniques used : Mixing, Casting, Structural Testing

Project Brief : To prepare a lighter version of concrete by adding paper mache to the mix, determine the right composition for a particular structure(in this case, an Arch) using structural testing and build this structure.

Structural Testing different compositions

2-part Mould

Initial Design of the Arch and the 3 types of modules

Process of making and casting Papercrete

The papercrete arch in making

Cane Wheel-barrow

06 | Details and Prototype

Project : Making a Wheel Barrow

Year : 2014

Materials : Cane

Techniques used : Bending(using heat), Slicing, Custom Joineries

Brief : To re-design and manufacture a commercial product using any natural material.

The Wheel-barrow joinery details

The Wheel-barrow prototype

Project : Making a ‘Sweetch 18’ chair originally designed by Benoit Lienart

Year : 2014

Materials : Mild Steel and Plywood

Brief : To replicate a piece of transformable furniture to understand its mechanism.

This section shows one of the student’s work for Indetail - ‘Making is Realizing’ for which I was a Teaching Associate for 3 semesters. The process included taking an inspiration from a mechanical toy/natural object and developing an Interior element and prototyping it in 1:1 scale. The studio course won the best studio course award at CEPT University in 2019.

Academic Teaching

01 |

‘Indetail’ - Making is Realizing (Jan ‘19 - May ‘19)

Inspiration Object

Object Analysis Study Models

BALL OF WHACKS

Object : Hoberman Sphere

Student : Chinmayee Parikh

MECHANISM

IN THE RHOMBUS BASE, THE SMALL ANGLE IS 63.43 AND THE LARGE ANGLE IS 116.57

GEOMETRIC EXPLORATIONS

11

BALL OF WHACKS

THE BALL OF WHACK IS A TOY DESIGNED TO STIMULATE ONE’S THINKING AND IS A STRESS RELIEVER, A MEDITATION AID.

BALL OF WHACKS IS MADE FROM 30- SIDED RHOMBIC TRIACONTAHEDRON, DIVIDING IT INTO 30 PYRAMIDS TO PRODUCE A SET OF MAGNETIC BUILDING BLOCKS.

THE PLAYFULNESS OF THE BALL OF WHACK IS BECAUSE OF THE ONE MAGNET ATTACHED TO EACH OF ITS PYRAMIDAL FACE AND TWO MAGNETS ADDED TO ITS RHOMBUS FACE. THIS IS TO AID DIFFERENT VARIATIONS

Object : Ball of Whack

Student : Anjali Gohil

THE PLACEMENT OF MAGNET IN A PART OF BALL OF WHACKS.

DODECAHEDRON ICOSAHEDRON

THE GEOMETRY OF RHOMBIC TRIACONTAHEDRON (BALL OF WHACKS) IS A COMBINATION OF DODECAHEDRON AND ICOSAHEDRON. CONNECTING THE EDGES OF DODECAHEDRON WITH THAT OF ICOSAHEDRON GIVES THE GEOMETRY OF RHOMBIC TRIACONTAHEDRON.(RT)

CONCLUSION

1. SYMMETRY

-IF THERE IS A SYMMETY IN THE PART ALONG A PARTICULAR AXIS, THE VARIATION INCREASES. IF THERE IS A PART WITH DIFFERENT LENGTHS, THERE ARE A LESS NUMBER OF VARIATION.

2. DIHEDRAL ANGLE.

-THAT IS THE ANGLE BETWEEN TWO CONSECUTIVE PLANES OF A SOLID.

-AS THE TYPE OF PART INCREASES IN A SOLID, NUMBER OF DIHEDRAL ANGLES ALSOINCREASES.

3. TYPE OF PARTS.

-WITH DIFFERENT POLYGON AS PARTS IN A GEOMETRY, VARIATION DECREASES.

4. IN THE GEOMETRY OF PART OF BALL OF WHACKS.

-IN VARIATION WITH PYRAMID FACES, ODD NUMBER OF PARTS MAKE A CLOSED GEOMETRY. -IN STELLATED GEOMETRY, EVEN NUMBER OF PARTS AME A CLOSED GEOMETRY.

RELATION OF A PART TO WHOLE.

THE BALL OF WHACK IS A TOY DESIGNED TO STIMULATE ONE’S THINKING AND IS A STRESS RELIEVER, A MEDITATION AID.

BALL OF WHACKS IS MADE FROM 30- SIDED RHOMBIC TRIACONTAHEDRON, DIVIDING IT INTO 30 PYRAMIDS TO PRODUCE A SET OF MAGNETIC BUILDING BLOCKS.

THE PLAYFULNESS OF

VARIATIONS WITH PYRAMID FACES STELLATED VARIATIONS VARIATIONS WITH RHOMBUS AND PYRAMID FACES.

α ANGLE IS TWO TIMES THE SMALL ANGLE WHICH IS 126.86 AND β IS TWO TIMES THE LARGE ANGLE SUBTRACTED FROM 360, THAT IS, 129.86.

RHOMBIC DODECAHEDRON

THE RATIO β:α IS 1.023

TRUNCATED PENTAGONAL PYRAMID.

GEOMETRIC EXPLORATIONS

-SYMMETRY IN PART.

-ONE TYPE OF PART MAKES THE GEOMETRY

-ASYMMETRY

-2 DIFFERENT SIZED PENTAGONS AND AN IRREGULAR 4 SIDED POLYGON

THE ARRANGEMENT OF MAGNETS INSIDE A PART IS SUCH THAT IT MAINTAINS THE GEOMETRY OF THE BALL BY NOT ALLOWING COMBINATIONS IN A CERTAIN WAY

RHOMBIC DODECAHEDRON

-SYMMETRY IN PART.

-ONE TYPE OF PART MAKES THE GEOMETRY

TRAPEZOIDAL ICOSITETRAHEDRON

-ASSYMETRICAL PART

-ONE TYPE OF PART

TRUNCATED PENTAGONAL

-2 DIFFERENT SIZED PENTAGONS AND AN IRREGULAR 4 SIDED

PENTAGONAL HEXECONTA HEDRON

-ASSYMETRICAL PART

-ONE TYPE OF PART

POSSIBLE ORIENTATION NOT POSSIBLE ORIENTATION

PENTAGONAL PYRAMID

DODECAHEDRON

-SYMMETRICAL PART

DISDYAKIS DODECAHEDRON

-SYMMETRICAL

-ONE TYPE OF PART

DISDYAKIS TRICONTAHEDRON

-SYMMETRICAL -ONE TYPE OF PART

PENTAGONAL BICUPOLA

SYMMETRY ALONG CENTRAL AXIS

MODEL VARIATIONS

Scaled Design Models

Rapid Full Scale Models Final Prototype

MAKING THE MODULES, MADE OF CORRUGATED SHEET WERE COMBINED IN TWO AND FIVE FOR COMFORT TESTING. LENGTH IS INCREASED FROM ONE SIDE OF THE FLAT FACE FOR STABILITY OF THE FORM.

AFTER THAT, THE FORM WAS MADE OUT OF WOOD PLY AND WAS GIVEN FOR CASTING

VARIATIONS OF THE MODIFIED PARTS WERE STUDIED AS A BASIS OF THE FURNITURE’S OVERALL FORM. IT INCLUDED: -THE MODIFIED PART -ONLY THE TRUNCATED PART -THE PYRAMIDAL PART AS A SUPPORT FOR THE TRUNCATED PART.

‘Indetail’ - Making is Realizing (Jan ‘20 - May ‘20 (Online March onwards))

Inspiration Object

Object : Acacia Seed Pods

Student : Anandakrishnan A

Object Analysis

Object : Coconut Leaf

Student : Nidhi Radadia

Study models and Design Development

Final Design (Only digital due to Lockdown)

04 | Interior Architecture Projects

This section outlines some of the design projects that I have worked on over the years. The projects range from small scale residential, commercial projects, to larger hospitality projects. These projects were done as a part of Internships and working as a freelance Interior Architectural designer in India.

Restaurant at Mahayana Resort - Melati Danes Interiors

Layout of the Bar and Restaurant

Project : Restaurant at Mahayana Resort

Year : 2015

Location : Bali, Indonesia

Role : Conceptual Design, 3D Visualizations, Furniture and interior element detailing

About : The idea behind the design was to design it in a modern style while incorporation some traditional balinese elements and keeping the layout as open as possible to not hinder with the natural beauty of the surroundings. The materials and the crafts that were used were all locally available and hence easy to procure.

Section - Restaurant and Poolside Bar

Restaurant at Mahayana Resort - Melati Danes Interiors

Customized Furniture Detail

Restaurant at Mahayana Resort - Melati Danes Interiors

Light Installation at GE Banquet Hall - A&F Designs

Design Process

Project : Light Installation at GE Banquet

Year : 2016

Location : Ahmedabad, India

Role : Conceptual Design, Parametric process, Manufacturing Drawings, Production and Installation

Softwares : Rhino, Grasshopper

About : The GE Banquet was designed and executed in 2016. It was done when working at A&F Designs as a Junior Designer. The banquet hall has an illuminated ceiling, where each of the acrylic lighting elements form a rhythmic pattern. This was designed using grasshopper by overlaying two grids on top of one another.

Overlaying grid determining the parts that are protruding out

Protruding out

Recessed

Final Lighting Elements (Acrylic)

Individual Light Positions

Site Layout

Interior Architecture Projects - Paldi Residence

Design

Project : Paldi Residence

Year : 2018-19

Location : Ahmedabad, India

Role : Conceptual Design, Layouting, 3D visualization, detailing and overseeing execution

About : This high-end Bedroom, was designed for a young couple in Ahmedabad, India. Two bedrooms were combined to make one spacious room with a walk-in wardrobe and a luxurious bath. The balcony was converted into a sitting area in the bedroom.

Moodboard

Interior Architecture Project - Hedwig Logistics

Design

Project : Hedwig Logistics

Year : 2020

Location : Ahmedabad, India

Role : Conceptual design, layouting, 3D visualization, detailing and overseeing execution

About : This fast pace office project came with a tight budget and timeline and was handed over in 40 days from design to execution. The space was designed for two partners, two employees with the flexibility for one more employee.

Proposed Design

3D Visualizations

Cabinet Handle Detail

Cabinet - Elevation