Module 3 - Panel and Fold

DIGITAL DESIGN + FABRICATION SM1, 2016 M3 JOURNAL - PANEL + FOLD Sezen Smrdelj & Satish Balamurugan 698662 | 759624 Siavesh | Seminar 3

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Introduction

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Following feedback in response to our presentation of our module two prototype, we would like to explore some revisions to our design. In order to shift the design from possibly appearing as a sleeping pod, our focus will be moved back to the method of utilising one’s arms as a tool for protecting personal space, as explored in modules one and two. Further, polpropylene as a material will need to be changed due to its tendency to snap when folded. Considering folding is an integral aspect of our design, the material is not well suited for our use. The material also lacks a certain lightness in its execution and can appear ‘clunky’, specifically when structural elemtns are added to it. We would also like an aspect of our design to include a more controlled light source that warns intruders in personal space away the closer that they approach. The social situation our design would be utilised in is public transport to protect a female introvert’s personal space being invaded.

Design development Moving forward from module two, we attempted a number of experimental techniques to aid aspects of our design. In place of a material such as wire (as utilised in our module two prototype) as a structural element, we tested yarn as a joint between folded members in a technique named Japanese stab binding.

Holes are measure on the material and yarn sewn between holes to create not only a strong and somewhat flexible joint, but also creating an appealing and customisable pattern. This technique however, was found to make the joints in the material too flexible to create the structure in form we desired.

Fabric panels were also tested between rigid ones to create a composite material using perspex, yarn and canvas. Similarly, we found this method too flexible and required more strength between joints. Our form will be tested as a variation on the same folding system used in module two, but with no joints and thus, the use of a single material.

Japanese stab binding

Fabric between rigid panels

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Design development + fabrication of Prototype V.2

6-pointed star, open position with tensioned nylon fishing line 6-pointed star, closed posiion with tensioned nylon fishing line

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Reading Response Week 6 Architecture in the Digital Age - Design + Manufacturing/ Branko Kolarevic, Spon Press, London c2003

Above: CNC cutting (Kolarevic, 2003)

Kolarevic outlines four branches of digital fabrication processes. These are;  Two-dimensional fabrication The most common technique of digital fabrication is CNC cutting using techniques such as laser-cutting or water jet. A moving cutting head traverses along axes, cutting along the digitally designated cutting zones.  Subtractive fabrication Subtractive fabrication, as the name suggest, subtracts masses from solids as digitally prescribed in the design. The same process as two-dimensional fabrication mentioned above is applied, with the addition of the z-axis, to allow for three-dimensional cutting to occur.  Additive fabrication Additive fabrication forms the desired form in incremental layers. Additive fabrication can be achieved through light, heat or chemicals.  Formative fabrication Reshaping or deforming a shape to the desired form as designed digitally. This can be achieved through methods such as bending or melting metal.

Digital fabrication is utilised in our design as outlined in the two-dimensional fabrication above. A two-dimensional material (in our case, mountboard) is cut using a laser-cutter moving along an x and y axis on our template-specified cutting zones.

Above: Laser-cut material, an example of two-dimensional fabrication

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Reading applied to design

Two-dimensional fabrication effects our second skin in the way that we are creating a three-dimensional form from a two-dimensional material.

In terms of achieving this, folding is a very effective strategy in that forms can be easily created from shapes. Furthermore, the process allows us to imagine our design in three-dimensions, using three-dimensional modelling software, then unroll it to fabricate it using two-dimensional means.

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Reading Response Week 7 Digital Fabrications: architectural + material techniques/Lisa Iwamoto. New York: Princeton Architectural Press c2009

Digital design and fabrication helps designers to imagine complex designs and test those design ideas easily. With the help of technology in the new era, it is possible to design and fabricate something which was impossible sometime in the past. In digital design and fabrication, Rhinoceros software and laser cutting are used similarly to design and fabricate said designs. The computerized process reduces the intermediate step between design and final production, thus making the process more efficient for designers. As it does for Frank Gehry, “making becomes Knowledge or intelligence creation�, through this, designers are able to become more innovative (Iwamoto 2009).

Digitally fabricated two-dimensional template

Three-dimensional fold

(Iwamoto, 2009)

(Iwamoto, 2009)

Folding is used as an integral part of our design. Folding transforms a flat surface into a three-dimensional one. Using digital software, three-dimensional designs are made and unrolled to a flat piece. These flat pieces are digitally cut using a laser cutter, which can then be folded into a complex three-dimensional shape. This is how digital technology is used from the design, to the fabrication stage of a design using a system of folding.

Laser-cut template

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Folded three-dimensional form

Reading applied to design

With the use of a subtractive procedure like laser cutting (Kolarevic 2003), we were able to digitally design and fabricate our model by creating multiple prototypes, testing their effects, and changing the design if necessary. This technology helps us to test different materials and revise our designs as quickly as possible. We used Rhinoceros software in our project to design our 3D model, then unrolled the surface to laser cut. This software development stage is built through information modelling and parametric software. Then, using CNC, the idea has progressed directly from the design stage to the production stage (Lecture 8, Digital Fabrication). This enables us to test the physical material in a virtual environment by just folding the laser cut material. The images below show our process of how digital fabrication works with respect to our folding system. This helps us to physically fabricate a 1:1 scale model with simplicity, precision and time-effectively.

A laser cut pattern, fabricated efficiently into a three-dimensional form using digital design

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Prototype development

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Our preliminary prototype was expanded from previous weeks with the use of laser-cutting and a new material, mountboard. The same folding system was utilised, however more forms were added to the design. Tension between forms became a crucial design aspect and nylon fishing line was used to achieve this in this prototype.

Cut-outs were added as a pattern in the form in this prototype in order to address the lack of permeability of paper and card in place of polypropylene. Although this system functions mostly as we hoped, it has some pitfalls.

The scale by which we reduced the star shapes was much too low and thus, pieces did not function cohesively.

As a result of this, the shape did not fold as well as if the inner stars were larger. Furthermore, the nylon fishing line was unable to be properly knotted in order to retain tension, whilst also making the shape too fragile to be moved at all.

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Prototype optimisation

MOVEMENT

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Mountboard became our material of choice due to its structural capabilities. The material retains its shape when folded and is difficult to manipulate. This posed some benefits and some problems. Benefits included its strength in retaining shape, whilst our main problems were that it was difficult to achieve our desired movement effect because of this. We attached strings to each of the inner points of the stars and pulled at a central point in order to close the shapes.

This action worked as we wanted when performed on a single star, however as more stars were added, the forms refused to close. To address this, we tested a method of wet-folding in which the material is folded to its desired state, then drenched with water and allowed to dry. When released, we found that the mountboard was not only much more flexible and easily manipulated than before, but it also retained a memory of its folded shape once opened. This technique was able to provide us the flexibility in an otherwise inflexible material, making it easier to open and close.

In using mountboard in place of the polypropylene of our module two design, we lost the translucency of material allowing light to pass through. To achieve this transparency again, cut-outs were integrated into our design to further aid in the protection of personal space.

In our preliminary laser-cut prototype, our cut-outs were unplanned, however, we employed more control in our final design by decreasing the amount of holes as the size of the shapes decreased. This acts in a way that more light penetrates the shape closest to the body, warning intruders away. With less holes on the smallest pieces, less light is able to penetrate when personal space is not being invaded.

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Prototype optimisation Our panel and fold design was optimised for fabrication in a number of ways. Our initial prototype featured stars gradually decreasing in size by half. During fabrication of this prototype, we found that the ‘floating’ effect was not as apparent as desired due to the small size of the stars. The largest star gave us the desired effect of a more three-dimensional form whereas the smaller the stars became, the flatter the form also became. In order to combat this, we decided to decrease the dimensions of the stars much more gradually and thus, fabricate our final design with larger stars that nested together much more comfortably whilst giving us the three-dimensional effect that we required.

We also optimised our design by changing our laser cutting pattern in order to combat the creasing we encountered when folding our material, mountboard (pictured, figure 2). This creasing occurred due to the several layers mountboard is comprised of and to avoid this, our new laser cut pattern featured less etched lines to allow for scoring by hand post-laser cutting (as pictured in figures 3 & 4). Valley folds were etched using the laser cutter and all mountain folds were hand-etched.

Figure 2 (Left) Figure 3 (Immediately below) Figure 4 (Below)

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Preliminary file

Final file

Final file

In our preliminary laser cutting file, material usage was highly optimised. Due to the less gradual increments between the size of stars, all stars fit together on a single 600 x 900mm sheet of mountboard. Moving forward and as our design grew in size, we were no longer able to utilise the material as efficiently as before.

However, we were still able to nest some stars on sheets of mountboard together.

Our star design and its gradual increments were created for the laser cutting template primarily using the scale command in Rhinoceros. The design was copied, a reference line drawn to a specified measurement and the shape was then scaled to the desired size. This was repeated for each shape.

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2nd Skin final design

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Fabrication Sequence

Laser cut design taped to mountboard upon collection

Remove circles from laser cut holes and etch rear of material

Fold mountboard in correspondenc

where mountain folds will occur

Wire LED lights in parallel

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Join LED lights to mountboard using hot glue gun

Feed lights and wire through to next

ce with etched lines

t star and repeat

Fold mountboard to closed position and secure to flash under

Weave yarn through pattern at inner points of star and connect

water, then allow to dry

Sew arm bands and eyelet hooks to bands

Measure and feed string through eyelets

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Assembly Drawing

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A - Laser-cut mountboard stars, etched and hand scored with scalpel to ease folding B - Adjustable elastic waistband, joining mountboard between cutout tabs in material C - Elastic shoulder, elbow and wrist bands with eyelet hooks attached D - Thread running through eyelet hooks connected to C E - Wired LED light placement between largest and smallest mountboard pieces

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2nd Skin

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