assignment 3. 10 february 2016

Computer-Controlled Cutting

1. Laser Cutting

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The matter of this week is related with Computer-Controlled Cutting. I am pretty used to make things using laser-cutting machines so I started in this way.
I think it is a powerful tool in order to build 3D models using 2D pieces. In many cases the process is not fairly direct and it requires interesting ways of approaching the issue.

Cardboard prototype of a 3D freeform adaptation using developable strips.

Approaching to build double curvature surfaces using planar ones. The model is a prototype I did as a researching on developable surfaces, the images belongs to my PhD thesis.

Continuing with the project development I have tried to increase the geometrical model complexity. I was testing several geometric shapes; the main objective is to essay different approaches.

I focused some problems last week, one of them related with the thickness of the triangles and the problem that it could represent on the folding system. I am turning around such a kind of hinges that would allow the rotational movement of the pieces, by now I have designed some disc joining the pieces and fixing them in different possitions.
Although I have managed many projects using Laser cutting, I have failed in a basic aspect. I used a parametric model and I adjusted the material thickness to 2 mm when I selected the cutting material I did not verify its thickness so the pieces did not fit very well. I have had to rescale the model in order to close these gaps. So, verify material thickness is one important point to take into account.
In the other hand, due to the fact that the pieces were quite small I decide to use a kind of cardboard harder than corrugated one. I have had a bad experience using this kind of cardboard because it is usually waved originating from the storaging proccess, specially if it is thin enough.

Also, I established making several models of the mobile prototype as a target for the week. So I had to cut disc-pieces that could be used and after it may be re-fitted in other models.Thus I decided to use a harder kind of carboard

Plan view, perspective and parametric model of the "origami" responsive piece. I have added 8 new pieces into the model

 

2. Vinyl Cutting

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Taking advantage from the work of this week I was thinking about a design to be used as logo for the forthcoming DONOSTIA FabLab. Using EHU tipography I Designed a quite simple scheme. The design was done using Adobe Illustrator and exported as CAD file in Rhino.

The hexagonal pieces of methacrylate were cut using laser cutting machine. After that, the logos were reproduced using vinyl cutting machine.

Some manual work is necessary in order to arrange the logos properly. Cleaning the forms and transferring them on the plastic surfaces it turns out to be a laborious work.

Some weeks after the cutting-week I designed a sign for my brother's yatch. its name is Antxeta, it means seagull in basque language. I toke advantage of this work in order to comple the documentation of this assignment:

Download Rhino file

 

First of all I vectorized a hand-made sketch of this sign using Adobe Illustrator and after that I exported it as dxf file to Rhino.

Print parameters on the interface of Roland vinyl cutting machine inside the printer interface of Rhino.

I used a vinyl roll and 60gf of cutter strenght. The design is a bit irregular so I decided to decrease the speed of the blade.

Somo manual work. Probably the most difficult stage of the proccess. Clean the surface to the net design. After that you have to apply the transfer paper on the finishing vinyl design and smoothing out carefully the surface.