Module 3 Fabrication

Weilin Yan (Jason)696561

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Reading Reflection

Digital Production --------------By Branko Kolarevic

In this reading, Branko mainly talked about the recent shift in the use of digi-tal technology from design to fabrication. It makes the complex geometry of a project not only describable, but also producible using digital means in order to ensure a high degree of precision in fabrication and assembly.The process of translation from the physical to the digital realm is the inverse of computer-aided manufacturing. Architects are becoming much more directly involved in the fabrication process, as they create the infor-mation that is translated by fabricators directly into the control data that drives the digital fabrication equipment.

His reading reminds me of our lantern making process. With the first mod-ule of idealisation of a pattern, then we make 2D into 3D panel by Rhino and then transform it again into 2D. By fabricating the unrolled surfaces, we finally get a lantern!

Architecture in the Digital Age - Design and Manufacturing --------------By Lisa Iwamoto

In this reading, Lisa outline the various digital fabrication processes. As she mentioned that every process for constructing an architecturre involve computer. Such computerized process streamlines production effectively blending upstream and downstream processes that are typically comart-mentalized, often eliminating intermediate steps between design and final production.

With the opportunities to fabricate our model we could make a lot of proto-type to exam the models and try to see whether there are problems or not. Then we can fix the proble in the computer with feedback from our proto-types.

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Final Decision

Based on my module 2 feedback from Paul and Angela, my overall shape of lantern is a bit boring. So I test the shape over and over again.

Then I change the shape of a ‘noodle’ or a ‘pipe’ into three bubbles because back to my recipe before, spiral is a significant component from my pattern, Dahlia petals. Then I also change the bubbles shape and rotate them and finally I think the first one with regular bubble shape is more relvant to my recipe in Module one. In addition, simple is the best!

34.5 CM

9 CM

From module 1, I thought about the hand encoun-ter by covering the whole forearm like a sleeve.

Thus I measured the dimensions above so as to make a model that fits well of my arm.

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Panel Choice

At first, based on my recipe, I came up with double layers of my panel. I use polygones (3D) and triangle (2d) on my lantern. Then when I created this model above and made the prototype, I found it really does not work.

From the image above, the two lay-ers I wanted to creat does not match well and there were gaps between them. I went to technical sessionand they didn’t give me an exact solu-tion.

Besides, when I try to make a pro-totype of this model, I realised that I forgot the distance of the panel. Each triangle and polygone has only 1cm length!!

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Then I abandoned the 2D panels and only kept the polygones because based on my module 1, the basic el-ement of my pattern is like a shape of polygone. While I trying to do this, the polygone can’t be unrolled like the image above. So then I changed them to meshes.

Later with the failure before about the distance, I measure the dimensions of my forearm and my final model above can fits well of my forearm.

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This image is a vector image of an assembly drawing with lineweights. It highlights of the edges of each panels and provides convenience of fabrication.

The highlighted panels were my proto-types. I will use them to test all the pro-cess of fabrication, like unrolling, making tabs etc.

From the unrolling, at first I joined and extruded the panels. Then I got hundreds of triangles for my polygone. So I tried not to extrude them and finally got a whole unroll surface linked together.

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Prototype

When I was trying to make prototypes, I firstly using A4 pringting papaers to make small size of my model. And I used PVA glue at first. Then I found it not sticky enough so I changed to use super glue (GEL one).

Tools: scissor, super glue (Gel), rules, knife, cutting mat.

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With the light effect, before I was trying to make a linear light effect through the little hole of the panel like the left first picture showing. While doing the module 2 and 3, since my lantern will be weared on my arm and I really don’t want to show my arm skin because I think this will ruin the feeling of the lantern. So I just keep the light through the top and bottom of the lantern.

Prototype

Tabs Overlap!!!!

For my first prototype, I found that there are a lot of tabs overlaps. Even though it made the process of fabrication easier, but it destroyed the interior look. Therefore, while I did my final model, I created tabs more precisely.

In addition, for my second prototype, the overall shape was distorted. It told me that I should change my unrolling process.

Shape Change!!!!

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From the process of my prototype, I realised that I need to make sure I won’t distorted the shape of each ‘floor’. Besides, I also need to consider how to connect each ‘floor’ together. From my second prototype, I did it my separate each floor into two parts and each part has four polygones. But the shape was still changed. So I then make a vertical brunch of polygones (Green in the picture), and then put together with rest panels in each floor. It finally worked!

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Final Lantern

LED Circuit

Light Effect

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I was struggling with how to con-trol the light turing on and off at first. However, with help from LMS, I then tried to put a strip of paper between the legs and the bat-tery. It does work well!