Fabricatable Machines

Many countries have a strategy to increase the ratio of off-site construction. Design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) is a challenging requirement for a designer in the construction industry. Prefabricated structural members are widely utilized for bridge construction to minimize on-site activities. This paper proposes digital fabrication models for DfMA considering 3D concrete printing and CNC milling. Data-driven information delivery between the digital model and the robot arm was defined. Prefabricated bridge columns require strict geometry control, especially for match casting. Design for assembly procedure through digital models and robotic technology is proposed. Digital fabrication is essential for a fully prefabricated bridge. Consequently, a printed permanent formwork has been applied for a novel digital fabrication method of the prefabricated column segments.

Skilled potters use manual tools with direct material engagement. In contrast, the design of clay 3D printers and workflows reinforces industrial CNC manufacturing conventions. To understand how digital fabrication can serve skilled craft practitioners, we ask: how might clay 3D printing function if it had evolved from traditional pottery tools? To examine this question, we created the Digital Pottery Wheel (DPW), a throwing wheel with 3D printing capabilities. The DPW consists of a polar mechanical architecture that looks and functions like a pottery wheel while supporting 3D printing and a real-time modular control system that blends automated and manual control. We worked with ceramicists to develop interactions that include printing onto thrown forms, throwing to manipulate printed forms, and integrating manual control, recording, and playback to re-execute manually produced forms. We demonstrate how using a physical metaphor to guide digital fabrication machine design results in new products, workflows, and perceptions.

As digital fabrication machines become widespread, online communities have provided space for diverse practitioners to share their work, troubleshoot, and socialize. These communities pioneer increasingly novel fabrication workflows, and it is critical that we understand and conceptualize these workflows beyond traditional manufacturing models. To this end, we conduct a qualitative study of #PlotterTwitter, an online community developing custom hardware and software tools to create artwork with computer-controlled drawing machines known as plotters. We documented and analyzed emergent themes where the traditional interpretation of digital fabrication workflows fails to capture important nuances and nascent directions. We find that #PlotterTwitter makers champion creative exploration of interwoven digital and physical materials over a predictable series of steps. We discuss how this challenges long-running views of digital fabrication and propose design implications for future frameworks and toolkits to account for this breadth of practice.

Recently, digital fabrication techniques have captured the attention of many architects and makers due to their ability to challenge traditional construction techniques and complex forms that were hard to apply in the past. Digital fabrication has bridged the gap between the architectural design and construction processes by creating a direct digital link to the appropriate fabrication machines. Nevertheless, integrating digital fabrication techniques in the architectural design processes is still a major challenge to creating a culture of digital building all over the world. In this regard, this paper has arranged 10 key questions and their answers with a particular focus on how to integrate digital fabrication techniques into the architectural design process. It provides an overview of digital fabrication concepts and processes, computer software, material selection, the most popular digital fabrication techniques and their architectural applications such as free-form geometries, façades design, buildings, bridges, pavilions as well as structures like columns, walls, and slabs, along with the most significant challenges and opportunities facing the widespread use of these techniques in architecture. In an effort to identify new research trends, this paper concludes by discussing the state of the art in architecture-related digital fabrication research and research potential gaps, which will be beneficial to further research and scientific investigations in this field. Hence, a conceptual framework is suggested as a guideline for numerous architects, fabricators, and researchers to follow for integrating digital fabrication techniques into the architectural design process in order to take advantage of this strategy at scale.

This paper introduces an architectural design approach that is founded on working with digital fabrication machines, materials, and time. This approach is called Machine Delay Fabrication. Machine Delay Fabrication is contextualized within the lineage of productive delays using two examples from other creative disciplines. It is then contrasted with the “real-time” approach to digital fabrication research and practice. The concept of machine delay is outlined along with the three types of machine delay that are pertinent to digital fabrication. A new concrete 3D printing method called pointillistic time-based deposition, or dripping, is introduced as an example of Machine Delay Fabrication. The setup and variables of dripping are discussed, along with some experimental findings. Finally, dripping is used to demonstrate the constructive and aesthetic possibilities of Machine Delay Fabrication in architectural design.

Concrete is the most used human-made material in the world, and it is responsible for around 8% of the total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Hence, efficient concrete construction methods are one of the main foci of research in architecture, civil engineering, and material science. One recent development that promises to achieve this goal is the use of digital fabrication for building components. Most investigations focus on direct extrusion 3D printing with concrete, which has already been covered in several review articles. Conversely, this article reviews a different approach, which focuses on the indirect digital fabrication of concrete through 3D printed formworks. This approach is under investigation for structural and nonstructural, as well as for on- and off-site applications, with a number of projects having already been built, but a comprehensive review of 3D printed formworks has not yet been compiled to synthesize the findings. This article provides a comprehensive map of the state-of-the-art of five different 3D printing technologies used for the fabrication of formworks so far. The aim is to serve as a fundamental reference for future research, provide a basis for consistent language in this field, and support the development of construction standards. The article further discusses the new geometric possibilities with 3D printed formworks and their potential for making concrete construction more sustainable. In addition, the opportunities and challenges of 3D printed formworks are evaluated in the context of other traditional and digital fabrication tools. A synthetic classification in five functional typologies is proposed and illustrated with 30 representative case studies. Finally, the article concludes with a brief reflection on the role of 3D printing in the broader context of formwork innovation and a possible outlook for this technology.

Piping inspection robots are of great importance in industries such as nuclear, sewage and chemical where the internal diameters of the pipeline are significantly smaller. Mechanisms having closed loops can be used in such areas as they generate contact forces and deployable structures. With the help of a bio-inspired mechanism, a piping inspection robot is presented which mimics the motion of a caterpillar. The robot is composed of three modules: a central module for elongation and two other modules on the front and rear for clamping. A slot-slider mechanism is chosen for the legs of the robot. Using industrial components such as DC motors, servo-controllers, ball screws and fasteners, the entire robotic system was realized in CATIA software and a prototype was made at the Laboratoire des Sciences du Numerique de Nantes (LS2N). In this article, we present the forces induced on the motors under locomotion using a dynamic analysis. With the help of the recursive Newton-Euler algorithm, the torques generated on the motor under locomotion have been identified which ensures the stability of the system while moving inside pipes.

Questioning the importance and impact of design thinking methodologies in the architectural design studios is a backbone of architectural education in twenty first century.3D printing and digital manufacturing are disruptive technologies that are changing architects and designers daily lives.These trends require new skills, based on a deep understanding of digital continuum from design to production, from generation to fabrication.This continuity transcends the merely instrumental contributions of a person-machine relationship to praxis, has begun to evolve as a medium that supports a continuous logic of design thinking and making.Design thinking methodologies associated with digital fabrication emerged as a leading technological and design issue of digital research and design.As designers, we are witnessing a no frontier between computational design and digital fabrication.For this paper is taken into consideration the work of two architecture studios that share a unique background on new methodologies by embracing the digital technology in their own practice.Their work reflects on new design methodologies facing the expansion of digital technology in architectural practice.This paper discusses the possibility of new design thinking methods driven by digital fabrication.

Environmental design guidelines for digital fabrication

VoxelPrint: A Grasshopper plug-in for voxel-based numerical simulation of concrete printing

Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) are widely used analytical tools for the determination of specific ions in a variety of analytical applications due to their simplicity, selectivity, and low cost. Recent developments in materials science and digital fabrication have opened new opportunities for redesigning ISEs using modern manufacturing techniques. Here, we present a new application of 3D printing for fabricating potassium-selective electrodes using a simplified membrane composition. The 3D printing cocktail was prepared by mixing potassium tetraphenylborate, silver sulfide or graphite, and industrial ABS (acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) polymer. Membranes were tested both without and with the addition of ZnO nanoparticles. Incorporation of ZnO NPs significantly enhanced the electrode slope, while graphite-based membranes exhibited faster response, with potential stabilizing within 3-7 s across a concentration range of 4.88 × 10-5 mol L-1 to 1.00 × 10-2 mol L-1. The optimized 3D printed membrane containing 0.6% ZnO NPs showed near-Nernstian behaviour (slope: 59.178 mV per decade and R2 = 0.9989), a limit of detection of 2.06 × 10-5 mol L-1 and high selectivity against common interfering ions. These results demonstrate that 3D printing combined with a suitable membrane composition and nanoparticle incorporation provides a versatile platform for rapid, reproducible, and high-performance potassium ISEs.

The purpose of this study is to determine the most suitable cutting tool for achieving the desired diameter dimensions in parts produced using PLA material in a 3D printer. A plastic plate in the shape of a rectangular prism with dimensions of 90x40x10 mm was printed without holes with a 100% filling ratio in a 3D printer. A belt-pulley mechanism requiring bearing assembly was designed, manufactured, and tested for applicability. The study successfully identified the optimum parameters for achieving a 17 mm diameter measurement with the desired tolerance in PLA material without causing melt damage. These parameters are spindle speed of 15000 rpm, feed rate of 500 mm/min, cutting depth of 0.5 mm, minimum end mill diameter of 10 mm, and 4 cutting edges. The study also found that the morphological properties of the PLA workpiece were affected by the cutting process of different diameter milling cutters. The findings of this study can be useful for improving the accuracy and efficiency of 3D printing and CNC milling processes. This study provides important insights into the appropriate cutting tool for this process of parts produced using PLA material. The identified optimum parameters can help reduce energy-time-raw material losses and accumulation of waste PLA material, which are some of the most important problems of manufacturing with 3D printers.

Compound fabrication: A multi-functional robotic platform for digital design and fabrication

"Imagine a world where you can create anything you want just by pressing a button! That's the magic of 3D printing. In the future, this technology will change how we make things in big factories. Instead of traditional methods, like cutting and molding, 3D printers use special materials to build layer by layer. It's like building with Legos, but in real life! This cool technology lets us make custom toys, tools, and even houses. It's like having a superpower to create whatever we can imagine. Scientists are even exploring using 3D printing to make body parts and yummy food! With 3D printing, we can reduce waste and make things more efficiently. It's like a glimpse into the future where creativity knows no bounds. So, get ready to witness the amazing world of 3D printing!" KEYWORDS 3D Printing, Additive Manufacturing, Customization, Sustainability, Bioprinting, Material Innovation, Industry 4.0, Supply Chain, Prototyping, Regulatory Compliance, Automation, Innovative Design, Waste Reduction, Manufacturing Efficiency, Digital Fabrication, Creative Empowerment.

Computer-aided fabrication technologies combined with simulation and data processing approaches are changing our way of manufacturing and designing functional objects. Also in the field of catalytic technology and chemical engineering the impact of additive manufacturing, also referred to as 3D printing, is steadily increasing thanks to a rapidly decreasing equipment threshold. Although still in an early stage, the rapid and seamless transition between digital data and physical objects enabled by these fabrication tools will benefit both research and manufacture of reactors and structured catalysts. Additive manufacturing closes the gap between theory and experiment, by enabling accurate fabrication of geometries optimized through computational fluid dynamics and the experimental evaluation of their properties. This review highlights the research using 3D printing and computational modeling as digital tools for the design and fabrication of reactors and structured catalysts. The goal of this contribution is to stimulate interactions at the crossroads of chemistry and materials science on the one hand and digital fabrication and computational modeling on the other.