All posts tagged cnc
Casting Experiment
We’ve started exploring ways of casting some of the pieces that we previously showed in the post on Acoustic Reflection Patterns and thought we’d share what’s been done so far. The diffusive …
TCPA – Mockup of Feature Wall
The mockup for the Lobby Feature Wall of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts is under construction. This post shares some images and a bit about the process that got us to this point.
Focusing on Fabrication – Part Nesting
Recently, we’ve been having discussions about the effort that goes into making the formwork for casting an object and how wasteful that mold making process can be depending on the amount of shaping that is desired. This is one in a series of posts where we’ll be looking at how an early focus on the fabrication process can influence the design of a object or system and the potentials that might arise from this approach to design.
Medical Mart Progress Update
It’s been over a year since we last posted about the Cleveland Medical Mart, but a lot has happened since then. In the summer of 2011, we had the opportunity to travel to the Construction Research Laboratory in Miami, FL to witness the performance testing of a mockup of a corner of the Medical Mart. This past May we traveled to Cleveland to see the building coming together. This post shares some photos and videos of where the building is at this point.
Adding to the Toolkit
If you’ve ever been in LMN’s office then you know we like to build big models so we can really get our heads in there. These larger models (1/2″ = 1′-0″ or bigger) allow us to explore the finer details of a design while still using the tools that we have available in our office. As we learned with our 3D printer, sometimes the acquisition of new tools opens up possibilities that we wouldn’t have considered otherwise or at least makes the exploration process more feasible. I’ve heard this described as sometimes the tool shapes you while other times you shape the tool. With this in mind we set out back in March to build a CNC router.
Med Mart 5: Panel Fabrication
As we developed our precast panel surface geometry, we found ourselves increasingly pushing the limits of our rendering engines. We knew that natural light could potentially reveal different effects on the complex surfaces, and physical models would be the only trustworthy method of study to ensure a more predictable final product. The fabrication process of the model paralleled the fabrication process for the full size panels. Our close collaboration with the form-liner and precast fabricators helped to fine tune the design beyond our initial assumptions.
CNC Model Base
Digital fabrication tools are increasingly becoming part of design education and by extension the professional design process. A question that LMN is currently struggling with is to what extent we want to integrate these tools into our design process.