Kyle Miller and Kory Randa worked collaboratively to create four iterations of joints using a 3d printer. Our main goal throughout this exercise was to experiment with the tolerances of the 3d printer and the gluing process. We experimented with 1/20" as the tolerance. Errors were still encountered through the gluing process which were caused by the printing grain that increased the expansion along the grain when the glue was applied (see last photograph). The glue was dripped over the surface to create an even coat and then placed on plastic spacers to dry. Our first joint was coated with glue that had expired, which created a thicker coat, and infiltrated the powder less, causing a brittle joint. This joint was unfortunately destroyed when our instructor attempted to interact with it (it's ok Tim, we fixed it). When the glue is drying, it tends to run towards the edge of the surface and cause a build up that exceedes the tolerances we had set. We remedied with a belt sander and file.

The goal behind this project was to combine the unique aspects of both the laser cutter and 3D printer to create 4 variations of a joint system. The benefits of the laser cutter are in its ability to rapidly cut out 2d shapes regardless of the piece's shape or uniqueness. The 3D printer allows for "no assembly required" rapid prototyping. It is also unique in its ability to form almost any shape imaginable.

In looking at the full scale possibilities of these two processes we found the D-shape 3D printer which is capable of printing small buildings in their entirety. Taking note of this printer's capabilities and the architectural proposals of Zaha Hadid and other contemporary designers traditional methods of joining materials no longer make sense.

We used this project as an exploration into new types of joints which can be fabricated in response to new materials, methods, and design ideas.

We created a 3D print component representing a wall or ceiling assembly and used laser cut Plexiglas to represent the glass panels that would fill in the voids. The first joint uses L-shaped brackets printed as a part of the mass in combination with matching precut holes on the glass panel which hold the panel in place. The second joint uses the same L-shaped brackets and matching holes except the panel is offset slightly not filling the entire void leaving a small air space. The third joint uses pairs of pockets printed into the 3D structure which allow small metal tubes to slide in and pin the panel in place. The final joint condition uses a lip which the panel fits against in combination with single pockets (and pins) printed into the structure to hold the panels in place.

- Beatty - Holland -

image from www.d-shape.com

Puzzle Time

Our tool was the laser cutter with chipboard as a material. We experimented with some different sizes but ultimately decided on 1/32". This would allow us much play and flexibility as our whole concept consisted of layering. We decided to modify a puzzle featuring six different pieces. The pieces were based on a 1/4" grid that would take advantage of layering pieces cut by the laser cutter. The width of the pieces was a 1/2" which took 16 layers to make a square piece!

To make my assembly easier, the layers were each labeled from A - F. This not only helped with identifying the pieces, but was critical to putting the final model together. Chipboad was an ideal material for this project. It allowed for tolerances and could adjust in certain circumstances. The pieces are obviously still very precise, and have to be for a successful fit. But, the chipboard has a little give making it less likely for failure.

Our next step was to figure out a way to connect a finished puzzle to another one. As the picture shows, the final piece( labeled A) is the one which allows for movement in and out of the middle joint. This gave us the most opportunity to play with connections. Our solution became a two step process with piece E. Each was given a male and female end. After after the male end of E was connected to the female end of E(from the second puzzle), piece A was intended to slide over that joint locking it in place. The A connection was taking advantage of friction between the layers and the tolerances allowed it to lock into each other, once again using a male and female end.

The idea was to create an infinite puzzle, that could continuously build upon itself.

Joint Ornament

Sara Ben Lashihar

Joint Assignment

02/18/2010

The project is based on the idea of mesh timber in furniture industry in Middle East. In that industry, decorative wood panels are linked to each other by joints and glue to create wonderful ornaments.

I used in my project 3D printer by producing two pieces of the proposed joint. And I suggested three types of this joint: pressure, connection, and overlay.

Pressure

Connection

Overlay

Laser cut_plexi-glass joints

Jon Martin & Jason Wheeler

Design Goals

Laser cut_plexi-glass joints

Jon Martin & Jason Wheeler

Design Goals

Joint 1: snap box

the goal of the snap box was to create a joint that wouldn't require glue or any type of adhesive

Joint 2: key lock

the goal of the key lock joint was to create a joint that would maintain the thickness of the material through two separate pieces

Process

Joint 1: The beginning process looked at a typical buckle or clip method to combine two pieces of plexi-glass. This was triggered by thinking about the material rigidity. Chipboard and other flat materials don't have the ability to flex and return to their original shape like plexi-glass.

The first attempt was oversized and produced a very rough and inelegant edge due to the protrusion of the clip through the adjacent surface and the misalignment of the edge conditions. To make this a more elegant and useful application, I looked for tolerances set within the material thickness.

By rastering areas of the edge, I was able to thin the plexi-glass to roughly 1/16" or half its thickness. Likewise, by shortening the length of the tabs, I was able to conceal their rough edge within the material thickness. Using both these operations created a flush edge condition in which the snaps are almost completely concealed. Unfortunately the tolerances at this scale make for very delicate parts which are prone to breaking. Through further development it's foreseeable that these tabs could be configured for easy connection and the ability to disassemble.

Joint 2: The key lock joint was made using raster and vector cut methods on the laser cutter. Voids that needed to be subtracted from the material were rastered out and then the whole pieces were vector cut out of the stock. To get subtracted voids on each side of both pieces, the pieces were flipped and put back into the stenciled piece of stock so that the opposite sides could be rastered where needed.

The process of the key lock joint took a lot of thought, sketching and computer modeling to understand how the joint would work. The tolerance contributed to the twisting and turning of the material when intertwined together took multiple attempts. I had to take into account the thickness of the material and how certain subtracted (rastered) volumes weren't fully rotating because of edge conditions meeting before the rotation was complete. Using prototypes also helped solve where the voids needed to be to match up with the solid parts of the opposing piece. When flipping the pieces to be rastered on the opposite side, it was noted that if I didn't take out the cut stock that was supposed to be void all the way through the piece that it would end up becoming melted to the pieces I wanted to keep.

Specs

1/8" Plexi-glass

lasercutter: raster - 90 power, 13 speed, 300 ppi

vector cut - 26 power, 1 speed, 300 ppi