Jimenez Garcia, M; Retsin, G; (2015) Design Methods for Large Scale Printing. In: Proceedings of the 33 rd International Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe. (pp. pp. 331-339). eCAAD: Vienna, Austria.

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Abstract

With an exponential increase in the possibilities of computation and computer-controlled fabrication, high density information is becoming a reality in digital design and architecture. However, construction methods and industrial fabrication processes have not yet been reshaped to accommodate the recent changes in those disciplines. Although it is possible to build up complex simulations with millions of particles, the simulation is often disconnected from the actual fabrication process. Our research proposes a bridge between both stages, where one drives the other, producing a smooth transition from design to production. The research showcased in this paper investigates tectonic systems associated with large scale 3D printing and additive manufacturing methods, inheriting both material properties and fabrication constraints at all stages from design to production. Computational models and custom design software packages are designed and developed as strategies to organise material in space in response to specific structural and logistical input. Filamentrics, the first of two projects described, intends to develop free-form space frames with robotic plastic extrusion. Through the use of custom made extruders a vast range of prototypes were developed, evolving the design process towards the fabrication of precise structures that can be materialised using additive manufacturing without the use of a layered printing method. Instead, material limitations were studied and embedded in custom algorithms that allow depositing material in the air for internal connectivity. While Filamentrics is reshaping the way we could design and build light-weight structures, the second project Microstrata aims to establish new construction methods for compression based materials. A layering 3D printing method combines both the deposition of the binder and the distribution of an interconnected network of capillaries. These capillaries are organised following structural principles, configuring a series of channels which are left empty within the mass. In a second stage alumin

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