Elective _ Material and Technology _ Summer 2020

Prof. Dr. sc. Manuel Kretzer

Wednesdays, 10am - 2pm

A collaborative course with large scale 3D printer manufacturer BLB Industries

3D printing is still one of the most promising emerging manufacturing technologies. Many large companies, such as Airbus, Deutsche Bahn or automotive producers have dedicated substantial parts of their production facilities to this field. The making of spare parts on site saves time, effort and logistics. In comparison to other production techniques, 3D printing allows the creation of exceptionally material efficient and thus lighter and more stable components. Furthermore it empowers designers to develop highly customized, individual projects as much as the birth of a new type of formal language that is not bound by contemporary industrial manufacturing limitations.

While there are a multitude of different printing techniques, one of the most rapidly evolving is FGF (fused granular fabrication). The process builds up a product from molten plastic granules instead of a continuous filament as is the case with FDM (fused deposition modeling). This increases speed, lowers material costs and also allows for the creation of much larger objects within a continuous process.

Together with the Swedish manufacturer of large scale 3D printers, BLB Industries (https://blbindustries.se),,) we will dedicate the semester evaluating, investigating researching, and testing the possibilities and limits of this technique for the design and production of chairs with our cooperation partner in Värnamo, Sweden.

The core focus of the project will be to:

1) highlight the big nozzle size (8mm) and visible print layers as a unique feature of the technology

2) emphasize particular material properties, such as color, texture or hydrophobicity

3) develop a generative design that differs from the predominantly minimalistic forms of the previous century

Requirements

Knowledge in parametric design processes using Rhino / Grasshopper

Experience in 3D printing

Dates

22.04.20 Introduction / Skype with BLB / Lecture on 3D Printing

29.04.20 Research / Inspirations / Design Ideas

06.05.20 Development of First Design Ideas

13.05.20 Crits 1 with BLB

20.05.20 Design

27.05.20 Prototyping

03.06.20 Iterations / Design / Prototyping

10.06.20 Crits 2 with BLB

17.06.20 Iterations / Design / Prototyping

24.06.20 Design / Prototyping

01.07.20 Production 1:10

08.07.20 Final Crits with BLB