FABRICATE 2017

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 13-16

STEFANA PARASCHO / AUGUSTO GANDIA / AMMAR MIRJAN / FABIO GRAMAZIO / MATTHIAS KOHLER, COOPERATIVE FABRICATIONOF SPATIAL METAL STRUCTURES, Gramazio Kohler Research

The work presented here is an investigation of such cooperative robotic construction, wherein two industrial robots assemble a spatial metal structure consisting of discrete steel tubes. The implementation of an industrial robot into the building process offers a new approach for the construction of non-regular spatial structures, since a 6-axis robotic arm can precisely move, position, orient and hold a building element in space, something a human cannot accomplish without a reference system and support structure.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 17-19

MARTIN SELF / EMMANUEL VERCRUYSSE, INFINITE VARIATIONS RADICAL STRATEGIES, Architectural Association, London

Designing and building architecture in the woods: within an idyllic forest ecosystem that is both material library and site, the program explores how natural materials, craft knowledge and new technologies elicit exciting and unpredictable architectures while implying a deep connection between site, construction and tree species. The robotic milling procedure consisted of first defining 3D volumes for router subtraction of connection shapes from the wood, then determining an appropriate robot tool path to achieve that geometry.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 24-26

PHILIP F. YUAN / HUA CHA, Tongji University

Digital design has marvelously expanded the scope of wood structure application. While the growing trend for research in robotic fabrication has accelerated the development of mass customization concepts in architecture, the mass customization of geometrically complex wooden elements has become one of the major concerns in terms of robotic wood fabrication research and wood-producing industry. The ‘Robotic Wood Tectonics’ project of 2016 Digital FUTURE Shanghai explored the combination of robot wire-cutting technology and traditional wood craft to produce geometrically complex wooden elements –without the immense material consumption of a CNC milling production process – in a full-scale wood pavilion.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 48-50

VOLKER HELM / ANDREAS THOMA / FABIO GRAMAZIO / MATTHIAS KOHLER, ROBOTIC INTEGRAL ATTACHMENT, Gramazio Kohler Research

Robotic integral attachment demonstrates the advantages of combining robotic assembly (Helm etal., 2016) and integral mechanical attachment, such as through-tenon joints. Both methods are used to facilitate the assembly of complex architectural designs, such as free form shells and space frame.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 55-58

INÉS ARIZA1 / T. SHAN SUTHERLAND2 / JAMES B. DURHAM / CAITLIN T. MUELLER / WES MCGEE2 / BRANDON CLIFFORD, ROBOTIC FABRICATION OFSTONE ASSEMBLY DETAILS, MIT, University of Michigan

This research follows an important body of work from the past decade, which focuses on the design of global surface geometries for compression-only structural behavior. Details can be inspired by different motivations. In this project, the role of the details is to coordinate different type of constraints: structural (type, direction and magnitude of reaction forces), fabrication (properties of the carving and casting tools and machines)and assembly (direction and fixing steps of units).This approach takes advantage of the ability of robots to perform custom non-repetitive stone carving and match it with cast metal’s ability to be formed with geometric flexibility.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 59-62

PAUL NICHOLAS / MATEUSZ ZWIERZYCKI / ESBEN CLAUSEN NØRGAARD / SCOTT LEINWEBER / DAVID STASIUK / METTE THOMSEN, ADAPTIVE ROBOTIC FABRICATIONFOR CONDITIONS OF MATERIALINCONSISTENCYINCREASING THE GEOMETRICACCURACY OF INCREMENTALLYFORMED METAL PANELS, CITA | Centre for Information Technology and Architecture, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen

This paper describes the context of robotic incremental sheet metal forming, a freeform method for imparting 3D form onto a 2Dthin metal sheet. A simple tool, applied from either one or two sides, facilitates mold-less forming by moving over the surface of a sheet to cause localized plastic deformation.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 91-93

GILLES RETSIN / MANUEL JIMÉNEZ GARCÍA / VICENTE SOLER, DISCRETE COMPUTATIONFOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL

The research presented in this paper investigates design methods for discrete computation and fabrication in additive manufacturing. CurVoxels introduces a discrete design method to generate complex, non-repetitive tool paths for spatial 3D printing with industrial robots. The project is a continuation of research into spatial printing, now a popular method for robotic printing.

The next project, INT, combines discrete design with discrete fabrication. Similar to CurVoxels, a combinatorial unit is developed, but this time as a physical building block that can be aggregated and assembled. This unit is able to combine with itself in different ways and can be robotically assembled.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 102-106

MARIA YABLONINA / MARSHALL PRADO / EHSAN BAHARLOU / TOBIAS SCHWINN / ACHIM MENGES, MOBILE ROBOTIC FABRICATION SYSTEMFOR FILAMENT STRUCTURES, Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart

This research proposes a multi-robot system of cooperative, mobile machines operating within the context of the surfaces of existing architectural environments: facades, walls, ceilings. Anchoring new tensile filament structures to these surfaces activates anew layer in the architectural environment, building upon and modifying it to current spatial requirements in real time.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 111-113

HENDRIK LINDEMANN / JÖRG PETRI / STEFAN NEUDECKER / HARALD KLOF, PROCESS CHAIN FOR THE ROBOTICCONTROLLED PRODUCTION OFNON-STANDARD, DOUBLE-CURVED,FIBRE-REINFORCED CONCRETE PANELSWITH AN ADAPTIVE MOULD, TU Braunschweig | Institute for Structural Design (ITE)

This paper presents a method to build up customized double-curved fiber-reinforced concrete panels in a very short time without creating any waste of formwork material. The process is sequenced in several fabrication steps and involves a robot for human-machine interaction or HMI.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 114-117

MARSHALL PRADO / MORITZ DÖRSTELMANN / ACHIM MENGES, ELYTRA FILAMENT PAVILIONROBOTIC FILAMENT WINDINGFOR STRUCTURAL COMPOSITEBUILDING SYSTEMS, Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart

The focus of the presented paper is the advancements in robotic fabrication methods for bespoke fiber composite parts. Through the nature of the robotic winding process, the fiber composite rovings are bundled around the winding points, so the metal sleeves are embedded and structurally connected to the composite material.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 127-130

STEFAN PETERS / ANDREAS TRUMMER / FELIX AMTSBERG / GERNOT PARMANN, PRECAST CONCRETE SHELLSA STRUCTURAL CHALLENGE, Graz University of Technology

Modern possibilities in digital design and manufacturing in combination with industrial robots raise questions about alternative shaping methods that could achieve a higher quality and efficiency in the production process of structural elements, ultra-high performance concrete, UHPC. The steel rebars were bent and welded automatically using robots.

ACHIM MENGES, BOB SHEIL, RUAIRI GLYNN, MARILENA SKAVARA, fabricate RETHINKING DESIGNAND CONSTRUCTION, 2017, pg 134-137

ASBJØRN SØNDERGAARD / JELLE FERINGA, SCALING ARCHITECTURAL ROBOTICSCONSTRUCTION OF THE KIRK KAPITALHEADQUARTERS, Odico Formwork Robotics

At Odico, the challenges faced when deploying and building with robotics at scale are addressed. Over the years, a range of novel fabrication processes have been developed in an industrial context. Considerable attention has been directed within Odico to exploring the implications of one such technical approach and its derivatives – robotic hot-wire-cutting (RHWC) of expanded polystyrene (EPS) formwork for concrete casting.