Design Modelling Symposium Berlin (2019) -
Robotic Wood Printing Workshop
This workshop introduces a novel method of additive manufacturing with continuous solid wood fibres. Participants will explore a newly developed wood monofilament made out of willow withes (a rapidly renewable resource in Germany), robotic fabrication and topology optimization processes developed at the University of Kassel, to fabricate high-resolution and material-efficient wooden structures.
Participants will be exposed to all the aspect regarding this process from the material behaviour and its limitations, tool design development to the fabrication and optimization process workflow and challenges. In order to investigate the creative potential and opportunities, this process could bring to a highly competitive industry.
Workshop participants will engage in a robotic fabrication project focuses on additive manufacturing of structural timber elements. Participants will learn how to design using topology optimization techniques, robotic fabrication tools and a simulation package developed at EDEK Uni- Kassel, to provide participants with a wide range of custom tools tailored to this process from design to robotic path planning and material optimization. Therefore, participants are expected to have a basic knowledge of Rhino and Grasshopper. The target audience is the creative people from the field of architecture, product design and engineering.
Workshop Format
Participants will be divided into small groups and encouraged to develop ideas based on acquired knowledge, followed up with design work, discussion and selection of a project to fabricate. In the end, presentation sessions will take place, where participants will show the developed work, the final fabricated piece and share their insights and remarks.
Day 1
- Introduction to the process and tool
- Tutorials
- Group formulation and generating ideas
- Presentation, discussion and selection of a prototype for fabrication.
Day 2
- Setup of fabrication space
- Files ready for fabrication
- Fabrication
- Preparation for the presentation and discussion session.