Spatial Printing

MAS ETH DFAB 2023: Robotic Printing

The design intent of this project was to 3D-print a three-dimensional truss design without material support and end effector collision. The Universal Robot 10e utilized an end effector extruder with PLA filament. Two methodologies were utilized: the Voxel and the Snakepath. The two designs focused on two different toolpaths. The voxel design prints each component (or pyramid) individually, then moves onto the next neighbor. The Snakepath utilizes a holistic approach in that each pyramid is created by two long tool paths continuously printing over the entire design. To create the truss without support beneath, at every point where the extruder is not touching a solid object, the extruder waits for 10-20 seconds for the filament to dry. After, it continues on its path. The result is a group of aesthetically pleasing stacking pyramids without the need of support. Partners: Brian Chen, Jan Laws, Nijat Mahamaliyev

Software: Rhinoceros 7, Grasshopper, Python, Adobe Photoshop, UR10e