GRANUM MANUFACTURING PARADIGMS
Fall 2014
Professors: Francis Bitonti + Xuedi Chen
Partners: Tyler Arciszewski + Nathaniel Gundersen
The goal of this project is to utilize 3D printing to further develop and advance 3D printing as a manufacturing process. Through a series of case studies of the manufacturing processes of BMW cars and the Local Motors 3D printed car and the mechanics of 3D printers, we learned the pros and cons in each manufacturing process and how to construct our own 3D printer. After scaling up the printer to gain a larger printing volume, we tested the building limits of many material explorations--concrete, clay, silicone, spray foam, and more and ultimately led to choosing a combination of silicone and glitter--a sturdy, yet flexible, composite. We chose a partition/screen wall as our architectural feature to print because of its modularity and versatility in spatial planning. We used star-shaped icing tip for the extruder achieve a wood grain patterned wall with texture and "knot" openings allowing for visibility and communication, along with sunlight distribution between sides.