How to make almost anything - MAS 863 Fall 2002
Axel Kilian

Project that extended a programmed fabrication project from Spring1999 in the programmed constructs class with Takehiko Nagakura and Bill Mitchell's CadCam class.

The surface joints aim at creating partial double curvature through the strain across the joint that tensions the surface strips and warps them slightly into the secondary curvature. The goal is to make optimal use of the membrane strength of the material by using a connection detail that works without glue simply by pressure fitting. Various materials were tried - polycarbonat, chipboard and aluminum

The other challenge was to create a program that produces geometric pieces that are apropriate for the CNC controlled cutting of a laser and waterjet cutter. The continous varying joints would be almost impossible to cut by hand but provide a very strong hold when machined to excact material and scale dependant tolerances

Paper presented at Acadia 2003, Indianapolis
Fabrication of partially double-curved surfaces out of flat sheet material through a 3d puzzle approac, Axel Kilian, MIT- PDF 2.5MB