Rapid prototyping

Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) data. Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using 3D printing or "additive layer manufacturing" technology. The first methods for rapid prototyping became available in mid 1987 and were used to produce models and prototype parts. Today, they are used for a wide range of applications and are used to manufacture production-quality parts in relatively small numbers if desired without the typical unfavorable short-run economics. This economy has encouraged online service bureaus. Historical surveys of RP technology start with discussions of simulacra production techniques used by 19th-century sculptors. Some modern sculptors use the progeny technology to produce exhibitions and various objects. The ability to reproduce designs from a dataset has given rise to issues of rights, as i

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Rapid Prototyping of Hardware Systems via Model Reuse

IEEE1997

Experience Catalysts And Architecture Towards a New Tradition

Jens Badura, Jeffrey Huang, Selena Savic, Andrew James Sempere

This paper describes two research projects in the field of interactive architecture, both examples of experience catalysts; Settings which allow new insights in the aesthetic constitution and perception of environments. This term can be thought of as somewhat synonymous with artistic intervention, but is used instead to recognize that the participants might not self-identify as artists. We are working with architectural notions of space and place, but are interested in the experience of place more than its formal structure. We wish to emphasize the dynamic and are interested in transitions not as the pauses between states but as destinations worth exploring. Quadricone by Selena Savic is an actual experience catalyst: a physical manifestation of a digital “material” (in this case network traffic.) The goal is less data visualization and more an attempt to understand what it means to physically experience something normally invisible. Inter-Actor by Andrew Sempere casts architecture as an ongoing event which might benefit from the flexibility of the digital. The idea is to create a combination of software and hardware that allows for “rapid prototyping” of interactive space. Inter-Actor is not an experience catalyst but a toolkit for creating them.

Porto: FAUP Publicações2013

Transient Materialization

Shih-Yuan Wang

This dissertation seeks to bring material experimentation to the forefront of design by associating it with computation and fabrication technologies that challenge the current disciplines of digital fabrication in architecture. The idea of transient materialisation is not primarily interested in the representation of digital geometry; rather, it considers the process of morphogenesis that emerges when multiple factors, such as geometric data, differentiated material states, machine capacity, fabrication timing and environmental stimuli, influence and construct within each other. Because this process is an intricate correlation, feedback analysis serves as a design medium in which to explore new forms of architecture through numerous digital and physical experiments. In addition, transient materialisation not only advocates for embracing indeterminate material effects for further investigation of material aesthetics it also challenges both the perception and sensoriality of architecture. Hence, to examine this research direction, this thesis conducts a set of experimental projects through hands-on material experiments as well as the development of software and prototyping machines. Collectively, the dissertation proposes a framework for the discussion of transient materialisation across three dimensions (ephemerality, dematerialisation and coagulation) through these experiments.

EPFL2017

MGT-409: D. Thinking: real problems, human-focused solutions

This course aims to engage students into multidisciplinary collaboration to tackle real world problems with a human centered approach. It will also provide knowledge about the role of design in innovation.

MICRO-530: Nanotechnology

This course gives the basics for understanding nanotechnology from an engineer's perspective: physical background, materials aspects and scaling laws, fabrication and imaging of nanoscale devices.

MICRO-413: Advanced additive manufacturing technologies

Advanced 3D forming techniques for high throughput and high resolution (nanometric) for large scale production. Digital manufacturing of functional layers, microsystems and smart systems.

3D printing

3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposi

Computer-aided design

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the desi

Numerical control

Numerical control (also computer numerical control, abbreviated CNC) is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills, grinders, routers and 3D printers) by means of a comp