web 2 and distributed manufacturing for designer – maker

Based on web 2 technologies, a growing variety of production processes are becoming easily accessible for anyone.
An online interface makes highly specialized technologies available. Once you setup your account, payment and shipping options are selected you can start producing and in some cases have access to a network of like-minded users or potential customers.
Companies like Ponoko (laser cutting and engraving), RedEye (Rapid Prototyping) and blurb (bookmaking) can successfully contribute to a designer/maker practice. A competent level of computer skills are required to address these services to achieve the best outcome. For waterjet or laser cutting, which are essentially two dimensional processes, of flat or sheet materials the mastery of a vector-based graphics program like Adobe Illustrator is essential. To use the RedEye ‘factory of the future’ one needs to generate a .stl file of a virtual 3D object that had been modeled in a CAD program.
The underlying specialized technology, for a long time the domain of the manufacturing industry, is expensive and usually out of reach of a single craft practitioner. If acquired, such equipment would ‘tie’ the individual maker to this technology for a long time and introducing a high level of risk to their business. Not to mention high running cost and that these digitally based technologies become obsolete within a few years.

I have used several of these processes while designing and making the ‘desk light‘, it has a waterjet cut stainless steel plate, a lasercut lamp shade (Ponoko) and Rapid Prototyping parts. Using these technologies has led the design process to new solutions and made the making of this light relatively easy.

Highlights Exhibitions

My first solo exhibition since 2001 called ‘Highlights’ opened in February 2009 at Craft ACT in Canberra and then in May at Metalab, in Sydney. Many thanks to Catrina Vignando, general manager Craft Australia and Grace Cochran who have opened those shows respectively. Highlights represents a change in my practice with the focus on light objects as well as highlighting how combining making processes (manual, digital and distributed) can address the designer/maker model as a contemporary approach to craft. See earlier post of the design/making of the light ‘Desk 30′.

The exhibitions were well received and successfully set up by Jason Hugonnet, curator and exhibition manager Craft ACT and Cesar Cueva, director of Metalab. Please find Jason Hugonnet’s exhibition review here.

Highlights at CraftACT, Canberra, Image by Creative Image Photography

Highlights at metalab, Sydney. Image 'Indesignlive.com'

Preparing for Highlights, 3

Further to my last blog, Preparing for Highlights, 2.
Yesterday, my first Ponoko laser cut pieces arrived and it was worth waiting for. After peeling off the protective sheet, that still showed the impact of the laser’s heat, clean clear pieces popped out of the cut Perspex sheet. I had used the clear 2mm thick Perspex material out of Ponoko’s material catalogue.

Peeling off the protective layer

The edges are clean and appear almost polished and do not show, as I had expected, some ‘burn’ marks. As Ponoko suggests in their ‘starter kit’ the dimensioning of interlocking pieces might need a bit of fine-tuning, I found that while having a good fit the slots I had designed have been a bit too wide. This will be easily fixed in Illustrator, as I have in mind to get more of the same parts cut in different colours for further variations of this lamp.

close up of the lamp

These parts form the ‘head’ of the desk-lamp for which I had already made all other parts. The assembly was straight forward as everything, the rapid prototyped and laser cut parts fitted very well together. I used sandpaper to make the surface of the parts opaque as the clear was ‘too’ transparent. Now the LED’s make the whole head light up.

Prototype put together

Opaque surfaces

I am very pleased about the straight forward way Ponoko’s system enables me to include precision cut pieces as part of my designs. Living in Australia made it a three week turn-around-time which was somewhat testing. But I already look forward to the next shipment with parts that will combine laser cutting with laser engraving. Ponoko has great instructional videos about this on their site.

Preparing for Highlights, 2

I just put together the prototype of a desk-lamp. This object uses polished stainless steel, ABS plastic (rapid prototyped parts), an aluminum tube coated with carbon fiber, laser-cut Perspex and 3 warm white 3 watt LEDs.

Desk lamp computer rendering

For the first time I will use a net based producer for part of the making process. Most of the lamp’s head part – the laser cut Perspex – will be produced by Ponoko . A clever (company) setup that laser cuts and laser engraves materials based on ones own design. Ponoko’s well working website makes it easy to get started. From selecting the materials to producing the right file formats for cutting and/or engraving all is explained in easy to follow steps. I am eagerly awaiting the first shipment of the 2mm thin cross-sections for the ‘reflector’ part of the lamp’s head.

After modeling the lamp shade as a ‘solid model’ first in CAD (formZ) I then sliced it into the cross-sections, these sections were then imported into Adobe Illustrator and saved out in the right format for Ponoko’s processes.

Cross-sections for laser cutting

Before uploading the file to be laser cut, I printed and cutout the Illustrator outlines and put together a mock-up of the lamp shape to see if I like the design and to get an idea if the pieces fit together.

paper mock-up of the lamp

Computer simulated lamp head

I also rendered a simulated view of the final head-piece as well as the whole desk lamp. I hope the final ‘real’ object will closely resemble this simulation.

prototype of desk lamp with paper shade

What I thought was a good idea – and all the work that went into an object trying to make it work.

Responding to a call to participate in the APM (Accredited Professional Member) exhibition by CraftACT with the title Interior Exterior I decided to make a light object. This show will open on Thursday 18 September at 6PM. Taking the dualism in the title as a starting point I used a warm light (1watt LED) representing the interior and a cold white LED as its counterpart. Both lights are directed towards each other and shinning onto a slightly curved transparent screen. See image of a few preliminary drawings for this object.

This screen is the membrane separating the inner from the outer. At this screen the different light qualities mix or fuse. Interestingly you can see the cold white on the ‘warm’ side of the screen and visa versa.

However when I started to model the components for a simulation on formZ (CAD) it became apparent that ‘all that stuff’ I needed to hold the elements in place was distracting form the pure, initial idea. What are now little cubes housing the LEDs were various (failed) designs going from bad to hideous. Even the cubes I have now are somewhat a compromise. Also the base-box which is capped by two alu plates and a white rapid prototyped frame feels like a necessary compromise to me. It contains the switch, driver and an additional LED (360 degree), which illuminates the base lightly from the inside.

First I wanted the top alu plate to be in mirror-polish but this particular alu piece I used had too many inclusions creating the occasional streak in the otherwise polished surface. To hide these streaks I used the new high tech Ink jet printer at the ANU School of Art , it can print on anything up to 40 mm thick with ink. The ink is then cured (baked on) with UV light. (One of our staff printed on a room door). The pattern I got printed onto the alu was derived from a piece of white sandpaper scanned in then the image was inverted and finally a ‘chrome’ filter in Photoshop applied. I usually avoid filters and effects at all cost but this pattern seemed to be able to run from the interior to the exterior section of the object without problems.

Now that this object is together and shines when switched on it has grown a little on me, but still it is an object that is neither a lamp nor a sculpture. Maybe, if I find the right (friendly) term for it it will settle into its place. Materials: Aluminium, ABS plastic, LEDs. Dimensions: 100 x 100 x 95 mm

Preparing for Highlights, 1

This is the first of a series of blogs I intend to write about the development of light objects in the build up of my exhibition at Craft ACT (Canberra, Australia). For this exhibition I hope to have up to ten new designs developed. This show will open in early February 2009 under the title Highlights.

I just finished the first of these objects which takes advantage of new generations of high bright LED lights. The object shown here uses two 3 Watt warm white LEDs, waterjet cut stainless steel, rapid prototyped parts (in yellow) and carbon fiber tubes. Height 1035 mm.

The design is torch like with the intention to appear clear and slender. All elements are as thin as possible but strong as necessary. The tension of the bowed carbon tubes holds the lights in place while at the same time supply the electricity to the LEDs.

The main challenges with this piece was to source the right driver for the LEDs to achieve good brightness while maintaining a long lifespan. I used two Cree XR 3 Watt (Jaycar electronics no: ZD-0444) together with a driver (AA-0585) which automatically detects how many LEDs are there, 1-6 are possible on one of these drivers, this allows for a wide range of designs. The driver itself is connected to a 12 VDC 1 Amp power pack.

The electricity is picked up by the LEDs from the carbon-fiber tubes, the bowing of the a result of the ‘light fittings’ are wedged in place by pushing out the tubes. More then two could be fitted to this lamb (the driver would adjust automatically). The black round disk in the center of the yellow fitting in the image above is the LED’s heat-sink. Despite being very power efficient and producing ‘cool’ light these LEDs get hot on the back and need to have a heat sink to make sure they stay within their recommended working temperature 50 – 70 degree c. The shade is, for the moment, made from drafting paper.

The foot part holds the driver, switch and connections to the carbon tubes. I designed all yellow parts on a CAD program (form•Z) and then rapid prototyped on a Stratasys FDM machine in ABS plastic. I polished the stainless steel after it had been waterjet cut.

rhythm of making changed

In 2005 I first tried to illustrate the changes to the rhythm of making introduced by digital technologies. I presented it as part of my papers at the Northlands Glass (Sept 05) and the Smart Works Design and the handmade (March 07) conferences. In the following paragraphs the underlying principles, which have helped shaping the flowchart on which this text is based on, will be discussed.

Starting from a common point, the initial design, this flowchart compares the rhythm of making both from a traditional and from a new (digital) technologies perspective, ending again in a common point, the finished object.

The first or upper part of this graph shows the traditional working process where the work evolves under the makers hands. Every incremental step of the making process is assessed and will provide a moment of re-interpretation of the initial design. The original drawing will have included the knowledge of an experienced hand and will have considered all necessary processes required to make the object. The maker and the designer are one person with a clear idea of the outcome and how to achieve it.
During the making the design drawing becomes a mere reference, as with every new manual step new solutions emerge, inviting new possibilities to be explored. This is expressed in the flowchart as a closed feedback loop which will only cease in the moment the object is finished.

The second, lower part of this graph shows the relationship between the idea the CAD (computer aided design) drawing and the final object and how they are influenced by digital technologies. These technologies are the computers used for the design work as well as the computer controlled manufacturing processes CAM (computer aide manufacturing) which translate the CAD drawings into objects.

This is following the argument by Robert Shiel [1] in his ‘Design through making’ (PDF doc) essay, he states: “……the tools of representation (CAD) have merged with the tools of fabrication (CAM) and machines now challenge the drawing as a direct instruction to make”. He continuous: “Whilst CADCAM is neither drawing nor making in the familiar sense, it is a hybrid mode where the investigation of ideas is engaged with the tactile and the physical. What is important about CADCAM is that it connects the drawing to a machine that makes. It is the drawing that has undergone the greater revolution. Acting as an instruction to make, the drawing must now anticipate the performance and resistence of any given material to fabrication processes.”
I find it important to highlight, that the final object exists in the moment the CAD drawing is saved to the computers memory. In other words the draftsman becomes the craftsman, the designer the maker the drawing the object.

As new technologies play an ever increasing part in contemporary craft practice, any degree of integration of these different Rhythm are possible. These approaches have and will lead to new objects extending the boundaries of craft.
Integration of new technologies however poses consequences for the individual maker, the necessary skills need to be acquired together – requiring a steep learning curve together with a hefty bill to investment in equipment.While traditional tools will equip ones workshop for a very long time, new technologies are notoriously short lived. They are usually more specialised then universal and require original parts for replacement in case they break down.

An other way to illustrate the difference between the two rhythms is to look what is left after the work is done. In the traditional process, in this case in silversmithing, the scraps are ready to be recycled, while in the case of Rapid Prototyping, the scraps are actual objects which are just not right, left to be thrown out.

Digital technologies certainly open new doors for the maker, but how large the rooms behind these doors are, still needs to be assessed.

[1] Robert Sheil. Design through making (Pdf document)
Accessed 20 September 05 at 3:30 pm

ingrown craft, design linking the old and the new

The design of this work ‘surrounds’ and connects crafted silver rings with Rapid Prototyped links to form a jewelery necklace. The intriguing moment is when the finished piece is lifted off the machine and is at once a fully articulated and finished object.

Since 1992 my work combined new technologies – namely computer based modeling and Rapid Prototyping – together with traditional Silversmithing techniques. Recently I have begun to reverse this digital based making process by putting the hand made, the Silversmithing, first and then ‘reverse engineer’ elements, like the silver rings of the ‘RP chain’.

After finishing the 17 sliver rings their dimensions are captured/measured. In this case with a simple calliper for complex or free-from objects a 3d laser scanner could be used. Based on their dimensions these handmade rings are then modelled using computer aided design (CAD) – I use formz as a 3D computer modeling program – to accommodate tolerances and add links to form a closed chain. These links will then be build on a Rapid Prototyping machine. Rapid Prototyping is a process, which ‘grows’ layers of ABS plastic, and can build just about any object. I use a Stratasys Fdm system giving me a high level of control over the build process, like in this case I used a stop-layer.

After the links have been partially built and the voids for the silver rings are formed the build process is stopped to insert the sliver rings. By continuing the Rapid Prototyping process the sliver rings grow together with the links to form a larger total, a necklace – the RP-chain. An intriguing moment is when the finished piece is lifted off the machine and is at once a fully articulated and finished object. Both Silversmithing and Rapid Prototyping are applied true to their unique media with the aim to create contemporary works of craft.