Technology in Architecture

By: Stephen Lauer

Post 9: 3D Modeling for Projects Other than Architecture

Last week I talked about how 3D modelling programs can be used for projects that are not architecture related. This week I want to talk about something similar with digital fabrication technology and how it can be used for projects other than architecture. In regards to building the table, the one discussed in the previous post, I created a pine tree design that would be raster 

engraved along the outside of the box. I chose to do a pine tree design as I am a outdoors person and liked how the design looked on the box along with how the burn from the laser created a dark vs light contrast on the wood.

The grain from the wood also affected how the laser cutter engraving turned out. Where the wood was denser the grain of the wood showed through more and prevented the laser from cutting as deep as it normally would. This created a very interesting pattern that ended up almost creating a clouded sky feeling to the final piece. The only issue that I should have addressed in this process was when I was assembling the two sides of the box I should have paid more attention to which pieces were cut together in order to keep the grain on the wood in alignment. Overall I like how the design turned out and am looking for other projects to do a similar aspect with. Before I decided to laser cut this design, I was looking at the option of doing a relief cut on the cnc machine of a similar design. The test cut I did turned out decent but I was worried that if I did this on a 1x4 that it would lose structural integrity once I cut the groove along the bottom edge. So in the end I decided to go with the laser cut option. Knowing how to use these different technologies is a great advantage as there are companies out there that use it every day as a part of their business. One example of these companies is Fremont Laser and Design (http://laserfremont.com/). There are other companies that do 3D printing for the public and ship them the finished piece. ATFAB (http://atfab.co/) is a company that designed furniture that is completely CNC cut and is all friction fit together. The maker revolution is becoming a huge part of our society and is a great industry to learn and get into. There are also websites out there that are open source for people to download objects or files for you to create your own, one example is http://www.thingiverse.com/. There is a wide variety of things that can be made by using the technology available to you….look into it and see what you can make.