During the Form-D-Form workshop we were invited to export formats and and models with multiple geometries and textures that produce architecture and design, exploring the behavior of materials by thermoforming. The goal, through this investigation was to conclude that this upcoming prototype production method can produce models that offer new possibilities in architecture and design.
In order to conduct this research, we had to study the way in which the manufacturing process takes place in the vacuum, the conditions in which it works and its constraints, and the different behavior of the materials in the process by calculating all the parameters in its test determined the result, such as the heating time of the material depending on the type of material, the importance of the mold we use as the bases for model extraction, the permissible dimensions for the creation of the mold, the time of absorption of the air to give the final model. Generally this process is based on the creation of an empty space in the materials, usually pvc sheets, after having been heated in a high temperature vacuum.
Our interest was directed to the formation of protrusions and prototypes in 1.5mm thick pvc sheets, as this material simulated the desired result due to greater durability and plasticity in the deformation we wanted, compared to other materials to which we applied the process.
With regard to the mold we used we chose cylindrical rolls of thick cardboard, which are pressure resistant to vacuum and to the temperature of the plastic extracted from it. After several tests and assessing the material failures each time, we came to the conclusion that the mold must have a solid base made of Dow felizol and on which 2-3 holes was made in order to achieve the best possible result in absorbing air from the vacuum to create an empty space in the final result. In addition, for the construction of the base, we tested a variety of formations when placing the cylinders, changing the heights, the distances between them and their number each time. The construction of the final model was produced its time through the Grasshopper environment in Rhinocheros 3D while taking into account the results of the aforementioned tests in order to obtain the optimal result by reference to the range of values in heights, distances and umber of cylinders.
This project was made in the context of the master program "Advanced Design: Innovation and Transdisciplinarity in Architectural Design" , Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2018.
professor: Ioanna Symeonidou
