Context
This blog documents the negotiation of a System of Scan to Fabricate workflows related to dealing with irregular raw materials, Namely offcuts from the saw-mill logging industry and
CNC – Offcuts in the digital fabrication workshop.
A negotiation between design input and the raw material topology necessitates research.
With each material presenting unique Opportunities and Challenges in
a)The Design Space
b) Digital fabrication
c) Data management system.
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/1-2-1024x376.jpg)
Design – Process
A top down approach of sending objects into Space.
A canopy – Sub-D to Quad meshes – understanding surface geometry and Mesh Subdivisions.
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2-1024x417.jpg)
A Design control to Nest objects or control the Size of the segments.
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/3-1024x340.jpg)
Selected Material- Prototype 1
Design to Fabrication Idea – 1.1
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/WhatsApp-Image-2022-11-01-at-12.20.29-PM-1024x578.jpeg)
Offcuts from the sawmill industry , i.e. which can be processed into plain sawn logs for our purposes.
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/4-1024x459.jpg)
Scan – Photogrammetry
Scan to Cuts Generation
Prototype – 1.0
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/6-1024x549.jpg)
Design to Fabrication Idea – I
Distance heat method to segment meshes
Segmenting/contouring meshes according to curvature
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/7.jpg)
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/8-1.jpg)
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/9-1024x577.jpg)
80 interior edges * 3 Dowels each
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/10-2.jpg)
Nesting Segments in Planks
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/11.jpg)
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/12.jpg)
30 – 60 Horizontal angle limits
Cut diagonals
Robotic Simulation
Considered Robotic Processing tools
- Bandsaw
- Milling
- Circular saw
Design to Assembly – Database
The documentation of the logs to assist Robotic Fabrication.
The following data are recorded in a .json file for ease of information exchange between software platforms.
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/13-1-1024x492.jpg)
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/14-1.jpg)
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/15-1-1024x472.jpg)
A Triangulated Framework to support panels
Design exploration of a framework for the panels.
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/16-1-1024x547.jpg)
Reasons to avoid – Produces too much waste in production.
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/17-1.jpg)
Production plan –
Planarise all logs – 5 min each , 10 logs.
Bandsaw:
Cuts on the bandsaw – 35
Cut length on the saw
Maximum 0.72m
Minimum 0.15m
- 2 min (500 mm/min)
- 1 typical cut = 2m = 4 min
Total edge travel of curves – 45.1 meters
Cut length on the bandsaw – 22.5 meters
Dowelling:
Edges joining – 84 * 3 Dowels
Finishing and extraction by Milling
Milling edge and depth reduced
1 m of milling = 0.3 min (3000 mm/min)
Design to Fabrication Idea – II
Material – CNC off-cuts
CNC Offcuts – Secondary Waste
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/18.jpg)
Description: Large – leftover blanks in the stock from CNC milling & Small – offcuts Milled around
References of similar projects:
1 Still Alive
2 Robotic Mosaic
Processing pieces into the dimensions of the planar surface:
Heights & Planar Dimensions:
Range of heights – 10mm ~ 20mm
Planar Dimensions – 200mm ~ 500mm
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/19-1024x274.jpg)
Design System – Surface Tiling
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20-1024x276.jpg)
Nesting objects on the design surface:
1 Adjusting contouring to achieve packing on the surface
2 utilizing K-means clustering to map the objects onto the Contours (heat method) of the surface
3 Sorting the pieces by color, convexity and size
Alternative:
Physics simulations to
Nest on the surface. In 2D and 3D
Technology Overview
Technology Overview [Solution]
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/21-1024x269.jpg)
Proposal
A Balustrade from Tiling System:
Proposal – 1 week /4 week of production
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/22-1024x509.jpg)
Design Input
Nesting Cut Pieces on Surface Panel:
- Define the Mold / Frame
- Resin on the Mould
- Nesting Cut fragments on Surface panel
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/23-1024x413.jpg)
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/24.jpg)
Production Estimate – Prototype II
![](https://blog.iaac.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/25.jpg)
Processing Time per panel
Scanning
- Pick & Place (Bin picking and Sorting) – 40 operations. 30 minutes per panel
- Scanning on the UR – 10 minutes
Robotic Fabrication
- Algorithm Solution Time – 2 minute
- Cutting on the Circular Saw – 1 typical cut = 2m = 4 min
20 cuts – 30 minutes.
- Pick & Place (Assembly)- 40 operations. 30 minutes per panel
Per panel – 2 Hours
Material and opportunity Cost
Secondary Wood Waste – Free
Moud – To be manufactured once, reusable
Resin Binders – Bio resins can make it sustainable
Robot Runtime – Assembly might be manual and AI assisted