Placoid

BEN TANG
PLACOID

2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
2020 | Advanced Fabrication ARCH9109
Semester one
Mentors:
Lynn Masuda
Dr Simon Weir
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS
04
Concept
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Sprutcam
The inspiration for the project
Programming and simulation
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Ruled Line Surfaces
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Product
Machining methods for hot wire foam
cutting
Visualisation of block
10
Exquisite
Connections
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Collective Model
Visualisation of Collective Model
Gestalt connections with neighbouring
blocks
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
Concept
The initial inspiration came from the Placoid,
which is the scales found in sharks and rays.
The patterns, textures, connection and
geometry seen at a microscopic level
interested me to try and replicate onto a
solid foam block. Although the limitations of
the material delicate enabled me to readjust
accordingly.
Pascal Deynat/Odontobase https://usa.oceana.org/blog/
shark-fact-friday-12-super-scales
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CONCEPT
Inspired textures, expressive
joints and general outline were
represented in the final block
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
Ruled Line Surface
Generation
Sweep2
To ensure the blocks were ruled line surfaces,
the technique that were commonly used in
Rhino were the ‘Sweep2’ command.
The Sweep2 ensures that the surface created
from the two referencing curves were 1
directional either U or V.
Each block face were made up of multiple
Sweep2 surfaces which are joined to create a
solid object.
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RULED LINE SURFACE GENERATION
Top View of Block
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
Boolean with
Surfaces
After the block faces were generated
through sweep2, the next technique used
was extracting the blocks using extruded
surfaces or closed curves. This was useful
for adding the connections of porosity and
tattoos between the neighbouring blocks.
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RULED LINE SURFACE GENERATION
Exploded Block
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
Exquisite
Connections
Tattoo
Connection between textures / patterns from
neighbouring blocks.
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EXQUISITE CONNECTIONS
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
Porosity and Headpiece
Connection between porosity from
neighbouring blocks to the smooth transition
between the headpiece.
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EXQUISITE CONNECTIONS
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
Sprutcam
Cutting Angles Assist Geometry Inverse Tool Axis
Tilting block and raising base to allow
cutting faces at different angles (vertical
and horizontal) without collision with hot
wire and bed.
Sometimes the original surfaces were not
recognised by Sprutcam where a assist
geometry would be required for it to
work.
During machining, sometimes the driven
faces resulted the robot to flip its tool
(the two A’s facing down) which requires
a check in strategy to Inverse Tool Axis to
fix it.
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SPRUTCAM
Engage / Retract
Cutting Multiple Faces
Conventional & Climb
In order to avoid collision, every
machining process requires a distance for
engage and retract. Using the options of
normal, tangent or sometimes line.
Cutting multiple faces require a copy
of the middle operation in order to
control which faces to cut at a time. Drive
faces were adjusted in the parameters
in order for the robot to cut at the
correct direction. Options may vary such
as checking or unchecked alternate
streamline, alternate front side. Curve
distribution either Auto, Center or End.
To reduce the risk of collision or the
efficiency after each cut, changing from
either conventional or climb helped move
the tool better for retract and engage.
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
PLACOID
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PRODUCT
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
018

PRODUCT IN FOAM VISUAL
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
Collective Model
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COLLECTIVE MODEL ON SITE
Maze Crescent Entry
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID
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022

COLLECTIVE MODEL
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From Left to Right
01 Minh A
02 Laura P
03 Ben T
04 Veronica V
05 Simon L
06 Bethel L
07 Adrian T
08 Alex F
09 Jing Y
10 Joel L
11 Lynn M
12 Rhys G
13 Chuyan G
14 Angela K
15 Siyun Z
16 Jake B
17 Vivan S
18 Josh C
19 Yeonho C
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2020 | Advanced Fabrication | PLACOID

COLLECTIVE MODEL ON SITE
City Road Direction
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