Manuel Jimenez | University College London (original) (raw)

Papers by Manuel Jimenez

This research attempts to generalize an approach for large-scale, non-layered spatial extrusion. ... more This research attempts to generalize an approach for large-scale, non-layered spatial extrusion. The methodology consists of splitting a volume, representing any arbitrary geometry, into discrete fragments with a finite number of possible arrangements. These fragments are combined in response to a series of design criteria. A novel application of graph theory algorithms is used to generate a continuous and non-overlapping path through the discrete segments. Physical and mechanical issues related to extrusion technology are explored. The computational model takes into consideration the grade and limitations of different kinds of equipment and material properties to counteract fabrication errors with the goal of speeding up the process and eliminating any need for human intervention. This approach is implemented as a cross-platform software product and programming library that can generate robot programs compatible with multiple industrial robot manufacturers. A physical prototype was fabricated using the seminal Panton Chair as a test model. We conclude that the computational approach is sound and most of the issues encountered were due to the equipment used. This will be addressed in future work.

There has been significant research into large-scale 3D printing processes with industrial robots... more There has been significant research into large-scale 3D printing processes with industrial robots. These were initially used to extrude in a layered manner. In recent years, research has aimed to make use of six degrees of freedom instead of three. These so called``spatial extrusion'' methods are based on a toolhead, mounted on a robot arm, that extrudes a material along a non horizontal spatial vector. This method is more time efficient but up to now has suffered from a number of limiting geometrical and structural constraints. This limited the formal possibilities to highly repetitive truss-like patterns. This paper presents a generalised approach to spatial extrusion based on the notion of discreteness. It explores how discrete computational design methods offer increased control over the organisation of toolpaths, without compromising design intent while maintaining structural integrity. The research argues that, compared to continuous methods, discrete methods are easier to prototype, compute and manufacture. A discrete approach to spatial printing uses a single toolpath fragment as basic unit for computation. This paper will describe a method based on a voxel space. The voxel contains geometrical information, toolpath fragments, that is subsequently assembled into a continuous, kilometers long path. The path can be designed in response to different criteria, such as structural performance, material behaviour or aesthetics. This approach is similar to the design of meta-materials-synthetic composite materials with a programmed performance that is not found in natural materials. Formal differentiation and structural performance is achieved, not through continuous variation, but through the recombination of discrete toolpath fragments. Combining voxel-based modelling with notions of meta-materials and discrete design opens this domain to large-scale 3D printing. Please write your abstract here by clicking this paragraph.

The research presented in this paper, based on two projects, investigates design methods for disc... more The research presented in this paper, based on two projects, investigates design methods for discrete computation and fabrication in additive manufacturing. The first project, Curvoxels (Hyunchul Kwon, Amreen Kaleel and Xiaolin Li) introduces a discrete design method to generate complex, non repetitive toolpaths for spatial 3d printing with industrial robots. The second project, INT (Claudia Tanskanen, Zoe Hwee Tan, Xiaolin Yi and Qianyi Li) proposes to make this discrete approach also physical, suggesting a fabrication method based on robotic discrete assembly. This discrete design and fabrication framework aligns itself with research into so called Digital Materials - material organisations that are physically digital (Gershenfeld et al., 2015).
The suggested methods aim to establish highly complex and performative architectural forms without compromising on speed and cost. Both projects propose design and fabrication methods that are non-representational, and do not require any form of post-rationalisation to be fabricated. The research argues that, compared to 3D printing, robotic discrete fabrication offers more opportunities in terms of speed, multi-materiality and reversibility. The proposed design methods demonstrate how discrete strategies can create complex, adaptive and structurally intelligent forms. Moreover, by moving computation to physical space, discrete fabrication is able to bridge the representational gap between simulation and fabrication. This representational gap is a result of a two-step process usually associated with computational design strategies, where a design is first developed digitally, and then passed on to be fabricated.

With an exponential increase in the possibilities of computation and computer-controlled fabricat... more With an exponential increase in the possibilities of computation and computer-controlled fabrication, high density information is becoming a reality in digital design and architecture. However, construction methods and industrial fabrication processes have not yet been reshaped to accommodate the recent changes in those disciplines. Although it is possible to build up complex simulations with millions of particles, the simulation is often disconnected from the actual fabrication process. Our research proposes a bridge between both stages, where one drives the other, producing a smooth transition from design to production. The research showcased in this paper investigates tectonic systems associated with large scale 3D printing and additive manufacturing methods, inheriting both material properties and fabrication constraints at all stages from design to production. Computational models and custom design software packages are designed and developed as strategies to organise material in space in response to specific structural and logistical input. Filamentrics, the first of two projects described, intends to develop free-form space frames with robotic plastic extrusion. Through the use of custom made extruders a vast range of prototypes were developed, evolving the design process towards the fabrication of precise structures that can be materialised using additive manufacturing without the use of a layered printing method. Instead, material limitations were studied and embedded in custom algorithms that allow depositing material in the air for internal connectivity. While Filamentrics is reshaping the way we could design and build lightweight structures, the second project Microstrata aims to establish new construction methods for compression based materials. A layering 3D printing method combines both the deposition of the binder and the distribution of an interconnected network of capillaries. These capillaries are organised following structural principles, configuring a series of channels which are left empty within the mass. In a second stage aluminium is cast in this hollow space to build a continuous tension reinforcement.

The research presented in this paper is part of a larger, emerging body of research into large sc... more The research presented in this paper is part of a larger, emerging body of research into large scale 3D Printing. The research attempts to develop a computational design method specifically for large-scale 3D printing of architecture. Influenced by the concept of Digital Materials, this research is situated within a critical discussion of what fundamentally constitutes a digital object and process. This requires a holistic understanding, taking into account both computational design and fabrication. The intrinsic constraints of the fabrication process are used as opportunities and generative drivers in the design process. The paper argues that a design method specifically for 3D printing should revolve around the question how to organize toolpaths for the continuous addition or layering of material. Two case-study projects advance discrete methods as most efficient to compute a continuous printing process. In contrast to continuous models, discrete models allow to serialize problems and errors in toolpaths. This allows a local optimization of the structure, avoiding the use of global, computationally expensive, problem solving algorithms. Both projects make use of a voxel-based approach, where a design is generated directly from the combination of thousands of serialized toolpath fragments. The understanding that serially repeated elements can be assembled into highly complex and heterogeneous structures has implications stretching beyond 3D-Printing. This combinatorial approach for example also becomes highly valuable for construction systems based on modularity and prefabrication.

Contemporary advanced simulation software allow for a higher accuracy in the understanding of mat... more Contemporary advanced simulation software allow for a higher accuracy in the understanding of material behaviour. The increase in computational power is enabling designers to get much closer to real time physical simulations, which facilitates the inheritance of those tools in their design workflows.However, the use of those tools is normally limited to a series of specific steps within the entire workflow, rather than a feature integrated in the design process itself.Softmodelling is an open source Java application which aims to bridge this gap by seamlessly integrating physical simulations in every step of the design process, giving designers the ability to not only test structural behaviours of a given output, but also allow them to design while taking both structural stability and material behaviour into account at every stage.This paper will discuss the design and evolution of the software, as well as showcase physical prototypes which explore the possibilities of such design methods. These projects are fundamental in materialising the evolution of Softmodelling, towards becoming an application that does not only enable the design of flexible elements, but also facilitates their manufacturing and assembly into large scale structures.

This research attempts to generalize an approach for large-scale, non-layered spatial extrusion. ... more This research attempts to generalize an approach for large-scale, non-layered spatial extrusion. The methodology consists of splitting a volume, representing any arbitrary geometry, into discrete fragments with a finite number of possible arrangements. These fragments are combined in response to a series of design criteria. A novel application of graph theory algorithms is used to generate a continuous and non-overlapping path through the discrete segments. Physical and mechanical issues related to extrusion technology are explored. The computational model takes into consideration the grade and limitations of different kinds of equipment and material properties to counteract fabrication errors with the goal of speeding up the process and eliminating any need for human intervention. This approach is implemented as a cross-platform software product and programming library that can generate robot programs compatible with multiple industrial robot manufacturers. A physical prototype was fabricated using the seminal Panton Chair as a test model. We conclude that the computational approach is sound and most of the issues encountered were due to the equipment used. This will be addressed in future work.

There has been significant research into large-scale 3D printing processes with industrial robots... more There has been significant research into large-scale 3D printing processes with industrial robots. These were initially used to extrude in a layered manner. In recent years, research has aimed to make use of six degrees of freedom instead of three. These so called``spatial extrusion'' methods are based on a toolhead, mounted on a robot arm, that extrudes a material along a non horizontal spatial vector. This method is more time efficient but up to now has suffered from a number of limiting geometrical and structural constraints. This limited the formal possibilities to highly repetitive truss-like patterns. This paper presents a generalised approach to spatial extrusion based on the notion of discreteness. It explores how discrete computational design methods offer increased control over the organisation of toolpaths, without compromising design intent while maintaining structural integrity. The research argues that, compared to continuous methods, discrete methods are easier to prototype, compute and manufacture. A discrete approach to spatial printing uses a single toolpath fragment as basic unit for computation. This paper will describe a method based on a voxel space. The voxel contains geometrical information, toolpath fragments, that is subsequently assembled into a continuous, kilometers long path. The path can be designed in response to different criteria, such as structural performance, material behaviour or aesthetics. This approach is similar to the design of meta-materials-synthetic composite materials with a programmed performance that is not found in natural materials. Formal differentiation and structural performance is achieved, not through continuous variation, but through the recombination of discrete toolpath fragments. Combining voxel-based modelling with notions of meta-materials and discrete design opens this domain to large-scale 3D printing. Please write your abstract here by clicking this paragraph.

The research presented in this paper, based on two projects, investigates design methods for disc... more The research presented in this paper, based on two projects, investigates design methods for discrete computation and fabrication in additive manufacturing. The first project, Curvoxels (Hyunchul Kwon, Amreen Kaleel and Xiaolin Li) introduces a discrete design method to generate complex, non repetitive toolpaths for spatial 3d printing with industrial robots. The second project, INT (Claudia Tanskanen, Zoe Hwee Tan, Xiaolin Yi and Qianyi Li) proposes to make this discrete approach also physical, suggesting a fabrication method based on robotic discrete assembly. This discrete design and fabrication framework aligns itself with research into so called Digital Materials - material organisations that are physically digital (Gershenfeld et al., 2015).
The suggested methods aim to establish highly complex and performative architectural forms without compromising on speed and cost. Both projects propose design and fabrication methods that are non-representational, and do not require any form of post-rationalisation to be fabricated. The research argues that, compared to 3D printing, robotic discrete fabrication offers more opportunities in terms of speed, multi-materiality and reversibility. The proposed design methods demonstrate how discrete strategies can create complex, adaptive and structurally intelligent forms. Moreover, by moving computation to physical space, discrete fabrication is able to bridge the representational gap between simulation and fabrication. This representational gap is a result of a two-step process usually associated with computational design strategies, where a design is first developed digitally, and then passed on to be fabricated.

With an exponential increase in the possibilities of computation and computer-controlled fabricat... more With an exponential increase in the possibilities of computation and computer-controlled fabrication, high density information is becoming a reality in digital design and architecture. However, construction methods and industrial fabrication processes have not yet been reshaped to accommodate the recent changes in those disciplines. Although it is possible to build up complex simulations with millions of particles, the simulation is often disconnected from the actual fabrication process. Our research proposes a bridge between both stages, where one drives the other, producing a smooth transition from design to production. The research showcased in this paper investigates tectonic systems associated with large scale 3D printing and additive manufacturing methods, inheriting both material properties and fabrication constraints at all stages from design to production. Computational models and custom design software packages are designed and developed as strategies to organise material in space in response to specific structural and logistical input. Filamentrics, the first of two projects described, intends to develop free-form space frames with robotic plastic extrusion. Through the use of custom made extruders a vast range of prototypes were developed, evolving the design process towards the fabrication of precise structures that can be materialised using additive manufacturing without the use of a layered printing method. Instead, material limitations were studied and embedded in custom algorithms that allow depositing material in the air for internal connectivity. While Filamentrics is reshaping the way we could design and build lightweight structures, the second project Microstrata aims to establish new construction methods for compression based materials. A layering 3D printing method combines both the deposition of the binder and the distribution of an interconnected network of capillaries. These capillaries are organised following structural principles, configuring a series of channels which are left empty within the mass. In a second stage aluminium is cast in this hollow space to build a continuous tension reinforcement.

The research presented in this paper is part of a larger, emerging body of research into large sc... more The research presented in this paper is part of a larger, emerging body of research into large scale 3D Printing. The research attempts to develop a computational design method specifically for large-scale 3D printing of architecture. Influenced by the concept of Digital Materials, this research is situated within a critical discussion of what fundamentally constitutes a digital object and process. This requires a holistic understanding, taking into account both computational design and fabrication. The intrinsic constraints of the fabrication process are used as opportunities and generative drivers in the design process. The paper argues that a design method specifically for 3D printing should revolve around the question how to organize toolpaths for the continuous addition or layering of material. Two case-study projects advance discrete methods as most efficient to compute a continuous printing process. In contrast to continuous models, discrete models allow to serialize problems and errors in toolpaths. This allows a local optimization of the structure, avoiding the use of global, computationally expensive, problem solving algorithms. Both projects make use of a voxel-based approach, where a design is generated directly from the combination of thousands of serialized toolpath fragments. The understanding that serially repeated elements can be assembled into highly complex and heterogeneous structures has implications stretching beyond 3D-Printing. This combinatorial approach for example also becomes highly valuable for construction systems based on modularity and prefabrication.

Contemporary advanced simulation software allow for a higher accuracy in the understanding of mat... more Contemporary advanced simulation software allow for a higher accuracy in the understanding of material behaviour. The increase in computational power is enabling designers to get much closer to real time physical simulations, which facilitates the inheritance of those tools in their design workflows.However, the use of those tools is normally limited to a series of specific steps within the entire workflow, rather than a feature integrated in the design process itself.Softmodelling is an open source Java application which aims to bridge this gap by seamlessly integrating physical simulations in every step of the design process, giving designers the ability to not only test structural behaviours of a given output, but also allow them to design while taking both structural stability and material behaviour into account at every stage.This paper will discuss the design and evolution of the software, as well as showcase physical prototypes which explore the possibilities of such design methods. These projects are fundamental in materialising the evolution of Softmodelling, towards becoming an application that does not only enable the design of flexible elements, but also facilitates their manufacturing and assembly into large scale structures.