This week, we will be working with subtractive manufacturing through CNC machining. I began by reflecting on the purpose of machining—not just from a functional perspective but an expressive one.
I concluded that machining allows us to transform industrialized and standardized materials into opportunities to push their material and formal characteristics to their limits. A clear example is how wooden planks and sheets can be shaped into free, organic, and innovative elements that, in a way, serve as spiritual guides to their natural origins, sensitive to the variations present across ecosystems. They return to their irrational essence. Erosion as an algorithm, and erosion as an encounter.
The research project will take place in two phases. The first phase consists of studying erosion as a material shaping process, while the second is an experimentation of erosion as an interaction between two surfaces.
To achieve this, it is essential to understand how to use CNC machining software (CAM). In this case, we will work with VCarve for toolpath generation, while Rhinoceros will be used for modeling. Additionally, we will learn how to operate the CNC remote control, which plays a crucial role in machine operation. This controller is called Richauto.
Among the machining software options, there is the entire family of programs from Vectric, including Aspire, VCarve, and Pathworks. Among them, VCarve is used because it is the default native program that came with the CNC machine. In addition to these software options, manufacturing assistants such as Fusion can also be used.
As previously stated, two exploration paths will be pursued:
In the second phase, the three-dimensional form of the foam's wounds is processed as an opportunity for interaction. This is achieved through 3D machining of columns that support a large, mechanized laceration.
1. To test the tolerances we will use for machining, we will employ a catalog of joints, focusing on four of them. This will allow us to identify suitable strategies for different types of connections.
This week's experiments will be conducted on the newest CNC machine in my workshop, the Laguna Swift. This CNC allows machining all types of wood composites, solid wood, and even different materials such as acrylic and thin metal sheets.
2. As a first step, we will use the mesh scanned in the previous assignment, from which we will extract one of the erosion droplets in the polystyrene. We will isolate it and edit its height to obtain a machinable element.
3. The intersection allows the mesh to be divided into three-dimensional layers, which are exported as .stl files to be processed in 3D.
4. The workspace is dimensioned on a phenolic plywood board measuring 1.20 m x 0.86 m and 18 mm thick. The working vector is then imported into it.
5. Inside Aspire, the model is positioned within the thickness of the board. A perimeter line is then drawn around it, within which the roughing process will take place. A 6mm end mill is used.
6. The finishing program for the pieces is designed prioritizing quality by using a small 10% step over and a 3mm ball nose end mill.
7. A cutting program using a 6mm milling bit and parameters similar to the roughing process is used to separate the machined piece from the original board.
8. The G-code is generated in Aspire in three separate files for Roughing, Finishing, and Cutting.
9. It is time to work with the material. The process begins by locating and setting the starting coordinates using the CNC controller itself.
10. The G-code programs start being processed one after another on the workpiece.
12. The pieces being extracted form the original erosion drop, prioritizing its finish and shape.
13. The first proposed solution was not very functional, so a second iteration was chosen to secure the piece.
14. To obtain a model to work with, a 3D scan of the piece is created, which will later be subtracted to obtain the cross-shaped profiles.
15. To obtain a model to work with, a 3D scan of the piece is created, which will later be subtracted to obtain the cross-shaped profiles.
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