Modelling A Complex Fabrication System - New design tools for doubly curved metal surfaces fabricated using the English Wheel

Abstract

Standard industrialization and numeration models fail to translate the richness and complexity of traditional crafts into the making of the architectural elements, which excludes them from the industry. This paper introduces a new way of modelling a complex craft fabrication method, namely the English Wheel, that is based on the creation of a cyber-physical system. The cyber-physical system connects a robotic arm and an artificial neural network. The robot arm controls the movement of a metal sheet through the English wheel to achieve desired geometries according to toolpaths and predicted deformations specified by the neural network. The method is demonstrated through the making of 1:1 design probes of doubly curved metal surfaces.