Ma Finalterm2 Book

7/30/2019 Ma Finalterm2 Book

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Institut dArquitectura Avanada de Catalunya - Pujades 102 baixos, Poble Nou,08005 Barcelona - tel. (+34) 93 320 95 20 - ax (+34) 93 300 43 33

Magnetic Architecture


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Ackowledgements

The experience of participating in the Digital Tectonics stu-dio has been truly overwhelming. There have been variousphases in our research some filled with energy and others

where we were stuck and didnt know what to do next.Throughout the entire process, there have been variouspeople that have been associated with this project who wewould like to acknowledge and to whom we want to expressour gratitude. They are:

Jordi He always encouraged us to think about scale andmaterial improvements. He also insisted that we shouldnever forget about the structural implications of what we aredoing. This really helped us and it shaped our research. Hetook upon the cause of procuring iron filings as his own andkept supplying us with our primary material when we had

none. We would especially like to thank his father for goingout of his way to source this material. Jordi also supportedour project relentlessly once he understood that we coulddo great things with it. A big thank you to him for all of this.

Miquel He was like a constant and silent partner to us more like a friend. Always overseeing the goings on, alwaysspeculating, making notes. His help for the planning anddesign and procurement of parts of our material depositionnozzle was extremely conducive to us even attempting thissystem. He also had some good advice for us from time totime and was always happy to help when we required themachines in the fablab be it laser cutting or finding tools.We really appreciate his help.

Guillem He has always taken a special interest in our pro-ject. He has worked very closely with us, lending supportfor various computational processes. He has always beenproactive in offering us spare parts be it motors, wires orarduino boards. He has played an important role in the de-velopment of the electromagnetic device which we used toproduce our final models, and for all this we would like tooffer our appreciation.

Santiago Martin Laguna Initially we thought that Santi

would be providing us with intense computational and soft-ware support. His involvement was much more than that itwas theoretical, analytical and even philosophical at times.He never hesitated to be a nerd (as he says) for us andsend us grasshopper definitions that would have taken usdays to come up with. He has also been instrumental in pro-viding us with some basic knowledge of optimization whichhas had a subconscious effect on our project. He has alsobeen extremely encouraging and forthcoming. We wouldlike to offer our sincerest gratitude to him.


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Santiago Martin Gonzalez It was because of a workshop

on artificial computer vision conducted by him that we be-came empowered with the knowledge needed to developthe incremental system of material computation using awebcam based setup. We want to thank him for showing usthe way to do it.

Form X They have been extremely forthcoming in lendingtheir expertise on resin and plastic based materials whichhave formed a pivotal part of our final material composition.They took into consideration the fact that we were studentson a particular research mission and they always took timeout from their busy schedules (often ignoring other custom-

ers to do the same) to advise us on which of their productswould work better for us. We appreciate their involvement inour material evolution process.

Marta Last but not the least, a huge thank you for Marta,who not only supported and encouraged our project fromday one but also criticized it and made us see its downsides.She lent her expertise of Digital Tectonics to direct us to de-velop in a way that the project made complete sense to us we never ever doubted it. She labelled it a 4D project andshowed as much fascination for the forms we could createusing the magnetic process as we did. She played a pivotalrole in making us realize that there was more to our projectthan generating g-codes for predefined trajectories. She en-couraged us to think of the role of the architect in a systemsuch as ours. She has been extremely influential in takingthe project to where it is as of now. We really appreciate herguidance.


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Profiles

Thesis Statement

Abstract on Magnetic Architecture

Notes on Magnetism

Basic Material: balls bearings/iron filings/

magnetite

Understanding Material Properties.

Building Methods

Material Mixtures

Design Parameters

Manual Experiments

Deposition Experiments

CNC and Nozzles

Mini 5-axis device

3D Network Simulation

Where are we going?

able o Contents


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Sensing

Electromagnets

Gravity

Grasshopper: behavior simulations

Material Deposition Nozzle

Material Research.

Magnetic Device

Artificial Vision and Incremental Com-

puting.

Rules

6-axis Universal Robot, increasing

scale and complexity.

Final Model

Conclusions

Magnetic Intelligence


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Angel Fernando Lara Moreira

Akhil Kapadia

Akhil is an architect who has lived, loved, studiedand worked in Mumbai. He left his birthplace tosee the world and explore its variations and beau-ty. He is interested in understanding how thingswork and how we can use our understanding ofcomplex things to bring simplicity and change.Through his collaboration with Magnetic Archi-tecture, Akhil hopes to be able to show a way tochange - to be smarter, more efficient, and dis-

cover a new breed of aesthetics and design pos-sibilities.

Whilst guiding students as a part of the faculty forfirst year bachelor of architecture students at aprominent university in Mumbai, he realized thatthere was a lot more to learn - a lot more beyondthe realm of mediocrity under which the architec-tural scenario of today operates. Apart from Archi-tecture, Akhil is also interested in literary arts, pho-tography and speech & drama - he has authoredseveral poems and prose, some of which havebeen published on various prominent blogs andlocal Indian newspapers. Akhil hopes to travel,learn and work away from home for a little whilelonger before he returns to his birthplace to begina new architectural journey - hopefully of his own.

A mexican architect, Angel is an example of what

the modern creative mind should be like. Bornand raised in Mexico he studied architecture atUNAM (latinamericas best college) where hegraduated in 2011. He quickly pursued his mas-ters studies at IAAC where he was able to exploreone of his longtime likings digital and machiniccontrol in regards to architecture. Raised in a sci-entific environment, his curious mind has allowedhim to deal with creative matters such as writingand designing in a different way. Surely destinedto greatness, Magnetic Architecture is proof ofthat.


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Gabriel Bello Daz

Alexander Dubor

Gabriel began his education at Wentworth In-stitue of Technology in Boston with a focus onarchitectural engineering. Through frelancing forseveral years he evolved into an atmospheric de-signer who focused on human reaction to spac-es. He also has currated his own and other artistexhibitions and is currently involed with severalfilm projects all focusing on some form of archi-tectural studies. Today, along with researchinga lauguage for matrial in architecture he is alsoattempting to link neurological data directly witharchitectural spaces through a wireless system.

Alexandre is an architect from paris looking formore multidisciplinarity in the reflexion of our builtenvironement. From early stage of education, hewas looking at architecture as an interesting wayof mixing science with art. Going further in thestudys he was able to develop project as inge-neer and architect


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To investigate a line of architectural possibilities arising

out of the assembly of a certain mixture of materials with-in a magnetic field that solidifies and has the possibilityof forming complex three dimensional networks eitherself incrementally or by way of predefined trajectories; toquestion the role of the architect within such a systemand to extract its implications and applications in termsof the architectural design & construction scenario today.

Tesis statement


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The search for the perfect material that would serve as amagnetic material drove the initial phase of research ofthis project. This magnetic material had to be cheap, eas-ily and globally available, easy to make, easy to depositand had to solidify quickly after being deposited withinthe magnetic field. Half of this mixture comprised of ironfilings, which we mixed with different materials and stud-ied the results for stability, drying time and ability to ar-range along the magnetic field.Once this material was concocted, different experimentswere conducted to study its behavioural characteristics

when deposited between neodymium magnets of op-posite poles. Different parameters were discovered likebreaking points, maximum distance between magnetsfor material formation, whether twisting assisted materialformation, whether it was better to form a link betweenthe magnets by gradually increasing the distance be-tween the poles, etc.These results gave rise to more complex experimentswhere different apparatus were designed to to aid in theunderstanding of replicating the singular element formedbetween two magnets into a continuous ruled surface,

a two dimensional network and a three dimensionalnetwork. What followed was the factoring in of layers ofconstraints and limitations that each additional processwould bring. Alongside this, various computer simula-tions were used to further understand the parameters formaterial formation and breaking.There were decisions about the fact that the property ofself assembly of the material and its unpredictable natureshould be exploited. Exploration of the possibilities of thematerial incrementally computing itself into a structuralnetwork to discover what the material really wanted to

be led us to the realm of using artificial vision as a toolfor gauging how certain rules should be applied basedon visual information. Alongside this, an electromagneticdevice which served as an attachment to the CNC sys-tem machine was developed. That this could additivelyprint predefined trajectories was also taken into consid-eration.

Abstract


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Notes on magnetism

Each magnet has two poles, at which the attractive forceseems greatest North and South (The poles are sonamed because, under the influence of the earths mag-netism, a bar-shaped magnet free to rotate will turn sothat one pole points northward and the other southward.)When a magnet is cut into two or more pieces, eachpiece becomes a new magnet.Like poles repel; unlike poles attract. Magnets do nothave to come into contact to repel or attract each otherbecause magnetism acts at a distance. The area in whichthe effect of a magnet can be detected is called its mag-netic field. The field is strongest near the magnet; it weak-ens as the distance from the magnet increases. A mag-netic field is usually pictured as a series of lines, calledlines of force, extending from the N pole of a magnet to

an S pole, either at the other end of the same magnet orin a nearby magnet.Magnets attract objects made from iron, steel, cobalt, orcertain other materials. In the presence of a magnet, anobject made from such magnetic materials will itself be-come a magnet (magnetic induction).Measurements with extremely accurate instruments showthat all materials have some reaction to a magnetic field.The materials usually referred to as nonmagnetic, suchas copper and water, are either paramagnetic (showinga slight tendency to line up parallel to the lines of force

of a field) or diamagnetic (showing a slight tendency toline up at right angles to the lines of force). Magnetic ma-terials, properly called ferromagnetic, have a strong ten-dency to line up parallel to the lines of force. Iron filings,our chief material, are highly ferromagnetic.

Theory on which magnetism is based:The effects of magnetism have been known and usedfor centuries. Yet scientists still do not know exactly whatmagnetism is. The theory of magnetism that follows isbased on one proposed by a French physicist, Pierre

Weiss, in the early 20th century.Every magnetic substance contains domains, groupsof molecules that act as magnets. Before a substance ismagnetized, these domains are arranged randomly, sothat the magnetism of one is cancelled by the magnet-ism of another. When the substance is brought within amagnetic field, the domains line up parallel to the lines offorce, with all the N poles facing in the same direction.When the magnetic field is removed, the like poles tendto repel each other. In a substance that is easily magnet-ized, the domains turn easily, and will return to randomordering. In a substance that is difficult to magnetize,the domains will not have enough force to disarrangethemselves and the substance will remain magnetized.In modern versions of this theory, the magnetism of thedomains is attributed to the spin of electrons.


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Iron FilingsIron filings are very small pieces of iron that look like a light powder. They arevery often used in science demonstrations to show the direction of a magneticfield. Since iron is a ferromagnetic material, a magnetic field induces each par-ticle to become a tiny bar magnet. The south pole of each particle then attractsthe north poles of its neighbors, and this process repeated over a wide areacreates chains of filings parallel to the direction of the magnetic field. Iron Fil-ings are used in many places including schools where they test the reaction ofthe filings to magnets.

Filings are mostly a byproduct of the grinding, filing, or milling of finished ironproducts, so their history largely tracks the development of iron. For the mostpart, theyhave been a waste product. Iron filings have some utility as a component inprimitive gun-powders. In such a fine powdered form, iron can burn, due to itsincreased surface area. In modern electronics, some transformers have ironpowder cores.

Ball bearings

While playing with the iron filings and studying the different forms that could wecould manipulate them into within the magnetic field, we also started question-ing what it would be like if each particle was of a certain regular form a sphereperhaps? This is when we decided to source some tiny ball bearings which wethought would create some exciting possibilities. We played with these andfound that they could very easily be moulded within the magnetic field to givestriking forms with very little effort. The aesthetic created was also completelydifferent from that of the filings it was much finer but also a little peculiar.We decided not to work with this material as the cost involved for procuringthese was extremely high, hence unaffordable. If cost were not a criteria andwe could procure this material in large quantities, it could have lent a com-pletely different design research angle to our project.


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Magnetite:It is a ferromagnetic mineral with chemical formula Fe3O4and the most magnetic natural mineral on earth. This is ac-

tually how ancient people first noticed the property of mag-netism. Magnetite is sometimes found in large quantities inbeach sand, specially black sand beaches (mineral sandsor iron sands), such as in California and the West coast ofNew Zealand. Magnetite is carried to the beach via riversfrom erosion and is concentrated via waves and currents.

Barcelonas beaches are not considered to be black sandbeaches. Still it is easy to find considerable amounts ofmagnetite within its sand. Using magnets, tubes and bags,it is fairly easy to go through vast amounts of sand to collectmagnetite.In a secondary process, magnetite was crushed to smallerparticles since size is very important in the way particles be-have when within the magnetic fields.

Magnetite and the beachcollection process


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Understanding Material Properties(Catalogue)

In an attempt to understand the self-assembly processesof the material (iron filings) we developed a series of pho-tographic records showing the different ways in whichmaterial assembles depending on a number of factors:

number of magnets, position and material deposition.Starting from simple single element structures to net-works. The following catalogue exemplifies the basicrange of structural forms that can be obtained usingmagnets.

Single deposition

Using four magnets and just apinch of filings we can appreci-ate the simplest formation thatwe can achieve, the filings ar-range themselves in spiky pat-terns according to the mag-netic field.

Side deposition

By depositing the materialfrom a perpendicular angle tothat of the magnetic axis weobtain a different shape andorganization of material, thisgoes to prove that materialdepositions does play a role inshape formation.

Hanging Column

This sample clearly exempli-fies the way the material ar-ranges itself according to themagnetic field, hence morematerial at the pole forming acrown and less material wherethe magnetic field is weakened

because of distance.


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45 Degree column

Again material deposition af-fects the shape of the final el-ement; here by continuouslyadding the material sidewayswe created a 45 column.

Tin column

Placing attracting magnets inopposite poles gives rise tocolumn formation. Here the

amount of material depositedpushes de limit of the mini-mum quantity necessary toachieve a column.

Broad Column

Increasing the amount of ma-terial deposited allows for acertain range of thickness be-tween the elements.

Split column

Using a stick you can modifythe natural column forma-tion to create different typesof substructures like the splitcolumn.


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V connectionUsing up to three magnets in atriangle setting a V connec-tion is achieved, the materialwill not form the triangle sincemagnet 1 and magnet 3 are re-pelling one another

Interconnections

By increasing the number ofmagnets in a given setup, thenumber of interconnected el-ements increases, howevergetting a closed geometryis impossible due to the mag-

nets inherent characteristics ofattraction and repulsion.


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Column SimulationIn an attempt to understand the way particles be-have when inside a magnetic field, a simulationdone with processing was developed to under-stand how a single column was formed (com-paring it with our experimental observations) andthen adding more magnets in different locations

to figure out the initial extent of our project.

Magnetic field without the influece of anymetal particles- A simple arrangement oftwo magnets attracting each other in thesame axis.

Column being formed by adding particlesperpendicular to the magnetic field. A slightdistorition of the field and the movment ofparticles is evident.

Column formed, in a very similar way to ourempirical experiments. With crown forma-tion at the poles and a thinner connectionat the center.


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Connection Simulation

This simulation attempted to understand the dif-ferent types of connectiosn possible when in-creasing the amount of magnets in field. and howdo particles arrange when there are several posi-tive and negative charges incluencing a certain

space.

Magnetic field formed by three magnets wesee that there are repelling and attractiveforces in different axes.

When metal particles are added inside themagnetic field the interaction between pos-itive and negative forces becomes moreevident.

Central pole becomes bigger due the in-fluece of the adjacent magnetic forces. In-stead of a triangle we see a V formation.


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Building Methods

Method1.- With the material already placed inside the plasticcontainer magnets come in play trying to shape the materialinto a small column or beam.

This method proved to be complicated and messy, sincemost of the material would adhere itself to the container withits walls not allowing the filings to move properly towards themagnets and create the structures. (bottom)

Method 2.- Magnets are already fixed in position aroundthe plastic containers, then a mixture of filings and differentbinding agents is added into the magnetic field immediatelytaking its form.Best method out of the three. Different types of mixturesbehave similarly in terms of structural capacities and drying

times, but if the mixture is dense enough the form createsimmediately and is quite stable.( top right)

Method 3.- With magnets fixed around the small contain-ers filings are put into the magnetic field, once the form isgenerated we then added the binding agent directly into thepreformed structure.This method doesnt seem the way to go, since by addingthe binding agent directly onto the preformed filings struc-ture doesnt seem to be an efficient way of solidifying thematerial, it merely coats one of the sides and most of it dropsto the ground. (bottom right)


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Iron Filings + White glue+ Cement + Water(Success)

A brittle mixture, an agent that

works better than glue in pro-tecting the filings from rustingis needed.

Iron Filings + Pumice +

White Glue(Fail)

There is a lack of cohesive-ness throughout the mixture,thus making the column verybrittle and fragile.

Iron Filings + Pumice +White Glue(Fail)

A very brittle mixture. Brokewhen box was opened.Thereseems to be a lack of cohesionbetween materials.


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Iron Filings + Paint +Liquid Latex.(Success)

This mixture is structurally sta-ble and yet quite flexible it isa very interesing mixture thatcould be used when some de-gree of elasticity is needed inthe building process.

Iron Filings + Paint +Liquid Latex + Plaster(Success)

A very interesting mixture;paint and liquid latex mix prop-erly and create a nice coatingfor the filings that is both struc-tural and flexible. Proper vis-cosity of this mixtures allowsthe filings to stay as a part ofthe mixture, while the plastergives it structural capacities.

Iron Filings + Paint(Fail)

Mixture lacks viscosity; paint istoo liquid to properly containthe filings, which start flyingout of the material as soon asthey get near a magnetic field.Solidification process takesa long time and there are nostructural capacities.

Iron Filings + Clay(Success)

A surface attempt; by embed-ding a good amount of iron fil-ings in with the clay, we wereable to create a small surface,and interesting developmentwhich proves the variabilityof design parameters usingmagnets and different kinds ofmagnetic material.


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Iron Filings + Cement +Water + Liquid Latex +Paint(Success)

Best mixture so far. (Checkchart for adequate propor-tions) Affordable and easy tomix, this mixture had specialinterest in the liquid latex com-ponent which allowed to deter-mine the flexibility of the struc-ture from a range of absoluterigidity to fairly flexible. Perfectfor single elements (columns)yet when trying to connect one

or more elements it becomesfairly brittle.


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Design Parameters

Minimal distanceresults in clump likeformation.

Increasing dis-tance = stub likeformation.

Further increasingdistance causesslender column likeformation

Max distance couldcause breakage ofmaterial continuity.

Minimal materialdeposition may notresult in a continu-ous link of material.

Increasing volumeof material depos-ited to create a linkbetween poles.

Increasing volumeof material depos-ited to strengthenlink.

Increasing volumeof material depos-ited to control formand thickness.

Opposing weakequal distributionof magnetic force.

Opposing powerfulequal distribution ofmagnetic force.

Similar magneticpoles causing re-pulsion.

Opposing unequaldistribution of mag-netic force.


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Natural Voids

Connecting a certainarrangement of severalmagnets of different in-tensitiestogether with teh fer-rousmixture gives rise tothe connectiosn formed

along the magneticfields as well as natrualvoides where th fieldis too weak to hold thematerial.

Spacing o Magnets

Varying the spacing ofthe magnets gives riseto different onfigura-

tions of material density.The closer the spacing,the denser the materialformation; increasingteh space gives rise tosparse material forma-tions.

Shape o ormwork.

The shape formworkused for material for-matiosn can be alteredaccording to teh desireexterior surface ge-omtry. This gives rise tothe possibility of addingform related functions tothe resulting structures.

Shape and path omagnet shield.

Apart from using a conti-nous formwork it is pos-sible to use the shieldof the magnet itself as

the formwork and itspath now determinesthe form of the resultingstructure.


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Manual experiments

Early experimentation with extrusion and deposition pro-cesses proved to be quite rich in terms of understandingthe material and the way it behaved when in proximity ofthe magnetic field.

Some of our main conclusions through this series ofmanual tests were as follows:

_Extruding the material with a syringe like system doesnot work due to the compressing force clogging thesmall opening at the end.

_Spinning while depositing the material helps the columnforming process gain height and structural strength.

_The solidification process of our mixtures is an exother-mic reaction, hence the use of heatguns or blowdryershelps material solidify quickly and in a uniform way.

_Spoon-feeding the material, letting the magnetic fieldtake it out directly from its container seems to be theproper way to add any mixture.

_The viscosity of any mixture is a key factor when de-positing material. Too thin it falls to the ground. Too thickthe magnetic field is not strong enough to grab it.


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Fragmented 3d networkexperiment

Our first try was to create a multicomponent system us-ing numerous small magnets. A structure composed ofmany parts that when connected would give sense andstructure to the whole. For this we created 10 8cms by

8cms by 8cms acrylic boxes placing several magnetson different faces and joining them both vertically andhorizontally.

What this setup allowed us to do was to create a 3d net-work in parts. The magnets were positioned inbetweenthe walls of 2 consecutive boxes in all different direc-tions. The walls were greased and the material was de-posited. The result was a discontinuous structure that,when solidified, could be arranged together and stuckwith adhesive or by adding more material and creating

butt joints.

This experiment helped us to realize that it would bemuch better if we had a continuous incremental systeminstead of a fragmented system of construction like thisone. Though if one were to contemplate on a prefab-ricated setup, this could work. The main disadvantageproved to be the number of magnets required. This en-couraged us to start thinking of a system that perhapswould employ just two magnets which could preferablybe switched on and off.


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Depositon Experiments

Aim: To understand the distance of the structure formedby iron filings from magnetic poles in a horizontal axisbetween two (or more) neodymium magnets in a givensetup under controlled deposition conditions.

Apparatus: Clear acrylic cube of 125mm x 125mm X

125mm open on two sides with a movable scaled rulerwith deposition holes for a straw to deposit the material.Neodymium magnets fixed on two opposite sides of thecube.

Materials: Iron filings.

Procedure: Start depositing unit volumes of filings one ata time starting at the plane of existence of one magnet.Study the formation of clusters of iron filings in each unitincremental deposition. Stop when failure occurs when

the filings are no longer attracted to the existing structureand start to fall. Record the point of failure. Repeat fromthe other side for the other magnet. Keep adding mag-nets in subsequent repetitions of the same experiment.

Observations & Inferences: There is a certain depositiondiscipline that needs to be maintained whilst deciding thedistance of deposition with respect to the magnetic pole.The further away the deposition distance from the mag-netic pole, the weaker the magnetic attractive forces be-

tween the iron particles. There is a maximum depositiondistance with respect to the magnetic poles after whichthe filings will fail to stick to the structure formed. There isa certain maximum distance to be maintained betweentwo magnetic poles of unit value for the deposited ironfilings to form a continuous structure from one pole tothe other.


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Material Deposition CNC

Attempting to achieve building scale the problem ofcomponents and material deposition had to be analyzedand solved. How is it that we can achieve to build a struc-ture in one to one? What is the role of magnetic position-ing and their strength? How do we control the material toplace it in the magnetic field?

New machineElectromagnetsMachinic Control


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A radically different approach to digitally controlling the ma-terial. In this case magnets are fixed in a certain position cre-ating stable magnetic fields in which the material must bedeposited. Manual tests using syringes quickly showed usthe possible range of problems to be expected from this sortof process. By forcing the material out of a small opening,

the iron filings compressed rapidly blocking the outlet. Thisproved to be a fundamental issue in the development of thisand further nozzles. Further manual tests showed us that themagnetic field created is in fact so strong, that if the openingwas big enough the material would naturally swoop towardsit and arrange itself accordingly.Digital control proved to be extremely valuable to us tocontrol the exact distance from the magnetic fields and thespeed at which the material was to be deposited. For this wedeveloped an extrusion nozzle that was based on our previ-ous observations. A syringe of 30mm diameter with same di-

ameter opening was to be the container of our cement-liquidlatex-paint-iron filings-water mixture. To help the process ofthe material being extruded by the sheer forces of our previ-ously fixed magnetic field, a pushing device inside the tube,attached to a motor that in turn was digitally controlled by asmall computer chip (Arduino) was implemented; effectivelyallowing us to control the amount of material to be pushedout of our nozzle when inside the magnetic field.

Aim: To understand the distance of the structure formed byiron filings from magnetic poles in a horizontal axis betweentwo (or more) neodymium magnets in a given setup undercontrolled deposition conditions.

Apparatus: Clear acrylic cube of 125mm x 125mm X 125mmopen on two sides with a movable scaled ruler with deposi-tion holes for a straw to deposit the material. Neodymiummagnets fixed on two opposite sides of the cube.

Procedure: Start depositing unit volumes of filings one at atime starting at the plane of existence of one magnet. Studythe formation of clusters of iron filings in each unit incremen-tal deposition. Stop when failure occurs when the filings are

no longer attracted to the existing structure and start to fall.Record the point of failure. Repeat from the other side for theother magnet. Keep adding magnets in subsequent repeti-tions of the same experiment.

Observations & Inferences: There is a certain depositiondiscipline that needs to be maintained whilst deciding thedistance of deposition with respect to the magnetic pole.The further away the deposition distance from the magneticpole, the weaker the magnetic attractive forces between theiron particles. There is a maximum deposition distance with

respect to the magnetic poles after which the filings will failto stick to the structure formed. There is a certain maximumdistance to be maintained between two magnetic poles ofunit value for the deposited iron filings to form a continuousstructure from one pole to the other.

Extrusion Nozzle


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An attempt on controlling the material through the interac-tion of dynamic magnetic forces. Treating both material and

magnet as separate entities the sudden clash between thetwo made us realize that the material behaves very differ-ently when introduced in a static magnetic field compared toa moving one. Material was placed in a small tray with somemagnets attached to the back of it. A series of magnets werethen connected to the Shop-Bot in a very simple fashion,thus creating a big magnet that could move in 3 axes acrossthe surface of the material.1.- Using a very simple G-code (SHOW) we tried to extrudea simple 10cm column (concrete mixture).2.- Placing magnets in a squared array at the back o the

tray, the magnetic nozzle would then swoop down to eachof them, then up then to the center of the square trying tocreate a series of four 8cms elements that would connect atthe center.

Magnetic Nozzle


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Aim: The aim of this experiment was to use a phase chang-ing material along with the iron filings to investigate if a con-tinuous surface could be built whilst continuously movingthe magnets and depositing the molten wax mixture at the

same time.

Apparatus: The setup involved two vertical transparent acryl-ic plates fixed to a horizontal plane surface with neodymiummagnets on either outer side of each acrylic plate.

Procedure: The procedure involved melting industrial gradewax, mixing iron filings into it when molten, and pouring asmuch of the mixture as was possible whilst moving the mag-nets together in a random trajectory.

Observations & Inferences: The material would solidify tooquickly before we could manage to deposit enough of itto form any surface of consequence. The material was ex-tremely difficult to work with and handle. The whole processwas very messy. There was a considerable amount of wast-age of material. It was difficult to co-ordinate manually themovement of the magnets with the deposition of the mate-rial. The surface formed was not as continuous and regularas expected. A decision was made to recreate this experi-ment in the shopbot to see if digital control of the magnetswould add some regularity to the surface.

Wax Nozzle


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Due to the axes limitation of our machines (mainly Shop-Bot) we created our own manual robotic arm. This allowedus many more axes of freedom and was a kind of a manualsimulation of what we would be able to do if we were to workwith the actual KUKA robot. Here the distance between themagnets was made adjustable.

Building a complex 3d network with this simple manual de-vice worked leaps and bounds in terms of freeing the mindand expanding the limits within which we would operate. Italso allowed us to move away from the idea of using a fixedframework and experience first hand a new acquired move-ment freedom.

Mini 5 axis device


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3D Network Simulation

In order to move forward into the realms of a more struc-trual system a 3d network type of structure was required.

As such, a simulation was needed to understand the rangeof possibilities available when distribuitng magnets in spaceand place our magnetic mixutre.


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Where are we going?

In a search for buidling scale we made a conceptual exer-cise of visualizing the type of structures we could build andthe applications of said structure in a defined period of timeusing our building system.

According to different time periods, density of the structure,number of people working on site and number of univer-sal robots available we developed sketches that served as

a first attempt to deal with issues of architectural scale andprogram.


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Time 1 day (24 hrs)Material Required 168kgsBuilt Surface 6.36 sqmRobotic Steps 360Energy (W/h) 15,308Material Costs 259.56 euros

Club archway

x1 Medium 20cms x2density


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Time 1 week (168 hrs)Material Required 1178 kgsBuilt Surface 4,451 sqmRobotic Steps 2,520Energy (W/h) 107,158Material Costs 1,816.92 euros

Beach pavillion


Time 1 month(168 hrs)Material Required 5,040 kgsBuilt Surface 190.76 sqmRobotic Steps 10,800Energy (W/h) 5459.240Material Costs 7,786.80 euros

Urban bridges



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Time 1 year (8,760 hrs)Material Required 61,320 kgsBuilt Surface 2,320.85 sqmRobotic Steps 131,400Energy (W/h) 5,587,420Material Costs 94,739.40 euros

Railway crossing


Moon Colony


Time 10 year (87,600 hrs)Material Required 613,200 kgsBuilt Surface 23,208.5 sqmRobotic Steps 1,314,000Energy (W/h) 55,874,200Material Costs 947,394.0 euros


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Sensing magnetic elds

void setup() {// initialize the serial communication:Serial.begin(9600);

}

void loop() {// send the value o analog input 0:Serial.println(analogRead(A0));// wait a bit or the analog-to-digital converter// to stabilize aer the last reading:delay(2);

}import processing.serial.*;

Serial myPort; // Te serial portint xPos = 50; // horizontal position o the graphoat yPos = 0; // vertical position o the graphoat sensitivity = 2.5; //in mV/G or V/kGoat graphScale = 2.5; //1= graphing value rom 0 to 1024

boolean record = alse;int recordEndime = 0; //in milliseconds iint recordime = 3; //in s

void setup () {// set the window size:size(1900, 900);

// List all the available serial portsprintln(Serial.list());myPort = new Serial(this, Serial.list()[0], 9600);myPort.buferUntil(\n);// set inital background:

background(0);}void draw () {i (record == true && (recordEndime>millis() || recordEndime==0)) {

i(yPos>height/2)stroke(255,10,20);

else

http://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Graph

Our process depends on the magnetic field and our abilityto control it.

One of our first problems was to estimate the location andpower of this invisible force. Our choice was to use a cheaphall effect sensor, commonly used in industries to measuredistances in automated processes by combining the sensorwith a magnet on the object to be sensed.

Connecting the sensor to the arduino board permitted us tograph the magnetic field of our magnets and electromag-nets. Following is the code used by arduino to send thevalue of the sensor (from 0 to 1024) through a serial com-munication. On the right is the code to analyse the signalvalue and output it on an adapted chart whilst not forgettingto adapt the sensitivity value to the one of the sensor being

used.

stroke(10,20,255);

line(xPos, height/2, xPos, height - yPos);

// at the edge o the screen, go back to the beginning:i (xPos >= width) {

xPos = 50;background(0,0,0);

}else {

// increment the horizontal position:xPos++;

}}

or (int i=0; i


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Electromagnets

We were using neodymium magnets for our initial experi-ments, but we were largely limited by the size of the con-nections we could make. The strength of the neodymium

magnets decreases with distance, whilst normal ceramicmagnets are comparatively weaker at the poles but strongerthan neodymium magnets away from the poles.

We also needed the ability to control the power of the mag-nets through time, and we needed to especially have theoption to turn off the magnetic force whilst moving to thenext position.

This led us to the decision to use electromagnets. At thefirst attempt, we used industrial electromagnets but unfor-tunately they are designed for maximising the strength at avery close distance and were thus unsuitable for our experi-ments. We therefore made our own analysis of electromag-nets and used the hall effect sensor previously described.

The conclusion of our analysis led us to construct a longiron core with a large base (also of iron) wired with copperwire AWG 18 (7mm diameter). The final electromagnet hasbeen made of an iron core of 1kg, 20cm radius X 10cm high;and 1Kg of copper wire creating a core of approximately1800 turns. This electromagnet is able to hold 0.8 Amp incontinuous use and upto 1.6 Amp in part time use (as we

did in our experiments). The resistance of the coil is 15 Ohm,so we used a power supply of 24V, 3.2A for our experiments.


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Gravity

One of the main characteristics of magnetic architectureis that it, in a way, defies the laws of gravity. Magneticforce takes precedence to gravitational force and aidsin the creation of structures along the magnetic lines offorce. Gravity, however, does play an extremely importantrole in the formation of connections between magnets.Through our research we have made certain observa-

tions regarding this. They are as follows:

Whileattemptingtomakeamaterialconnectionbetween two magnets aligned along a horizontal axis,the effect of gravity causes the material align itself alongthe lower magnetic lines of force thus appearing as asag in the connection.

Thereisarelationbetweentheamountofsag-ging observed and the distance between the two hori-zontal magnets. They are directly proportional. Beyond

a certain distance (125 mm with our current electromag-nets) the connection fails to form as the magnetic force istoo weak in the centre to hold any particles of the mate-rial.

Thereisalsoarelationbetweentheeffectofgrav-ity and the inclination of the axis of the magnets with re-spect to the horizontal plane. They are directly propor-tional as well. The more vertical the connection, the lessgravity affects it.

The sagging clearly defines the aesthetic of every hori-zontal or inclined connection. Thus in a structure whichis a 3d network of connections (such as one of our finalmodels), there is a play of gravitational and magneticforce and it can be easily deciphered which connectionshave been made vertically and which horizontally justfrom the aesthetic. It is as if the two forces were at war;one winning over the other depending on the verticalityor horizontality of the connection.The sagging of horizontal connections can be construc-tively used to form a foundation of sorts on which the en-tire structural network could rest.


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Grasshopper

A different approach to understanding the way material be-haves in a magnetic field. Instead of simulation the particles(iron filings or magnetite obtained from black sand) thissimulation focused more on the range to which the parti-cles where able to connect to one another. Numerical valuesobtained from previous material deposition experiments al-lowed us to develop a simulation in which the movementof the magnets and the distance between them allowed usto understand in very basic visual terms if the connectionbetween columns was being formed or not by adding ma-terial. It also allowed us to understand the use of electro-magnets and their power changing qualities and the waysin which this affected column formation at different sizes anddistance settings.


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Material deposition nozzle

In order to digitally control the extrusion of our magnetic mix-ture, a two way depositing system had to be created. Sincethe main material consists of a fast drying plastic resin thecomplexity of the nozzle rallied on the fact that both partsneeded to be mixed properly and in equal amounts in orderfor the resin to solidify properly and within time.Extrusion and solidification inside of the pipes representedthe main issues to solve. As such, a system was developedthat consisted of three plastic tubes, (one for each part ofthe resin plus an extra tube full of water to clean the systemafter each use).

The plastic resin was mixed with filings and thickeningagents, whilst the catalyst was left alone. Both were inside30cms long acrylic tubes that were communicating witheach other through pipes at the bottom, each with its ownair pressure valve at the top.The water tube was to be implemented at a later stage inthe development process, but it would have connected in asimilar way to both tubes, ensuring that no material was ableto solidify inside the pipes and clog the system.

Why didnt it work?

In principle it seemed like a good idea to develop such a sys-tem based on air pressure. However we experienced someproblems while trying to extrude the filing/plastic/thickeningmixture. The filings were getting compressed by the air pres-sure, effectively generating non homogenous mixture andclogging the system. This part was more or less solved withthe introduction of bigger diameter pipes.The second and most important issue was the mixing of theplastic resin with the catalyst. Extruding equal amounts ofcatalyst and plastic mixture proved to be a problem of itsown, seeing that both liquids had different densities andhence needed different air pressures. Separate valves tookcare of this problem. However both components need to bemixed thoroughly in order to work. Even with the use of amixing screw at the end of the system it was impossible toget both components to mix properly.

Possible solutions.The deposition nozzle which was much simpler and had justa clear acrylic disposable tube (about 20 mm dia.) in whichthe completed mixture would be deposited and pushed outusing a pushing device.


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A - SMOOTH-ON SOLUTION A

B- SMOOTH-ON SOLUTION B (CATALYST)

on/off valve

B 2H 0A

AIR

N S

pressure control

mixing screw

y connector

L connector

transparent pvccylinder

4 mm air tube

10 mm tube

electromagnetmaterial connection

on/off valve

compressor

pressure control

AIR

compressor

on/off valve

4 mm air tube

transparent pvc tube

on/off valve

10 mm tube

Y connector

L connector

mixing screw

electromagnet material connection

A.- Smooth-On Solution (plastic)B.- Smooth-On Solution (catalyst)


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Material Research

One of the best properties of Magnetic Architecture is itsmaterial versatility. Our system enables us to use almostany material in the magnetic field, as long as iron filings,or magnetite is part of the mix. Proof of this is our ownmaterial evolution during the development of the project.

Concrete, cement, polyester, latex, plastic, wax, clay andresins are only some of the many materials that can beused alone or in combination to make Magnetic Architec-ture move forward in the building industry. A material thatcan solidify quickly and able to withstand both compres-sion and tension forces is needed for the developmentof big scale projects. Hopefully our system of buildingcomplex networks and surfaces can develop in moreintense material research alongside experts that couldhelp develop the project in a way in which architecturecan be built using recycled waste metal and durable light

materials.

(down to the left concrete latex mixture, down to the rightclay mixture)(Right page; top left styrofoam balls mixture, top rightwax mixture, middle left polyester mixture, middle rightconcrete mixture)


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Plastic Resin

A two component material (resin + catalyst) Smooth-Cast 325 is a fast drying resin with a certain degreeof structural resistance. With and approximate dryingtime of five minutes for halfway solidification and twen-ty minutes for whole strength, this material mixes wellwith the iron filings and is light enough to minimize theeffect of gravity when inside of the magnetic field andof the overall structure once it is dry.

Two equal parts of plastic resin and catalyst need to bemixed with a certain amount of filings, cement (thick-ening agent) and magnetite to achieve the optimum

viscosity and increase the distance in which the mate-rial can be deposited.


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Magnetic device(increasing the axis)

During our first experiment hacking the CNC machine, weencountered a dramatic limitation on the positioning ofthese columns. Due to shield orientation, we were able toconstruct along one axis, with only one type of connection.

The idea of this device was to have the minimum param-eters to control, (and implement) but at the same time af-fording maximum liberty of creativity.

We wanted a device able to print material connections, in-dependently, and in any position. The device is designedsuch that it is compatible with both a 3 axis machine, (CNCmachine) or a 6 axis machine (universal robot).

On this device, the distance between the electromagnets

can be changed (thus enabling different sizes of mate-rial connections) a deposition nozzle was also intended tomove inbetween to create the connections. An electro-valvewould permit us to control precisely the amount of mate-rial deposited, thereby resulting in control of different thick-nesses of connections.

Shields have been positioned to protect the electromag-net from the material connections. The possibility to inclinethese shields in 2 directions and change their overall shapedwill allow us to have more accurate connections and extradesign parameters.

Therefore before going to a 6-axis machine and in order toexperiment the full possibility of a network of columns, wedecided to add a 4th axis of liberty, i.e. rotation along the Z-axis. This extension was designed to support a weight of upto 20kgs and provide spinning by means of a small stepper

motor (2.3 Kg.cm-1).


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Arduino Control

Using an arduino board, we were able to digitally controlvarious parameters in our magnetic device. Both the mo-tor for spinning our device, and the motor that enabledthe magnets to close or seperate where controlled using avery simple code. The on/off of the electromagnets and thepower supplied to them was also controlled digitally fromthe computer. This sort of control allowed us to comunicatefrom computer, to object to machine almost instantly, thusreinforcing a feedback loop that sped up our manufactoru-ing process and allowed us to understand machinic behav-iour.


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Disposable system nozzle

Conception:

Due to the failure of the initial material deposition system itwas decided that another simpler system should be devisedto deposit the material.The intention to do so was based on the fact that we stillneeded a tube movable along the axis of the magnets toconsistently deposit the material.

Working:

This nozzle comprised of 2 main parts - the disposabletransparent plastic tube (20 mm diameter) which acted asthe main shaft into which the fully prepared material wouldbe fed and its cage - which afforded strength to the tubeand ensured its connectivity to the device. Originally it wasenvisioned that an arduino controlled open and close fixturewould regulate the release or stoppage of material from thetube but this idea was quickly discarded due to lack of timeand complication issues.We used a piece which was a stick fixed with a rubber plugat one end to shove the material down the tube once de-posited.

Problems:

The material, being already mixed with the catalyst, solidifiedalong the walls of the plastic tube, which had to be changedevery 3-4 deposits. Stringent washing norms had to be fol-lowed after every material deposit. This was time consumingand labour intensive.There were issues with connecting this nozzle to the de-vice (due to missing axes) and the whole process becamemanual. The original intention was to have this system com-pletely automated but time and material constraints madethis extremely difficult.

Conclusions:

The messy and tedious nature of the process surroundingthis nozzle forced us to go back to what we knew best - feed-ing the material with a spoon. We found this to be the bestway to manually deposit the material and also concludedthat there was little or no impact on the formation of the con-nections due to change in the method of deposition.


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Shield design

When ensuring connection within the structure, thedesign of the shield attached to the electromagnet be-comes primordial. The shape influences the amount ofmaterial that can be accumulated at the poles, as well asthe angles in which you can connect to diffrent columns.Colision is also a critical factor in shield design. So far,we have designed two shields (images to the right). The

spherical shield allows for a wide range of connectionswhile the flat one is great for surfaces. However shielddesign does not stop there and we have developed aseries of sketches to present future options in shield de-sign. Arguably the best shield would be a flexible one,able to morph according to the structure being built.


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Artificial VisionIncremental Computing


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Incremental Computing

Within the context of a self-organizing material system suchas ours, towards the last phase of the project, certain ques-tions were presented regarding how exactly this nature ofthe material was being exploited to maximize the potentialoutcome of form and design possibilities.

We had already shown that theoretically (and experimen-tally) we could design and construct any complex surface or3d network (using a setup similar to the mini manual kukasetup) with the magnetic mixture but somehow this was notthe only line of research that was to take its course. Thisprocess did not take into account the fact that the materialwas actually self-computing, unpredictable and self-aligningwithin its magnetic setup.We were presented with a challenge how could we, asarchitects, define the environment within which the materialcould compute itself where each connection determined

what the next one would be? How could we make a systemlike this work - one which was almost impossible to simulatedue to the ad-hoc nature of arrangement of particles withinthe magnetic field?

After deep contemplation and application of logical thinkingwe came up with a set of rules that a system such as aboveshould incorporate in order to have a chance of working.

The rules are as follows:

After understanding the typologies of forms and connec-tions that would be possible, the focus was shifted to creat-ing 3 dimensional networks and two dimensional surfacesusing the magnetic methodology. The realization that wewould be able to build complex three dimensional networksusing predefined trajectories encouraged us to start inves-tigating a system that was set up such that the self assem-bling material computes the structure to be built depending

on the external form of each element. Getting live feedbackthrough our artificial vision components the information ob-tained was to be transformed into rules of proportion, direc-tion, stability and growth related to the micro scale( singleelement) and the macro scale(whole structure).This idea of incremental computing allowed us to fully ex-ploit the materials primordial capacity of self assembly with-ing a magnetic field and posed the question; if the materialassembles itself, then why not have a structural system thatbuilds itself?The rules developed to code such behaviour where de-

rived from basic parameters outputed by the single element(Crown formation, material used, length, structureal capa-bilities?) and overall parameters (macro scale) such as: be-ginning and end settings, time, total material in stock, pathsand structural capabilities).

Rules


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Define the starting and endingpoints A and B.

Define wether tehstart andend points are dots, line orplanes.

Assess wether it is necesarry

to define additional points be-tween A and B.

Define wether they are an-

chored or free santindg.

Define how much load thestructure need to withstand.(selfweight or additional loads).

Define the minimum and maxi-mum (range) distance betweenmagnets for the formation of asingle element of the structure.

The length of a singular elemen-tent is inversely proportional tothe structural density.Density of the structure isbrought about by: maximumnumber of connections, minimi-um angle of ratation and, maxi-mum thcikness of elemtns andmaximum material volume.

3d Network


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In order to implement some ofthe rules weve previously dis-cussed it was imperative that wehad some sort of live input fromthe material that was being de-posited. Artificial vision seemedto be the answer to this prob-

lem. By installing a camera thatlooked directly into the area inwhich printing was taking place,the camera was able to take pic-tures in real time and hence giveus feedback to generate a codethat was incremental, depend-ing at all times from the informa-tion gathered by the camera,and making small changes inthe overall structure.

SuraceEach element of the surfacemust touch or be connected tothe next one at both its crowns.If the distance between thecrowns is beyond a certaindistance x then a connectingstructure will need to be built be-

tween them using one magnet

Define the maximum and mini-mum distance (range) betweenthe centers of susequent ele-ments.Thi is directly proportional to thedensity of the structure and theamount of material deposited.


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Articial Vision

In order to implement some of the rules weve previouslydiscussed the need for live feedback from our structurewas of uttermost importance. As such weve incorporate-da camera into our nozzle in such a way that we can readand record our structures as their going. This way, the in-cremental computing part is solved by a continuos loop in

which the camera reads the material already deposited, thecomputer acts upon it, material is deposited and then it isread again.


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Establish a set distance betweentwo points (A n B)

In this example:Point A = 0,0,0Point B = 0, -100,0

These points represent the posi-tion of each electromagnet.

PointA1

(0,0,0)

PointB1

(

)

The red line represents the firstconnection we will test. The bluelines represent all the possibilitesfor the next connection to happen.The purple lines represent the to-tal number of possibilites of thethird connection.

In this example, we can see thatto get from one end to the other,three connections is the mini-mum. Here the points are organ-ized in 10% increments.

PointA1

Poi nt B1

Area AArea B

-Create points withing the area ofthe built connection.

From that we can create a meshwhose tpography is directly linkedto teh silhuette. We then proceedto extract this points that have acertain Z value. These points willgive us a numerical density at thematerial.Seperate the points of the builtconnection into two areas (A n B)

Because the next connection hasto be attached to the previous onecreated, the first decision processto be testes will be which magnetstays behind to establish that con-nection.So we need to compare theamount of pointts in Area A vs

Area B


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6 axis Universal RobotIncreasing Scale andComplexity


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Apart from the incremental way of constructing within aparticular space there is also another line of research thatwe pursued this one was to do with modelling a prede-fined form in a virtual environment, be it a surface or 3dnetwork or a combination of both, and then generating aKUKA simulation via g-code to see exactly how this pre-

defined trajectory would be constructed. This system isenvisioned to be something which has much more preci-sion and regularity of outcome.

The sample geometry choosen to experiment this ap-proach was a cantilever surface of 1meter long. From thesurface, we generated (via grasshoper) a 3D networkfolowing the overall shape. The line are then interpretedby a python script that create an ordered Gcode (tak-ing in account positioning and collision). A same processhave been used to generate a gcode for the interior of

surface, using circles....

However, in a completely automated setup there are anumber of factors that will greatly influence the g-codethat would drive the construction using the KUKA robot +customized electromagnetic device attachment + mate-rial deposition system. Some of them are as follows:

Sizeofthedeviceandaccessibility

Collisionconsiderations

Materialmixturetime

Materialdepositiontechnique

Materialsettingtime

Considerationoftimetheelectromagnetscanbe

on due to overheating Columnformationfailureconsiderations

Predened rajectories

import rhinoscriptsyntax as rsfrom sandforming import *from Line_class import *

security_offset=400

krl = KrlScript(MA_kukaTOPLINES, offset = (0,0,0))linesPath = rs.GetObjects(Pick the lines, 4, True)arrPlanes = []

for i in range(len(linesPath)):krl.add_str(;Line n.+str(i)) #Comment in GCodeline = Line(linesPath[i])plane = rs.PlaneFromFrame(line.midPoint, line.tangent, [0,0,1])plane = rs.RotatePlane(plane, 270, plane.XAxis)arrPlanes.append(plane)plane = rs.MovePlane(plane,plane.Origin+plane.ZAxis*security_offset)krl.move(plane) #safe positionplane = rs.MovePlane(plane,plane.Origin-plane.ZAxis*security_offset)krl.move(plane) #in position

#krl.set_anout(10,line.length) #output distancekrl.add_str(;Distance : + str(line.length-100)) #wait movement and setingtool

krl.add_str(HALT) #wait movement and seting toolplane = rs.MovePlane(plane,plane.Origin+plane.ZAxis*security_offset)krl.move(plane) #back to safe position

import rhinoscriptsyntax as rs

class Line(object):def __init__(self,crv):

self.crv = crvself.midPoint = rs.CurveMidPoint(crv)self.orient = rs.VectorUnitize(self.midPoint)param = rs.CurveClosestPoint(self.crv,self.midPoint)self.tangent = rs.CurveTangent(self.crv,param)self.length = rs.CurveLength(self.crv)

if __name__==__main__:crv = rs.GetObject()c = Line(crv)print c.tangent


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Surace/dome

Since the beginning of the research, we had always beenusing two magnets that were apart from each other tomake material connections between them. Once we had

a fast-setting material mixture of considerable strength,it became possible to use the weaker magnetite in thismixture instead of iron filings. Also, it became possibleto use a mould (separator between the magnet and thematerial) to create a continuous surface using just onemagnet.

With reference to the diagram below, the methodology ofcreating, for example, a curved surface using a domicalmould is relatively simple. It involves fixing the magnetat the desired starting point and incrementally moving itsuch that there is an overlap between every subsequentmaterial deposition and its previous one. This way onecan create either networks or surfaces of a predeter-mined nature. The dome shaped sample is a result ofthis process.


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Final Model

Logics being followed for construction of final model (inno specific order of importance):

_ Continuity of surface formed by domical shields

_ Limitations of accessibility with the electromagnetic de-vice (collision avoidance)

_ Movement and control pattern of KUKA robot - ease ofpositioning

_ Structural considerations - supports, ties, strengthening

_ Maintaining centre of gravity (avoidance of toppling)

_ Achieving a certain height

_ Size of the connections (horizontal & vertical)


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ConclusionTwo paths = One cycle

PATH 1:

Material:Our process started with the material investigation. We al-ways started with iron filings or magnetite. These materials

could be found naturally or through a recycled process. Es-sentially we concluded that there were so many mixturesthat worked with our process that it was the time of solidifi-cation that really narrowed down our investigation. A liquidplastic compound ended being our final choice.

Research:Obtain the exact location of deposits of both recycled ironand magnetite. Enhance the collection process. Magnetitecan surely be gathered and filtered a lot more efficiently thanwe have achieved.

Material Behavior:Material behavior is just the simple understanding of the de-cided mixtures viscosity, time of solidification and structuralcapacity of the final formation. Viscosity is important duringthe deposition phase; less viscous material tends to be diffi-cult to manage when placing the material in the field and tooviscous material makes the nozzle controlling the materialeasy to clog and malfunction. The time of solidification de-pends not only on the exact materials ingredients but alsoon the environmental temperature. Clay, plastic, and con-crete can all be used in our process but each have their ownsolidification problems. The intengrity of the final formationdepends on the ratio of iron filings to magnetite. The filingstend to make very sharp spikes at the end of each formation

where as the magnetite tends to be more dull.

Research:Is there a way to manipulate material to perform a certainway and to adjust to our optimum conditions? In the initialphase, concrete and plastic seemed to work very well to-gether. What about the spike formation, can they come intouse?

Shields / Connections:The design of the shields was one of the first obstacles inachieving flexibility within the additive description of our pro-cess. In order to make certain connections, the design of the

shield had to be very specific. Some shields however couldmake more than one connection.

Research:This research is never ending, always introducing newways of connecting geometries. Even current connections,shapes, and physics equations can be overlapped into cre-ating new designs for the shape between the electromagnetand the material itself.

Artificial Vision:Because our material was expressing an end form thatcould not be computed, we simplified the understanding ofthe magnetic field to scan the formation of the material af-

ter being deposited with artificial vision. We created laws forso that when a certain kind of formation occurred the nextmovement knew how to connect to the last and how to pro-ceed forward. artificial vision was just a glimpse of what wewant to achieve at the micro scale.


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Research:Artificial vision itself needs to jump into 3D scanning first.Then a search for other possible sensorial devices and lawsconnected to decision making for the robotic step by stepmovement designed for each sensor is required.

Final Form:The final form is a combination of paths set by these lawstowards a predefined ending point. Problem was that wewere missing the consideration of the final product and theconsideration of the program of architecture. We realized wehave been analyzing from the micro to obtain a final result inmacro scale, so we had to change our starting points.

PATH 2:

Predetermined Form / Spatial Parameters:Within an existing site constraint and necessity for certainspaces we can give building basic blobs of spatial con-straints that exist in every architectural project.

Form Analysis:In order to optimize our building processes, we inteded theuse of software which could allow us to determine where todeposit the material and the amounts and viscosity of saidmaterial needed.

Research:

To develop a program in which we can input all of the spatialconstraints, enviromental, material and structural so that wecan fully optimize our building process.

Material:Depending on the program or environmente different kindsof material will be needed. Analyzing material will provide uswith the densities best suited for this job.

Shields / Connections:Assuring the process that the correct molds are created forthose connections to hapen and develop a path to sequen-tialize the order of formation.

Final Form:The missing link here is that the material has a certain ex-pression that this process is not listening to. When there isa predetermined formation position it is not guaranteed thatthe deposition will act at 100%. For instance, if the prede-termined angle for the next connection is 60 degrees theremight not be enough material deposited at the origin of rota-tion, there might only be enough for a 45 degree angle maxi-mum therefore during construction this process will fail with-out notice, however these connections must be achieved.


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The Theory -can we introduce artificial vision and sensorial input into PATH 2 or introduce Formanalysis into PATH 1? Having both paths coexisting in one is only a matter of intensecoding. When complete, we will have a system in which the micro analysis of mate-riality and movement and the macro analysis of structure and environmental condi-tions can be considered simultaneously. This can be a true multi scalar approach to

design. We can now adjust the slider of scale within parameters such as : shape,geometry, shields, material and robotic movement, and within design fitnesses suchas : program, structure, environment, cost and time. Magnetic architecture is so rel-evant to this theory that we allow for the most flexibility with the additive process thatwe are able to move in certain angels and positions that most if not every cannotachieve. Not only because of the 6 axis rotation we have, but also because the forceof the magnetic field tends to ignore and play with gravity giving us a great advantagewhen put into use.

At this point the role of the designer is simple, there are two spectrums of design.The first is creating and developing laws within artificial sensors for logic on incre-mental movement.The second is organizing specific spatial constraints ( where can we build and were

can we not build).

At the end of the magnetic architectural research we hope to achieve magnetic intel-ligence. Magnetic intelligence exists when the cycle becomes complete but there isno set path anymore, where we can have any starting point and jump around. Es-sential it would be its unique program with its unique robot, turning Magnetic Archi-tecture into Magnetic Intelligence.

Teory


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Documents

Ma Finalterm2 Book