A Pavilion Built by a 3D Printer Pen

Introduction

A team at the University of Tokyo’s Obuchi laboratory, overseen by architect Kengo Kuma, has created complicated architecture structures out of plastic sticks using a self-developed 3D-printing pen. The largest structure built by the team is a small pavilion on show at the Ozone Gallery. "The project is one of the most ambitious creations in 3D-printing pens that have been developed by researchers in recent years." (Frearson, 2016)

Process

Thermoplastic strings would come out from the 3d printing pen once the trigger was squeezed.  "Initially these strings are hot, vicious and sticky, but they cool to become more like a slightly bendy clear plastic", and therefore form the space. (Frearson, 2016) To solve the lack of precision of hand drawing, a digital tracking system was used to calculate the precise positions of the sticks whiling building the structure.

The foundationn was  "made with aluminum rods that have been inserted into pre-drilled sheets of plywood. The acrylic rods are inserted and the filament is then drawn on top of this simple base."(Grunewald, 2016) Therefore the foundation could be completely hidden with ground cover, leaving only the rods and strings on the top. For the prototype in Ozone Gallery, the foundation was covered by river stones.

"The structures are meant to only last about nine months," because the hanging string will lose some of their strength. However, reinforcing weak area is not difficult, by adding extra strings to the structure.(Frearson, 2016)

Analysis

Flexibility is one big advantage of 3d printing pens. Compare to current 3D printers that couldn't print objects larger than the size of the printer itself, 3d-printing pen has no limitation in size and is free to make any complex forms in any locations and by any people. "It is ideal for the team to invite the public to adapt and extend the structure."(Hiorns, 2016) As "Kevin Clement, a member of the project team says that: 'What makes this system interesting for us is that the shape can be modified to match different site conditions, and it is simple to add or subtract members to the construct, allowing it to grow and adapt to user preferences.'"(Frearson, 2016)

Technology was initially used to replace human labour and increase efficiency. However, human instinct could not be ignored in the design process. This project really connects the digital machine with human interpretation and demonstrates that human intuition has a role to play in digital construction.


Reference

Frearson, A. (2016). Tokyo students develop architectural 3D-printing pen. [online] Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2016/02/22/tokyo-university-research-students-3d-printed-pen-complex-architectural-structures-plastic/ [Accessed 5 Jan. 2017].

Grunewald, S. (2016). Tokyo University Students Use Custom 3D Printing Pen to “Draw” Large 3D Structures. [online] 3DPrint.com. Available at: https://3dprint.com/121439/tokyo-u-3d-pen-structures/ [Accessed 5 Jan. 2017].

Hiorns, B. (2016). Tokyo Students design an architectural 3D Printing Pen. [online] Creativepool.com. Available at: http://creativepool.com/magazine/design/tokyo-students-design-an-architectural-3d-printing-pen.7828 [Accessed 5 Jan. 2017].