Interior view of the Fluid Forms structure. Image © Andrei Jipa
As an additive manufacturing method, 3D printing has been characterized by the construction of objects through the horizontal deposition of material, layer by layer. This still restricts, nonetheless, the manufacture of elements and limits the shape of early prototypes to within the range that allows the addition of material in a single direction, making it difficult to create complex shapes with smooth curves.
However, the team from the Chair of Digital Construction Technologies at ETH Zurich –integrating computational design, digital manufacturing, and new materials– has been exploring an innovative non-planar robotic additive manufacturing system. This method facilitates the printing of thin structures with double curvature, significantly expanding the possibilities of their application in architecture on a larger scale.