Robotic Printed Morphologies: Large-scale 3D concrete printer transforms steel structure into temporary sculpture

The principle behind the cable-driven robot is similar to something likely spotted during football broadcasts: mounted on four ropes, the robot – equipped with a camera – is able to move freely through the air over long distances and capture spectacular images and perspectives from above. In the case of “Robotic Printed Morphologies”, a cable-driven robot is equipped with a concrete printing head to extrude the material in three-dimensional space.

“The summaery exhibition offers a unique opportunity to present this new robotic 3D printing process to a wide audience and to illustrate the direct connection between computational design, advanced manufacturing, and robotics,” explains Prof. Jan Willmann, from the Faculty of Art and Design and in charge of the installation. “The results not only demonstrate the innovative aesthetic and functional potential of the robotic process, they also provide fascinating insight into the future of digital design and the manufacturing process in a real-world scenario.”

The researchers cooperating on this project from the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, and the University of Duisburg-Essen are focussed on demonstrating the conceptual and instrumental opportunities opened up by this technology. “This creates an entirely new set of possibilities for both design and construction, addressing multiple application scales, for example, from the object scale to the urban scale,” says Willmann. “Contrary to conventional fabrication processes, cable-robotic systems can be used to perform a variety of non-standard building processes, beyond the workspace restrictions imposed by conventional CNC-machinery. This means that the required components can be produced at full-scale, on demand, on-site, and in practically unlimited forms and sizes, eliminating the need for additional formwork, transportation over long distances, and standardized parts.”

The process is particularly interesting for the evolving field of computational design research, where design data is computationally generated and then transferred to digital fabrication machinery, solidifying the connection between design and making, between data and material.  

All of this makes it possible to explore entirely new paradigms of the digital and,  ultimately, to produce highly customized designs efficiently and without any additional build-up or formwork elements. In this sense, the digital and material worlds are interwoven and the traditional limits imposed by standard fabrication procedures are overcome. Above all, completely new possibilities for both the creative and technical disciplines – as well as for interdisciplinary cooperation and future research – are emerging.

Robotic Printed Morphologies
A joint research project with the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, and the University of Duisburg-Essen

Opening Times:
11 to 14 July 2019
A part of the annual summaery2019

Cable-driven Robotic in Action:
Thursday 4 – 8 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 12 – 8 p.m.
Sunday 12 – 8 p.m.

Location:
x.Stahl Structure, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism
Belvederer Allee 1c
99423 Weimar

Team:
Prof. Dr. Jan Willmann, Prof. Dr. Volker Helm, Prof. Dr. Dieter Schramm, Dr. Tobias Bruckmann, Michael Braun (project lead design and exhibition), David Hahlbrock (project lead material and fabrication), Robin Heidel and Patrik Lemmen (project lead robotics), Philipp Enzmann, Urs Winandy, Daniel Lethert, Patrik Bartnik, Paul-Andreas Maurer and Daniel Horn

Support:
Prof. Bernd Rudolf and Dr. Christian Hanke (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar), Prof. Dr. Thomas Straßmann (Dortmund University of Applied Sciences)

Selected Experts:
Dr. Michael Werner and Bernd Gehrke (Pagel Spezial-Beton), Michael Engels and Uwe Flügel (Desoi)

Sponsors:
Pagel Spezial-Beton, Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG, Hülskens Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Desoi GmbH, Bosch Rexroth AG, Inelta Sensorsysteme GmbH & Co. KG, Carat Robotic Innovation, Wilhelm Kneitz Solutions in Textile, Ehepaar Oertgen (Duisburg), Mehler Texnologies and Low & Bonar GmbH

The project is co-supported by the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar and the Kreativfonds of the Dezernat Forschung. In addition, the project is further supported by the University of Applied Sciences Dortmund and its Department Forschung und Transfer as well as the Fachbereich Maschinenbau. Further support is kindly provided by the Vice-Rector for Social Responsibility, Diversity and International Affairs of the University of Duisburg-Essen, and the Förderverein Universität Duisburg-Essen e.V.

Please direct any questions to Prof. Dr. Jan Willmann, by e-mail at jan.willmann[at]uni-weimar.de  or by phone at +49 / 36 43 / 58 33 19, or Romy Weinhold, Press and Public Relations Officer in the Faculty of Art and Design, by phone at +49 / 36 43 / 58 11 86, or by e-mail at romy.weinhold[at]uni-weimar.de.