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10. Textile Scaffold

Research

inspo1 inspo2

  1. Tyler Thrasher — photo courtesy Tyler Thrasher in American Scientist
  2. Iris Van Herpen — Shift Souls, photo by me from Sculpting the Senses expo at Kunsthal in Rotterdam
  3. Patrick Garvey — Collection CSM '2024
  4. Jessica den Hartog — Recycled plastics
  5. The Living Room — Living Textiles Research Group
  6. Bastian Beyer — Microbial reinforced textile

This week, out of the methods presented, I explored CNC milling, composite materials, heat-set shibori, and crystalization.

weekly assignment

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Fabricademy Participants

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Tools

Tools and Materials
  • Foam
  • CNC milling machine
  • Rhino3D
  • Grasshopper for Rhino
  • Biopolymers (gelatin, agar, starches)
  • Fabrics (silk, cotton, synthetic silks, mesh, etc.)
  • Filler materials (leaves, straw, sawdust, sand, food waste, fibers, etc.)
  • Alum
  • Water
  • Hot plate
  • Stirring tools
  • Materials to crystalize
  • Needle + thread
  • Pots, bowls, beakers, whisks, scales

Alum Crystals

We made a 70% alum solution2 to crystalize different materials. Find the recipe at the bottom of the page. This was maybe over-saturated but we added alum to heated water until no more would dissolve. It resulted in a lot of leftover crystals forming in the bottom and sides of the containers we used.

I made a string of small pom-poms. I tested a piece of mesh fabric, as well. I tied nuts to the corners of the mesh to weigh it down in the solution. I also used a dried stem and sepal/calyx from a flower where I assume the petals were removed for dye. To hang my materials I laid a chopstick across the top of the beaker, and tied/clipped the strings around it.

crystals

The pom-poms and mesh were in the alum solution for over an hour. The pom-poms were coated with strong, big, and hard crystals that don't easily break off. The mesh fabric took on a lot of smaller crystals, however it did't stay straight in the solution, so it hardened into a folded shape. These volume of crystals made it hard, but if the thin mesh bends, the crystals will break off. The plant matter was only dipped for 20 minutes or so, and the small crystals brushed off easily.

Heat-set Shibori

This method involves traditional shibori techiniques like stitching, tying, and using 3D objects to create shapes in a piece of fabric. The fabric is then placed in simmering water for 20-25 minutes.

This method works with both synthetic and natural fabrics. Thin fabrics like silks, organzas, or meshes work best.

I used natural silk, but noticed great results in my classmates' experiments with synthetic materials. The heat thermo-sets the plastic-based fibers very nicely.

I stitched oval shapes, pulled the thread taut, then wrapped the bunched fabric inside the ovals into points with thread.

shibori2

I also stitched straight lines and "shirred" or pulled the fabric down threads to shape the fabric.

shibori 1

CNC Milling

CNC milling

CNC stands for Computer Numeric Controlled: software tells the machine how to move the milling bit along the X, Y, and Z axes.

It is a subtractive manufacturing process to carve a shape from a solid block of material.

CNC milling

Collet Image source: Techniks USA

Get to know the tool

FabLab in de Waag has a ShopBot.

It requires 2 softwares: V Carve Pro to prep your files & ShopBot to control the machine.

Machine parts are:

  1. Spindle
    • Millling bit: part that carves away material
    • Collet: holds the milling bit
    • Nut: attaches collet and milling bit to the machine
    • Skirt: goes around the spindle and helps to suction milled material away from work area
  2. Bridge: part that moves the spindle along the machine’s axes
  3. Bed: material you will cut goes here. Sacrificial layer can be drilled into to secure wood or metal, or tape foam to it. It protects the bottom layer of the bed from being cut.
  4. Controls: ON/OFF, Spindle ON/OFF with key, Spindle speed control, Emergency STOP, Computer to run files.
  5. Vacuum: tubing that runs to a collection area from the skirt around the bit. It keeps the working area clean of dust thats been milled away.

Safety basics

  • Before starting to work, make sure area around the machine is clear for it to move freely.
  • Check your appearance: No loose clothing. Tie hair back. Remove Jewelry.
  • Always watch the machine while it is running. If something goes wrong, pause the file or emergency stop, but also immediately turn off the spindle by removing the key.
  • There is a fire extinguisher in the room, but Henk also said don’t hesitate to throw a burning object out of the window. Not sure if this was a joke or not, but we are serious about preventing fire in Amsterdam’s oldest non-religious building.

V Carve Pro

Below are my notes for preparing the file:

  1. Upload your .STL onto the CNC machine’s computer desktop from a USB.
  2. Open VCarvePro → New Project → Job Setup
  3. Under Job Setup, input Job Size (X & Y measurements of material), Material (Z measurement/depth), and XY Datum (corner where your job home will be)
  4. Import Component → 3D model to import your design file
  5. Place the model within the material
  6. First, create a Roughing tool path, which will carve the bulk of material away from your design.
    • Tool: Edit the type and size of the bit, pass depth, stepover (90%), feed rate, and plunge rate based on measurements for the bit and guidelines for chosen material.
    • Machining Limit Boundary: select Model Boundary to keep milling within the dimensions of your model
    • Machining Allowance: none
    • Roughing Strategy: Z-Level, Raster Y; 3D Raster, Along Y
    • Ramp Plunge Moves: none
    • Safe Z: 10.0 mm
  7. Then, create a Finishing tool path; above settings are the same EXCEPT stepover, changes to 10%
  8. Calculate creates a simulation of your milling path, watch to catch mistakes and make any necessary changes
  9. Save the two tool paths individually, these are the ShopBot codes

This is the Edit Tool window in VCarvePro vcarve

ShopBot Console

Below are my notes for setting up the machine:

  1. Turn on the CNC Machine (not spindle) in order for software to communicate
  2. Press K for interactive keypad. Move the spindle out of the way to secure your material.
    • Arrow keys move X and Y axis, Page Up and Page down move Z axis. Space bar will Pause/stop the milling.
  3. We use double sided tape to secure the foam in place.
  4. Home Machine: Exit the keypad, then press the Home XY icon
  5. Job Home:
    • Open keypad, move the spindle to the bottom left corner of your material, record X and Y values, then click Zero → Zero 2 Axes (X & Y)
    • Check the connection by tapping the metal plate to the milling bit; place the plate on the material and then move the bit down where you can tell it will touch the plate, then press the Home Z icon
  6. Turn on the vacuum/ventilation
  7. Turn on the machine and change the speed with the manual controls
  8. Load the ShopBot code from desktop
  9. Start milling, keeping your hand on the space bar to pause if necessary
  10. Watch and wait while the machine works

Below is an image of the ShopBot software, showing how to zero Job Home shopbot software

What we made

Flora, Amber and I worked together to choose a design for our mold. We liked the parametric wavy tiles we were seeing online.

We struggled to design this on Rhino and Grasshopper4 ourselves so settled for a found design shared by Asli. We then changed the parameters to fit the constraints of the milling bit. The final .stl3 is embedded here and the files are linked below.

Milling-Design-Flora-Maddie-Amber by florahouldsworth.design on Sketchfab

If you plan to pour liquid matrix into a tile mold, it is a good idea to place the baked model from grasshopper on a box with a border so when milled, it creates a lip to catch the excess liquid. This step may not be necessary for leather molding, 2 part molds or other solid materials.

For 3D objects and two part molds, you must add a hole for pouring in material, and a hole for air to come out as liquid replaces its volume in the mold.

For all mold-making, it is important to avoid undercuts (negative angles).

image

We used gelatine biosilicone1 and a cotton net fabric from the scrap drawer in the Textilelab to make a composite material. It's important to place saran wrap down before pouring the gelatin because the foam is porous and the gelatine will stick. I forgot to do this at first, so had to pour it out, clean and properly prepare the mold, and pour the gelatine mixture back in.

My expectation is this the material would set to the shape of the mold, with extra strength from the fabric, but still be quite flexible.

Composite Materials

A composite material is produced of 2 or more inputs. It involves a Matrix (binder) and a Reinforcement (filler).

Flora and I decided to make bio-composites with materials on hand in the TextileLab

Matrix: Gelatin Bio-silicone1

Reinforcements: 1. Bamboo leaf strips and shreds - Prepared by boiling in water with 20 g of soda - Torn into strips or cut and shredded with hand blender.

  1. Cotton mesh netting scrap fabric
    • molded on CNC-milled tile mold

composites

Recipes and Files

  1. recipe: Bio-silicone: 240 ml water, 48 g gelatin, 48 g glycerine ↩↩

  2. recipe: 70 % Alum solution: 1 L water to 700 g alum ↩

  3. file: tile mold ↩

  4. file: Grasshopper Tile ↩