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10. Textile Scaffold

I. Inspiration and References

II. Introduction to ''Textile Scaffold''

A textile scaffold is a structured fabric or fiber based material used as a supporting framework for building or growing another material on top of it. In fabrication and material experimentation, it acts as a base layer that provides shape, strength, and stability, allowing other substances—such as biopolymers, resins, or composites to attach, harden, or form around the textile structure.

- Textile Scaffold Techniques

We explored several textile scaffold techniques, with the following being the most noteworthy:

Compression Molding

Compression molding is a fabrication process in which a material is placed into a heated or unheated mold and shaped by applying direct pressure from both sides. The material is compressed between a male and female mold, forcing it to take the exact form of the cavity. After pressure is maintained for a set time, the material cools or dries and permanently holds the molded shape.

It is commonly used for leather, rubber, biomaterials, and composites, producing strong, detailed, and stable forms.

Crystallization

A technique where a textile scaffold is submerged in a supersaturated solution (such as alum or salt), allowing crystals to grow on its fibers as the solution cools or evaporates. This creates rigid, textured surfaces with unique crystalline patterns.

III. Ideation and Experimentation

As we experimented, we tested different techniques that rely on textile scaffolds, including:

1. Leather Molding Textile Scaffold

- Ideation

Capturing the moment when ripples expand across a calm surface. Soft peaks and shallow basins mimic the fluid rhythm created by a droplet hitting water, freezing this natural motion into a sculpted topography.

- Mold Design (Rhino + Grasshopper)

Water Ripple by Simone Kiswani on Sketchfab

- Introduction to (CNC Milling)
A. Generic Introduction to CNC Milling Machine (Shopbot Gantry)

The ShopBot Gantry is a heavy-duty (CNC) milling machine designed especially for large format fabrication tasks. As a gantry type machine, it features a bridge structure that spans the working bed, enabling the cutter to traverse across the surface with precision and stability.

Important Definitions

  • CNC Spindle is the main motorized component of a CNC milling machine that rotates the cutting tool (end mill) at high speeds. It provides the power, torque, and precision needed.

  • The End Mill is a cutting tool used in CNC milling machines to remove material by rotating at high speed and cutting along its edges. Unlike a drill bit, which only cuts straight down, an end mill can cut in multiple directions.

  • The Collet is a mechanical sleeve that tightly grips the end mill inside a CNC spindle.

  • The Nut often called the collet nut, is the component that screws onto the spindle to tighten the collet. As you rotate the nut, it compresses the collet, which in turn clamps the tool (end mill) securely in place.

  • CNC Spindle Speed refers to the rotational speed of the spindle, measured in revolutions per minute (RPM).

  • Feed Rate refers to the speed at which the cutting tool moves through the material.

  • The Stepover refers to the distance between successive passes of a cutting tool during CNC machining.

  • Pass Depth/ Depth of Cut is how deeply the bit goes into the material every time it starts a new toolpath.

  • A Toolpath in CNC machining is the exact route that a cutting tool takes while it works through a piece of material.

  • Stock is the raw material you start with before any cutting, milling, or shaping takes place. It is the unprocessed block, sheet, board, or billet that the CNC machine will remove material from to create the final part.

Shotbot Gantry Generic Features

  • Max Spindle Speed (Rotational Speed): 16,500 RPM

  • Bed Size: 120 cm x 240 cm

  • The depth per pass should generally not exceed half the diameter of the cutting bit.

  • The Shotbot Gantry can mill in 2D , 2.5D , and in 3D

There are three main components we directly work with:

B. End Mills

End mills have cutting edges on both the tip and sides, allowing them to mill in multiple directions. They come in various shapes such as flat, ball-nose, and tapered, and can be either straight fluted or spiral (up-cut, down-cut, or compression). Typically made from carbide or high-speed steel, they are suitable for machining wood, MDF, plastics, foam, and certain metals depending on the tool type.

  • There are multiple common types of end mills, and each one is designed for a particular cutting task:

For the wooden mold fabrication, two types of end mills are essential:

I. Straight Flute: Used mainly for profiling.

II. Ball Nose: Used primarily for 3D milling.

  • Spiral End mills come in several types based on the direction in which they move chips during cutting. The three most common are up-cut, down-cut, and compression end mills.

Up-Cut End Mill: An up-cut bit pulls chips upward and away from the material. Ideal for fast material removal, leaves a clean bottom edge, but may cause fraying on the top surface, mostly used for plastic (not ideal for wood).

Down-Cut End Mill: A down-cut bit pushes chips downward into the material. Produces a clean top surface with minimal tear-out, when used for deep cuts chips don’t evacuate as easily, used for 2D pocketing, 3D milling.

Compression End Mill: A compression bit combines both up-cut and down-cut flutes. Up-cut at the tip, down-cut near the top, creates clean edges on both the top and bottom of the material. Perfect for plywood, colored wood, laminates, and veneered sheets.

  • Measuring the End Tool to define it in the software:
Steps of Defining the End Tool for the CAM Software

  • Prepare the end tool and a caliper.

  • Measure the overall length of the end tool.

  • Measure the shank diameter.

  • Count the flute (cutting edges).

  • Measure the flute diameter and length.

  • Measure the shank length.

C. Geometry

The shape of the design affects how easily it can be CNC-milled. Open geometries are the most suitable because the tool can reach all surfaces from above. More complex shapes with undercuts or hidden backside features are difficult or impossible to mill in one setup, as the cutter cannot access those areas even with flipping the material.

- Mold Fabrication (CNC Milling)
A. Step 1: CAM Process (VCarve Pro)

VCarve Pro is a user-friendly CNC software for creating precise 2D, 2.5D, and 3D toolpaths. It allows you to import vector files or 3D relief models, define operations like profiling, pocketing, V-carving, and 3D roughing/finishing, and preview everything before cutting.

CAD to CAM Process

  1. Export an Stl. format of the Mold model file from Rhino.

  2. Open VCarve Pro.

  3. Choose ''Create New File''.

  4. Prepare the Job Setup prior to importing the model in accordance with the stock dimensions and press ''Ok''.

  5. Import the Stl. file in VCarve Pro.

  6. Set The Toolpaths as follow:

First Toolpath : 2D Profiling (0 to 40 mm)

Sencond Toolpath : Finish Machining Toolpath

Third Toolpath : 2D Profiling (40 to 12.5 mm)

7. Save each toolpath individually.

B. Step 2: Milling Process

This workflow utilizes two specific end mills: We start by setting the end tool for the 1st toolpath as follows: Setting Zeroes, Simulating, And Starting the milling process: Sequence:

- Molding the Leather
A. Process

B. Result

Pending

- Molding the Kombucha
A. Process

Pending

B. Result

Pending

2. Crystallization

- Introduction to Crystallization

Crystallization is the process by which atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a highly ordered, repeating structure called a crystal. This typically occurs when a liquid or solution cools, evaporates, or changes conditions in a way that allows solid crystals to form, separating a pure solid in the form of its crystals from a solution.

Important Definitions

Nucleation is the initiation of a phase transition during a small region, like the formation of a solid crystal from a liquid solution.

A Saturated Solution is a solution that contains the maximum amount of solute that can be dissolved under the condition at which the solution exists.

The Solution is a homogeneous mixture consisting of a solute dissolved into a solvent.

The Solute is the substance that is being dissolved, while the solvent is the dissolving medium.

Creating a supersaturated solution to form crystals:

Crystallization Techniques
  1. Evaporation
  2. Ionization/Purification
  3. Filtering
- Alum (Potassium aluminum sulfate) Crystallization Experiment
A. Process

Needed Equipment

  1. Stainless Steel Pot

  2. Stove

  3. Scale

  4. Measuring Cups

  5. Mixing Tools

  6. Glass Jars

  7. Sink / Water Access

  8. Coffee Filter

Solution Recipe

  • Solvent: Water (1 ltr)

  • Solute: Alum (400 gm)

Process Steps

Step 1: 1 ltr of (distilled) water to a stainless steel pot.

Step 2: Dissolve 400 gm of Alum in the water (continue stirring till it dissolves completely).

Step 3: Filter the saturated solution.

Step 4: Wait until all the impurities are removed.

Step 5: Add the scaffold from the top and let the solution rest for some time.

B. Result

- Salt Crystallization Experiment
A. Process

Needed Equipment

  1. Stainless Steel Pot

  2. Stove

  3. Scale

  4. Measuring Cups

  5. Mixing Tools

  6. Glass Jars

  7. Sink / Water Access

  8. Coffee Filter

Solution Recipe

  • Solvent: Water (1 ltr)

  • Solute: Salt (300 - 360 gm)

Process Steps

Step 1: Add 1 liter of distilled water to a stainless steel pot.

Step 2: Dissolve 300–360 grams of table salt (sodium chloride) into the water, stirring continuously until no more salt can dissolve (a fully saturated solution).

Step 3: Filter the saturated salt solution to remove any undissolved particles.

Step 4: Allow the solution to sit until remaining impurities settle or float to the surface.

Step 5: Suspend or place the textile scaffold into the solution and let it rest undisturbed so salt crystals can start forming on the fabric.

B. Result

Tools

Fabrication files

  1. File: 3D Model Water Ripple ↩