@misc{RoumenShigeyamaRudolphetal.2019, author = {Roumen, Thijs and Shigeyama, Jotaro and Rudolph, Julius Cosmo Romeo and Grzelka, Felix and Baudisch, Patrick}, title = {SpringFit}, series = {User Interface Software and Technology}, journal = {User Interface Software and Technology}, publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery}, address = {New York}, isbn = {978-1-4503-6816-2}, doi = {10.1145/3332165.3347930}, pages = {727 -- 738}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Joints are crucial to laser cutting as they allow making three-dimensional objects; mounts are crucial because they allow embedding technical components, such as motors. Unfortunately, mounts and joints tend to fail when trying to fabricate a model on a different laser cutter or from a different material. The reason for this lies in the way mounts and joints hold objects in place, which is by forcing them into slightly smaller openings. Such "press fit" mechanisms unfortunately are susceptible to the small changes in diameter that occur when switching to a machine that removes more or less material ("kerf"), as well as to changes in stiffness, as they occur when switching to a different material. We present a software tool called springFit that resolves this problem by replacing the problematic press fit-based mounts and joints with what we call cantilever-based mounts and joints. A cantilever spring is simply a long thin piece of material that pushes against the object to be held. Unlike press fits, cantilever springs are robust against variations in kerf and material; they can even handle very high variations, simply by using longer springs. SpringFit converts models in the form of 2D cutting plans by replacing all contained mounts, notch joints, finger joints, and t-joints. In our technical evaluation, we used springFit to convert 14 models downloaded from the web.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kovacs2022, author = {Kov{\´a}cs, R{\´o}bert}, title = {Human-scale personal fabrication}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-55539}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-555398}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {139}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The availability of commercial 3D printers and matching 3D design software has allowed a wide range of users to create physical prototypes - as long as these objects are not larger than hand size. However, when attempting to create larger, "human-scale" objects, such as furniture, not only are these machines too small, but also the commonly used 3D design software is not equipped to design with forces in mind — since forces increase disproportionately with scale. In this thesis, we present a series of end-to-end fabrication software systems that support users in creating human-scale objects. They achieve this by providing three main functions that regular "small-scale" 3D printing software does not offer: (1) subdivision of the object into small printable components combined with ready-made objects, (2) editing based on predefined elements sturdy enough for larger scale, i.e., trusses, and (3) functionality for analyzing, detecting, and fixing structural weaknesses. The presented software systems also assist the fabrication process based on either 3D printing or steel welding technology. The presented systems focus on three levels of engineering challenges: (1) fabricating static load-bearing objects, (2) creating mechanisms that involve motion, such as kinematic installations, and finally (3) designing mechanisms with dynamic repetitive movement where power and energy play an important role. We demonstrate and verify the versatility of our systems by building and testing human-scale prototypes, ranging from furniture pieces, pavilions, to animatronic installations and playground equipment. We have also shared our system with schools, fablabs, and fabrication enthusiasts, who have successfully created human-scale objects that can withstand with human-scale forces.}, language = {en} } @misc{KovacsIonLopesetal.2019, author = {Kovacs, Robert and Ion, Alexandra and Lopes, Pedro and Oesterreich, Tim and Filter, Johannes and Otto, Philip and Arndt, Tobias and Ring, Nico and Witte, Melvin and Synytsia, Anton and Baudisch, Patrick}, title = {TrussFormer}, series = {The 31st Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology}, journal = {The 31st Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology}, publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery}, address = {New York}, isbn = {978-1-4503-5971-9}, doi = {10.1145/3290607.3311766}, pages = {1}, year = {2019}, abstract = {We present TrussFormer, an integrated end-to-end system that allows users to 3D print large-scale kinetic structures, i.e., structures that involve motion and deal with dynamic forces. TrussFormer builds on TrussFab, from which it inherits the ability to create static large-scale truss structures from 3D printed connectors and PET bottles. TrussFormer adds movement to these structures by placing linear actuators into them: either manually, wrapped in reusable components called assets, or by demonstrating the intended movement. TrussFormer verifies that the resulting structure is mechanically sound and will withstand the dynamic forces resulting from the motion. To fabricate the design, TrussFormer generates the underlying hinge system that can be printed on standard desktop 3D printers. We demonstrate TrussFormer with several example objects, including a 6-legged walking robot and a 4m-tall animatronics dinosaur with 5 degrees of freedom.}, language = {en} } @article{IonLindlbauerHerholzetal.2019, author = {Ion, Alexandra and Lindlbauer, David and Herholz, Philipp and Alexa, Marc and Baudisch, Patrick Markus}, title = {Understanding Metamaterial Mechanisms}, series = {Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems}, journal = {Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems}, publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery}, address = {New York}, isbn = {978-1-4503-5970-2}, doi = {10.1145/3290605.3300877}, pages = {14}, year = {2019}, abstract = {In this paper, we establish the underlying foundations of mechanisms that are composed of cell structures-known as metamaterial mechanisms. Such metamaterial mechanisms were previously shown to implement complete mechanisms in the cell structure of a 3D printed material, without the need for assembly. However, their design is highly challenging. A mechanism consists of many cells that are interconnected and impose constraints on each other. This leads to unobvious and non-linear behavior of the mechanism, which impedes user design. In this work, we investigate the underlying topological constraints of such cell structures and their influence on the resulting mechanism. Based on these findings, we contribute a computational design tool that automatically creates a metamaterial mechanism from user-defined motion paths. This tool is only feasible because our novel abstract representation of the global constraints highly reduces the search space of possible cell arrangements.}, language = {en} } @misc{IonBaudisch2018, author = {Ion, Alexandra and Baudisch, Patrick Markus}, title = {Metamaterial Devices}, publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery}, address = {New York}, isbn = {978-1-4503-5819-4}, doi = {10.1145/3214822.3214827}, pages = {2}, year = {2018}, abstract = {In our hands-on demonstration, we show several objects, the functionality of which is defined by the objects' internal micro-structure. Such metamaterial machines can (1) be mechanisms based on their microstructures, (2) employ simple mechanical computation, or (3) change their outside to interact with their environment. They are 3D printed from one piece and we support their creating by providing interactive software tools.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Ion2018, author = {Ion, Alexandra}, title = {Metamaterial devices}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-42986}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-429861}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {x, 173}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Digital fabrication machines such as 3D printers excel at producing arbitrary shapes, such as for decorative objects. In recent years, researchers started to engineer not only the outer shape of objects, but also their internal microstructure. Such objects, typically based on 3D cell grids, are known as metamaterials. Metamaterials have been used to create materials that, e.g., change their volume, or have variable compliance. While metamaterials were initially understood as materials, we propose to think of them as devices. We argue that thinking of metamaterials as devices enables us to create internal structures that offer functionalities to implement an input-process-output model without electronics, but purely within the material's internal structure. In this thesis, we investigate three aspects of such metamaterial devices that implement parts of the input-process-output model: (1) materials that process analog inputs by implementing mechanisms based on their microstructure, (2) that process digital signals by embedding mechanical computation into the object's microstructure, and (3) interactive metamaterial objects that output to the user by changing their outside to interact with their environment. The input to our metamaterial devices is provided directly by the users interacting with the device by means of physically pushing the metamaterial, e.g., turning a handle, pushing a button, etc. The design of such intricate microstructures, which enable the functionality of metamaterial devices, is not obvious. The complexity of the design arises from the fact that not only a suitable cell geometry is necessary, but that additionally cells need to play together in a well-defined way. To support users in creating such microstructures, we research and implement interactive design tools. These tools allow experts to freely edit their materials, while supporting novice users by auto-generating cells assemblies from high-level input. Our tools implement easy-to-use interactions like brushing, interactively simulate the cell structures' deformation directly in the editor, and export the geometry as a 3D-printable file. Our goal is to foster more research and innovation on metamaterial devices by allowing the broader public to contribute.}, language = {en} }