Water Jet Cutter – Blow Torch Pattern Design

600×600 Aluminium frame piece places on water jet cutter bed

Graphic (finished in AutoCAD) then loaded onto water jet cutter screen to align for cutting

Water jet cutting through the Aluminium

Using blow torch to scorch the pattern onto a piece of Ply

Final Outcome. Great finish for Cabinets, Doors, or Walls!

pattern trial

use the shape of the existing pattern on SHS to create a simplified pattern.

SHS pattern on site 01

pattern 1

pattern 2

pattern 3

SHS pattern on site 02

to create this last pattern, I combined this two pattern to create another pattern. how I can use the repetition of the same object and place them in and angle.

the initial pattern

this pattern is a little troublesome to be cut on laser cut. because it is required more time to cut the detail of the leaves.

so I looked back on the image of the pattern on site, and create a more simplify pattern, using the same inspiration.

first step,

Tracing and Drawing

the drawing pattern, before I trace them on CAD

Colouring and Layouting

option 01

opntion 02

Making

 

finish model

Final Drawing Package

Final Drawing Package

Physical Model

1:20 Physical Scale Model of Proposed Space
The scale model was drawn on Auto Cad and cut on the laser cutter.

Vertical and Horizontal Breakdown

Breaking down the Joinery Elements into Vertical and Horizontal Options
Using the buttons and plugs joinery that was developed earlier in the process, both a vertical and horizontal approach was applied to the kitchen elevations.

Breaking down the Joinery Elements into Vertical and Horizontal Options
Using line work to break up the kitchen to consider whether it would better as a vertical or horizontal system of joinery
There drawings were also used to decide which hinge types were to be used in the joinery.
The types to be used include: Swing, Bi Fold Up, Slide and Pull

 

 

 

Buttons and Plugs

Joinery Buttons and Plugs
The following project was to design joinery buttons and plugs as a detail for the joinery in the final design for the SHS room conversion.
The process was to design buttons and plugs that were to be cut on the laser cutter and holes that were to be cut on the CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine.

 

Laser Cut Buttons and Plugs
The Buttons and Plugs were firstly drawn in Ilustrator and then cut on the laser cutter. This is a process of trial and error as it is always hard to imagine what something will look like until it has been cut. This meant that a number of versions of plugs were cut over the process of the project.

Button and Plug Prototyping
Multiple prototypes were made before the final plugs were produced.
In the prototyping process different sizes, shapes and depths were tested.

Final Prototypes
The final plugs prototypes consisted on two layers on plywood. The first layer was a base layer and then the second layer had a number of pieces that were placed so that there was a gap between the pieces adding depth and pattern to the plug.

CNC Machining
The holes for both a full scale prototype and the final joinery piece were cut on a CNC (computer numerically controlled) machine. A CNC machine works from a  program which is a plug in from Rhino. The file is converted into a format the CNC machine can read and then the CNC machine cuts the chosen material using various different router bits.
I chose to use both a 6mm depth and a 3mm depth as I wanted some of the plugs to be expressed and some to sit flush with the joinery surface.

Buttons and Plugs
The final prototypes of the buttons and plugs. The larger buttons were designed so that the lines on the surface line up and create a
button within the larger context of the joinery piece. As the smaller plugs will not be seen from close up, the were not designer with a
pattern but were used purely for their shape. Within the overall context, these plugs become a part of the pattern.

 

Designing from Motifs
The inspiration for the buttons and plugs originally came from a photo of an art piece which was painted on a window within the SHS grounds.

 

 

HORIZONTAL VS VERTICAL

 

Joinery construction

This process began with site observations and the selection of a number of patterns that existed in site. The elements from site were informed the design and construction of joinery elements. Having selected the shape of the school house studio stairs I altered a typical join using a pin in the shape of the stairs rather than a circular dowel peg.

Having completed a number of joins in the workshop, I drew up a model to cut on the CNC machine. I selected a folding wedge join, as this would be most suited to the circular drill bit on the machine. The piece did require some filing and finishing by hand, but the joins were nice and snug, fitting together more neatly than those I had made by hand.