A Parametric Design-to-Fabrication System for Robotically 3D-Printed Everyday Objects

Description

In architectural design, the model of design to construction is constantly changing. One parameter in these permanent changes is human needs, most notably, the growing demand for sustainability. Traditional “take-make-waste” building models are being challenged by alternatives such as cradle-to-cradle and the circular economy, which prioritize reducing, reusing, and recycling local resources.

Program Development

This project introduces a design-to-fabrication interface that integrates circular economy principles and human parameters directly into the computational framework. The workflow connects material capacities, robotic 3D fabrication constraints, and complex ergonomic considerations, ensuring that every generated geometry is both resource-aware and constructible. 

A proof-of-concept chair series was robotically printed using both a KUKA KR10 R1100 and a KUKA KR120 R2700-2 with bio-based PLA pellets. Through iterative prototyping, seat height, back angle, and layer width were refined while rigorously testing the limits of deposition. The final chair, printed in 14 to 16 hours, meets human, material, and fabrication constraints. 

Ultimately, this project challenges both mass production and mass customization, opening new possibilities for centering human needs within the circular model for creating everyday objects, from simple cups to architectural elements. 

This work has been published in LUNCH 18 (2024).

Venue

LUNCH 18 (2024)

Role

Project Lead, computational design and robotic fabrication

Design Method

Computational Design (Parametric Ergonomics) with Rhino/Grasshopper

Fabrication Process

Additive Manufacturing (Pellet Extrusion) with KUKA KR10 R1100 and KR120 R2700-2

Building Material

Bio-based Polymer (PLA, Color-Concentrate Pellets)

Environmental System

Circular Economy (Anthropometric Data)

Final Chair Dimensions

W 1321 mm × D 635 mm × H 762 mm (52 in × 25 in × 30 in)

Project Team

Ehsan Baharlou

Student Research Assistants

Avery Edson, Juliana Jackson, Eli Sobel, and Tabi Summers

Image Credit

Ehsan Baharlou, CT.lab, University of Virginia, 2023

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Melissa Goldman, fabrication lab manager of the UVA School of Architecture, and Dr. Trevor Kemp, fabrication facilities assistant manager of the UVA School of Architecture, for their profound support.

This project was funded by the Jefferson Trust under the title “Co-designing Circular Plastics Initiative” (2023)