Apr 18, 2017 | By Julia
Felix Raspall and Carlos Banon, architecture professors from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), have premiered a new 3D printed light installation at the iLight Marina Bay festival in Singapore. Spanning 10 meters, “(Ultra) Light Network” stands as a tetrahedral mesh sculpture unlike any architecture you’ve ever seen before, showing how 3D printing can combine form and function in astounding new ways.
You might remember Raspall and Banon from last year’s 3D printed pavilion at the SUTD open house. The project “vMesh” aimed to explore the mechanical properties of 3D printed parts, re-imagining a 14.5 meter fibrous architectural mesh as a pavilion where SUTD students could display their work.
Where last year’s work used an amalgamation of nylon, aluminum, and other metals, the design duo’s new “(Ultra) Light Network” uses polymers as a vehicle for focusing squarely on questions of algorithmic light.
The specs are certainly dazzling in and of themselves. Through dimensions of 10 m x 6 m x 3 m, the gigantic lightweight mesh emits a staggering amount of light. That’s due to over 50,000 individually controlled LED pixels, which react to a sophisticated algorithm run on five microcontrollers. The mesh itself is comprised of 715 polycarbonate square tubs, which evenly balance and diffuse the light sources. Equally as impressive are the 152 individual nodes printed from ABS and Nylon, used for housing the vast array of custom-made light bulbs.
Three ultrasonic sensors located at the bases of the structure mean that all 50,000 LEDs respond dynamically to the presence of visitors, blurring the lines between physical and virtual interaction. The result is a one-of-a-kind light show emitted in the context of the Singapore skyline and Marina Bay towers.
Lots of development went into the project, which aims to “address not only structural requirements but also power transmission, and information communication within a seamless and continuous aesthetic,” its creators say. Building an installation this resilient yet flexible meant developing custom parametric tools in order to best determine the tetrahedral topology.
And as thousands of iLight festival goers have seen, Raspall and Banon have proved quite successful: the structure absorbs stresses and responds evenly to expansions, contractions, and loads such as wind and other external forces. This is partly due to the sturdy yet lightweight architecture’s incorporation of hyper-redundancy: unlike other systems, “(Ultra) Light Network” converges ten members per node, allowing for maximum stability and resistance.
Sponsored by Stratasys, the Center for Digital Design and Manufacturing at SUTD, and SUTD, the new “(Ultra) Light Network” installation has put Raspall and Banon on the map in a whole new way. Following that momentum, we can’t wait to see what the SUTD duo comes out with next!
Posted in 3D Printing Application
Maybe you also like:
- T-Bone Cape motion control board launches on Indiegogo
- New extruder could lower costs of 3D printing cellular structures for drug testing
- New Ninja Printer Plate for consumer 3D printing
- mUVe3D releases improved Marlin firmware for all 3D printers
- Zecotek plans HD 3D display for 3D printers
- Add a smart LCD controller to your Robo3D printer
- Maker Kase: a handy cabinet for 3D printers
- Heated bed for ABS printing with the Printrbot Simple XL
- Next gen all metal 3D printer extruder from Micron
- Pico all-metal hotend 100% funded in 48 hours, B3 announces Stretch Goal
- Create it REAL announces first 3D printing Real Time Processor
- A larger and more powerful 3D printer extruder on Kickstarter
Hi, People need to know that this is not entirely 3d printed. Although 3d printing was involved it is confusing to say that the sculpture itself is 3d printed. Regards
3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.
