Case study: construction market
Freeform shade structure.
Design
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Start by drawing a freeform spline. It can have any bend radius in any orientation, with none of the traditional limitations of large steel tube bending.
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Use generative design to create a mesh that follows the desired spline. You have control of every point in the lattice: adjust the beam radius along the path, change the mesh density, add local anchor points to hang the fabric.
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Render both sides with fabric in tension. The lattice will take all structural loads, and we have a number of optional ways to cover the structure if necessary: fabric, filament winding, facets, etc.
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Run FEA analysis to ensure safety margins and optimize material usage. Depending on applications we can save up to 80% of total material usage.
Print time (per post): 4h
Material cost (per post): $400
Up to 10x lower cost
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Design freedom
Create more innovative designs to inspire your customers. Offer a wider catalog without any of the traditional manufacturing constraints.
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Extreme speed
Go from sketch to production in hours, not weeks. Expand your catalog and start accepting more custom orders.
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Environmentally efficient
Consume up to 90% less raw materials. Reduce transportation cost by making it more locally and lightweight.
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Safe
No welds involved: more predictable strength. The lattice is highly redundant: one failing element will not compromise the structure.
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Highly automated
Skilled metal workers are hard to find. Focus them on more creative task while our printer take the repetitive work.
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No special tooling
No need to invest in large specialized machine and custom tooling for each product. You can start producing structures of any scale on day one.