MX3D Load Bearing Arm
This project was done by a team of designers working from different backgrounds for MX3D in Amsterdam. The aim was to mobilise a WAAM robot (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing) to create a load bearing structure that demonstrated the ability for the robots to print capable structures beyond their traditional reach and workspace.
An arm provided by MX3D was fixed onto a set of tracks that made the arm mobile and increased the work volume drastically. We designed and made the load bearing arm using algorithmic design in Grasshopper which incorporated live topology optimisation to allow us to create a design that suited the demands of structural integrity, manufacturing constraints and aesthetics. The printed stainless steel tower weighs 21 kilograms and can support up to 200 kilograms and stands at 2.4 metres high (1.1 m x 1.6 m x 2.4 m). It took less than 40 hours to print.