Touching Fluidity is a design for a production system/method wherein the surfaces of 3D printed products are improved through a combination of 3D printing and the smoothing out of the unevenness of the surfaces with a hot polymer sheet (in this case vacuum forming). The design of the production system includes a craftsmen and a newly developed craft. This leads to a production system where machines and people are included to create a more affordable method of 3D printing products with an extremely high gloss finish.
Another significant consequence, is that objects made with internal mesh constructions could be opened up to further shaping possibilities.
There is no known production technique that produce polymer products with a higher gloss finish at a low cost.
The system will be developed further in the near future.
The main emphasis for the design of the system was to create a system that could give people with an interest and skillset in crafts the oppurtunity to participate in a meaningful manner in the production of polymer objects.
Depicted below are early protoypes on the left and the production process & results on the right.
Depicted below are some larger images.
2016
Nikki Vieler 