[M]form : Symbiotic Design and Fabrication for Casting of Modular Systems

Abstract

Mechatronics is a concurrent field blending mechanical (mecha) and electronics (tronics) engineering used for the development of interactive design and manufacturing. It opens a portal for information to flow between the digital and physical world the purpose of which is to control hybrid systems. This allows for input from one to generate output from another and vice versa. Symbiosis implies a mutually beneficial relationship between two entities whose performance dramatically increases as a result of this relationship. Essentially the action of one leads to the reaction of another in what can be described as an endless feedback loop. When the design and manufacturing of panels displaying highly complex smooth curvature are separated as two different processes the consequences are larger amounts of material waste, longer manufacturing times, and ultimately a more expensive outcome. Mechatronic forming, referred to here as [m]form, is associated with physical surfaces that are reconfigurable based on digital information. In this context [m]form is an additive casting machine that complements the contemporary disposition of architectural design and manufacturing as one symbiotic process that optimzes the production of pre-cast modular systems.