Overview

Can additive manufacturing with paste materials be used to produce fully reusable modular construction elements for architecture and design? What formal types does this process allow beyond the simple extrusion of profiles or 2.5D shapes? What material properties can be considered for the manufacture of moulds (elasticity, viscosity, solid and liquid characteristics, plasticity)? What materials are suitable for additive manufacturing and reuse (clay, sandstone, mud, cob or polymers)?

The goal is to build a rigorous research framework to experiment and validate creative and educational assumptions updated in these previous actions. This research programme is supported by the computational and mechatronics design option, with Magma. The research project is built on expertise acquired in 3D ceramic printing, while exploring other materials or paste formulations such as mud, cob and polymer.

Research results

Heralding the research programme, the Clayworks workshop took place from 16 to 20 November 2015. This workshop in partnership with the start-up Xtree and ABB France made it possible to conduct tangible experiments of additive robotic clay manufacturing processes on large-scale components. This first practical experiment combined use of renewable materials for additive manufacturing and architectural design (biosourced, recyclable) and exploration of robotic design possibilities. Some pieces were presented at the 2015 Synthetic exhibition.

Connection to the curriculum

16-20 November 2015: Clayworks workshop.

Programme information

• Campus: TALM-Le Mans.
• Professors: Félix Agid, Ianis Lallemand and Natsuko Uchino.
• Partners:
  • Reflective Interaction research group: EnsadLab;
  • Ateliers moulage porcelaine, École nationale supérieure d’art de Limoges.
• Start date: 2020.
• Fundings:
  • TALM;
  • Ministère de la Culture (appel à projet recherche 2020).