Molding and filament winding of spatially graded material properties through computational design

Abstract

Three-dimensional printing and computational design have enabled designers to spatially vary material properties in objects. Nevertheless, this technology has current limitations that include material durability, cost and speed. In this thesis I demonstrate two novel fabrication processes that I developed, multi-material molding and casting and crafted filament winding, this processes allows for the gradation of material properties in a low cost and fast process. Then, I applied this method to two design scenarios, a mid-sole for a running shoe and a prosthetic socket for trans-tibial amputees. The thesis details the design workflow from computational data driven design to the fabrication of low-cost functionally graded material systems.