This research will test the further integration of digital information and fabrication equipment within the limestone industry’s production processes and culminate with a proof-of-concept system for re-using stone off-cuts/leftovers. Our sincere thanks to the Discovery Foundation for funding this opportunity to immerse students and faculty in important and timely research and development with our industry partners.

The Institute for Digital Fabrication at Ball State University are testing ecological design strategies for the building industry following a generous Graham Foundation for the Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts Award. The research uses a digital database of component pieces from available scrap material, digitally catalogs waste products from the building industry specifically the Indiana Limestone industry and develops computational means to apply the cataloged information to parametric design models. Taking scanning technology mostly reserved for the auto and industrial design industries and deploying a portable system outdoors allows the recording of heavy stone scrap objects into a digital coordinate space. The idea of the project embraces irregularity rather than the regularity that is traditionally used in most refined stone design work. Since each recorded stone in unique in size the two dimensional composition of pieces form an overall irregularity organized wall. The constant and measurable depth of each scrap piece allows for a recognizable three dimensional organization to emerge.

While digital technologies have improved the flow of digital information from designer to fabricator, this system, entitled ‘SmartScrap’, is unique because it improves the flow of information from the fabrication process back to initial design decision-making. Completion this digital information ‘feedback loop’ will seamlessly inform design and fabrication decision making based on available sizes, shapes, and quantities of leftover/waste stone inventories.

Student Team:
Ben Greenberg
Greg Hittler
Kyle Perry

Partners:
Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
Indiana Limestone Fabricators

Faculty:
Jason de Boer
Kevin Klinger
Joshua Vermillion

The Manufacturing Material Effects Exhibition, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, framed and displayed the design and material production work of leading international designers and fabricators who participated in the Manufacturing Material Effect international symposium, and subsequent book release from Routledge Press. Designed, fabricated, and installed by a design studio working closely with industry partners from local wood, aluminum, limestone, and plastics industries, the exhibition closely examined collaborative design and production practices from around the globe based on innovative and experimental processes of material exploration.

Each component of the exhibition display system was custom designed and fabricated. A digitally-fabricated plywood armature system was developed and optimized for efficient nesting, fabrication, and shipping in order to minimize material waste. Rear-illuminated acrylic panels were vacuum formed over CNC-milled wood patterns in close collaboration with a local plastics manufacturer. All connections and joints were facilitated by custom designed and laser cut aluminum clips. Digital files were exchanged with local limestone industry partners for the 3 axis CNC production of stone bases. Full-scale mock-ups facilitated the choreography of the vacuum forming process and connection details.

In order to test lighting effects, the studio deployed a variety of methods—both, computationally, and physically. Entire armature bays were fabricated at full-scale with lighting and wiring in order to optimize the lighting design. Simultaneously, the studio simulated the overall lighting effects using photometric light renderings and false-color illuminance studies. This coupling of digital and physical outputs allowed students to understand the successes and failures in both the design and analysis techniques.

The exhibition project was assembled and installed by the student team, using a coding system for identifying each unique component. Additionally, an interactive, touch-screen informational kiosk was developed and installed by Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts. The design process was richly enhanced by actively engaging and participating with the manufacturing process, along with the vetting of design schemes by industry partners, which led to a design process that was truly informed by production, cost, and material considerations, and fostering an innovative collaborative relationship between design and making.

Student Team:
Amber Agan
Matt Amore
Elizabeth Boone
Adam Buente
Lena Dodson
Brandon Hoopingarner
Joe Intriago
Adam James
Kyle Perry
Ross Smith
Rob Thompson

Faculty:
Kevin Klinger
Joshua Vermillion

Partners:
Indianapolis Museum of Art
Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts
Arrowhead Plastic Engineering
Indiana Limestone Fabricators
Mid-West Metal Products
Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association
David R. Webb Company
Amos-Hill Associates
Ball State Digital Corps
Laird Plastics

Process Photos

Kevin Klinger and Joshua Vermillion attend the SmartGeometry Workshop and Conference in Manhattan. The workshop provided a wealth of expertise and resources for beginning the development of the SmartScrap system. Results from the Workshop, including 3D prints of SmartScrap tiles, were displayed at a reception in the Guggenheim Museum.

While digital technologies have improved the flow of digital information from designer to fabricator, this system, entitled “SmartScrap”, is unique because it improves the flow of information from the fabrication process back to the initial design decision-making. Completing this digital information “feedback loop” will seamlessly inform design and fabrication decision making for the building industry based on available sizes, shapes, and quantities of leftover/waste stone inventories. This research will culminate in an ecologically-driven Pilot Investigation of proof-of-concept prototypes which demonstrate the SmartScrap concept.

This initial pilot investigation is being conducted with Indiana Limestone Fabricators, Inc. While this project deals exclusively with the limestone industry as a test-bed for the research, the economical and ecological benefits will make SmartScrap a valuable design/fabrication process with crossover potentials to other industries and initiatives. While this research does not deal with performance attributes of the limestone itself, it is specifically focused on uncovering value in materials that would normally be discarded. The potential for innovation lies in the modeling-visualization-prototyping-analysis-scripting process, as it promises to help with reducing and reusing a considerable amount of waste produced by one of Indiana’s largest manufacturing sectors.

This ATAIN-sponsored event was designed to create a dialog among experts from a variety of disciplines — academics, designers, architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators, furniture-makers, and more — to share information on the digital fabrication and rapid prototyping trends and current research being done in this field. In addition, the conference addressed workforce considerations addressing the skills and training necessary to support digital fabrication. All participants recognized his effort as having the potential to leverage Indiana’s manufacturing strengths and diversifying existing manufacturing companies, growing new business, and increasing manufacturing jobs – all through the power, precision and efficiency of digital technology.

Agenda:
9:30 Registration Begins

10:00 Welcome + Opening Remarks

Jerome McCluskey, Indiana Innovation Network, Baker & Daniels, LLP

David Ferguson, Director of Center for Media Design, Ball State University

10:30 Morning Keynote

David McLean, Vice President, Thornton-Tomasetti Group, Chicago

12:00 Coffee Break

12:10 Panel A

Eva Haviarova, Assistant Professor, Purdue University

James Baker & Robert Davignon, Rose-Hulman Ventures

Jim Flowers, Professor, Ball State University 

12:55 Lunch Keynote

Anthony Birchler, Vice President, A. Zahner Metals, Kansas City 

Digital Definition

2:15 Panel B

George Elvin, Associate Professor, Ball State University

Gregory Luhan, Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky

Kim Pontius, Ivy Tech Community College

3:00 Coffee Break

3:10 Panel C

Vop Osili, Partner, A2SO4 Architects

Steve Crawford, Project Manager, Crown Corr Inc,

Ray Moistner, Executive Director, Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association

Brad Mobley, President, Indiana Limestone Fabricators, Inc.

Moderator: Kevin Klinger, Associate Professor, Ball State University

3:55 Coffee Break

4:05 Panel D

Julie Nagel, Managing Director, Oncological Sciences Center, Purdue University

John Sullivan, Director, Center for Advanced Manufacturing, Purdue University

Kevin Klinger, Associate Professor, Ball State University

4:50 Concluding Remarks