BlowFab is a prototyping method used to create a 2.5-dimensional prototype in a short time by combining laser cutting and blow molding techniques. The user creates adhesive areas and inflatable areas by engraving and cutting multilayered plastic sheets using a laser cutter. These adhesive areas are fused automatically by overlapping two crafted sheets and softening them with a heater. The user can then create hard prototypes by injecting air into the sheets. Objects can be bent in any direction by cutting incisions or engraving a resistant resin. The user can create uneven textures by engraving a pattern with a heat-resistant film.
UIST2017 [honorable mention]
Junichi Yamaoka, Ryuma Niiyama, and Yasuaki Kakehi. 2017. BlowFab: Rapid Prototyping for Rigid and Reusable Objects using Inflation of Laser-cut Surfaces. In Proceedings of the 30th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST ’17). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 461-469.
ProtoMold is a novel fabrication machine which uses interactive vacuum forming system for rapid prototyping. ProtoMold combines a dynamical shape-changing surface that consists of 12 × 8 linear actuators and a vacuum forming system. According to the shape of the surface, this system can mold various 2.5 dimensional objects quickly. Another characteristic of this system is that users can reuse molded objects and change their design; by applying tension and heat to a molded object, the object becomes flat and can be molded again. We also designed user several interaction methods for manipulating ProtoMold. In addition to loading predesigned data, the user can control the shape of the pin display directly using gesture input or physical objects.
We propose several use scenarios for ProtoMold: changing the design of a plate based on objects placed on it, fabricating a facemask with a printed texture, and fabricating electrical devices with printed electronic circuits. By using this system, we conducted a user test and discuss the known limitations and potential applications of our system.
Junichi Yamaoka and Yasuaki Kakehi. 2017. ProtoMold: An Interactive Vacuum Forming System for Rapid Prototyping. In Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’17). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 2106-2115. DOI: doi.org/10.1145/3025453.3025498