DIGITALLY FABRICATED STOOL
Summary
This project was developed in collaboration with The New Makers, a Dutch company that develops housing and furniture designed for circularity through CNC machining. Aiming to disrupt the construction industry, TNM fabricates fully detachable products and buildings made from 100% biomaterials. In this sprint project, the goal was to design a chair whose components can all be produced from a single square meter of wood sheet and assembled using friction and/or form-fit joints only. The material must be 18 mm-thick poplar plywood.
CAD-generated visualisations of the finalized rocking stool design.
Design process
Ideation
The ideation of the chair consisted of handmade models used to test possible joints and components. The exploration also focused on the form and style of the chair, ultimately leading to a further (re)design of a rocking chair.
Development
The dimensions, components, and shape of the rocking chair were developed and specified, with a focus on stability and efficient material use. The design primarily aimed to translate the features of a rocking chair into a stool.
Prototyping
The final design was modeled, and its components were nested for production according to the available material area (1 m²). The design was prototyped at a 1:10 scale using laser cutting and at a 1:1 scale using CNC machining.
Cardboard ideation models.
(Left) Development sketches and (right) cardboard prototype testing of the stool parts.
(Left) 2D file drawings of the stool parts and (right) laser-cut prototype in scale 1:10.
(Left) CAD model of the final stool design and (right) poplar wood prototype of the stool.
Minor Archineering, TU Delft
February, 2022
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