In the architecture building, the 3D printers are one of the most valuable tools in a student’s arsenal. However, most of the time, the 3D printer is only used as a way to visually share their formal ideas. Models and complex shapes can be printed without laborious time wasted on craft. I, on the other hand, am using the 3D printer to create purely functional, structural objects that I would otherwise need to buy or craft by hand. Rather than creating models or site plans, I am manufacturing machine precise objects that can actually be used outside of conveying an idea.
I’ve written about these connectors in a previous post, so I will only speak briefly about them here. They are connection details to interlock PVC pipe legs to a plywood table top. The idea is to make things as easy as possible to assemble. I want to avoid cutting, marking and drilling as much as possible. 3D printing means that someone with zero skill in craft work can download and create these objects with ease. It’s enabling a new system of production; away from mass global to local specialized.
The print turned out well. Please view the photos below! And as usual, you can download the files to make this yourself here.
