Optimising additive manufacturing for fine art sculpture and digital restoration of archaeological artefacts

Additive manufacturing (AM) has shown itself to be beneficial in many application areas, including product design and manufacture, medical models and prosthetics, architectural modelling and artistic endeavours. For some of these applications, coupling AM with reverse engineering (RE) enables the utilisation of data from existing 3D shapes. This thesis describes the application of AM and RE within sculpture manufacture, in order to optimise the process chains for sculpture reproduction and relic conservation and restoration. This area poses particular problems since the original artefacts can often be fragile and inaccessible, and the finishing required on the AM replicas is both complex and varied. Several case studies within both literature and practical projects are presented, which cover essential knowledge of producing large scale sculptures from an original models as well as a wide range of artefact shapes and downstream finishing techniques. The combination of digital technologies and traditional art requires interdisciplinary knowledge across engineering and fine art. Also, definitions and requirements (e.g. ‘accuracy’), can be applied as both engineering and artistic terms when specifications and trade-offs are being considered. The thesis discusses the feasibility for using these technologies across domains, and explores the potential for developing new market opportunities for AM. It presents and analyses a number of case study projects undertaken by the author with a view to developing cost and time models for various processes used. These models have then been used to develop a series of "process maps", which enable users of AM in this area to decide upon the optimum process route to follow, under various circumstances. The maps were validated and user feedback obtained through the execution of two further sculpture manufacturing projects. The thesis finishes with conclusions about the feasibility of the approach, its constraints, the pros and cons of adopting AM in this area and recommendations for future research

AN INVESTIGATION INTO SURFACE FINISH IMPROVEMENT OF SMALL PLASTIC PARTS MANUFACTURED THROUGH ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Published ThesisNowadays, Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing finds wide application in automotive, aerospace and medical fields. Functional additive manufactured parts must satisfy dimensional accuracy as well as to provide an acceptable quality of surface finish. However the dimensional accuracy of additive manufactured parts are affected by many process variables including accuracy of tessellation from Computer Aided Design (CAD) model, slicing algorithm, data transfer, device motion resolution, powder granulometry, beam offset, process parameters and shrinkage. The surface finish of additive manufactured parts is often poor due to the layer-by-layer manufacturing process of AM. The degree of this so called “stairstepping” is dependent on the type of AM process and layer thickness used. Different post processing techniques can be used to improve the surface finish. Six post processing techniques were investigated in this study to improve the surface finish of small test pieces that were additive manufactured in nylon polyamide, Alumide® and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic materials. The techniques include tumbling, shot peening, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining, spray painting, undercoat and hand finishing and chemical treatment by dissolving the surface of the test pieces. A Laser Sintering (LS) process was used to manufacture the nylon polyamide and Alumide® test pieces while Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) was used for the ABS test pieces. A Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) also known as Touch probe scan machine was used for assessment of the dimensional accuracy of post processed test pieces compared to the geometry of the “as built” test pieces. The Chisquare test ( 2 ) and the test for differences in deviation range proportions were used to establish the level of significance of differences between ‘“as built” and each post processing technique. It was shown that there exists a significant difference between deviation range proportions as one compares the “as built” to any one of the six considered post processing techniques. For all the three investigated materials, hand finishing technique produced the best improvement of surface finish though this technique was generally characterized by a lack of consistency in distribution of uniform deviation ranges across individual surfaces as well as across entire test pieces. The spray painting improved the surface finish and was found to be consistent in distribution of uniform deviation ranges across individual surfaces as well as across entire test pieces. However this technique led to significant positive deviation ranges from the geometry of the “as built” test piece, thus affecting negatively the dimensional accuracy of the “as built” test piece. On one hand, despite the rounding of the sharp corners and the removal of small protrusions, tumbling and shot peening techniques, without affecting negatively the dimensional accuracy of the test piece, it was found that tumbling and shot peening are the optimal post processing techniques to improve the surface finish of relatively wide surfaces of Laser Sintered nylon and Alumide® test pieces. On the other hand, it was realized that tumbling or shot peening technique should not be applied to ABS test pieces as, in addition to the negative effects of the two techniques on nylon and Alumide® test pieces, tumbling and shot peening damage heavily the surfaces of ABS pieces. Chemical treatment by immersion into acetone bath was found to be the optimal technique for improvement of the surface finish of Fused Deposition Modelled ABS test pieces. Though through CNC machining the surface finish of nylon, Alumide® and ABS test pieces was improved, a relatively high standard deviation in surface finish across the entire test piece was observed. In addition to this, excessive negative deviation ranges were observed on the machined surfaces. This can be attributed to a single error during the calibration of the machine or the setting of the cutting parameters which led to the excessive negative deviation ranges from the geometry of the “as built” test piece. The consideration of individual cutting parameters for each surface inclination angle would reduce the standard deviation and eliminate the risk of excessive negative deviation ranges across the entire test piece. However, this approach would lead to excessive machining time, thus increasing the cost of the process. Finally, it was realized that CNC machining is not an appropriate technique to improve the surface finish of small plastic parts with complex shapes in the form of various inclination angles and small entities such as small conical features, round cavities and protrusions

A Model Student Personalized Education Plan into a Portfolio through the Use of Career Pathways in South Kitsap High School

The purpose of this project was to create a Personalized Education Plan and Portfolio system to support secondary students to acquire the skills necessary to ensure employment in South Kitsap High School Port Orchard, Washington. To accomplish this purpose, current research and information related to Personalized Education Plans and Portfolios were reviewed. Additionally, career pathways were established, personal data, resume, individual career planning portfolio, and career goals inventory review worksheets were adapted and developed

Productivity improvements at small manufacturing company’s shop-floor

An effort to increase and improve the productivity has been started by the case company at which this thesis was conducted. Various productivity measures and improvements are being currently being studied to achieve a leaner production and easy material flow. In productivity improvements the ultimate goal is to seek out new production manufacturing processes that can increase the company’s overall efficiency in order to stay competitive in the market. This could be accomplished by the reduction or total elimination of losses that occur mechanically or through a bad operational process. The aim of this thesis is to develop a simple productivity measuring of the manufacturing machine and also to make a bidding calculator or sales tool to be used to speed the rate at which they set bids. By using literature from previous studies, unstructured interviews of managers, supervisors and employees the tasks to be performed were set. A recording sheet was created to record the rate at which the machines at the shop-floor were being utilized and this study we named as machine hour study. This study is to help us to understand the current state of utilization so as to figure out measures to increase the productivity. The second task was to modify the bidding calculator or sales tool to be more user-friendly. Lastly, the author was to recommend other projects that could help in the improvement of productivity at the shop-floor. The significant result is the fact that the machines being used in manufacturing were being underutilized which was agreed by the supervising managers at the shop-floor. Some of the reasons pertaining to this result are too much setup in a working day, long searchers for tools, not enough work, etc.fi=Opinnäytetyö kokotekstinä PDF-muodossa.|en=Thesis fulltext in PDF format.|sv=Lärdomsprov tillgängligt som fulltext i PDF-format

Negotiating Seamlessness in Gallery Spaces: Imagining Conflict as a Possibility in Social Participation

Seamlessness in traditional airbrush aesthetics reflects a desire to pursue technical excellence and perfection. The digital revolution has pushed airbrush practice from a popular art form to a niche discipline. Today, airbrushing survives in customization and subculture aesthetics. The retreat of airbrushing from the mainstream, poses questions of how to extend this art form into contemporary art practice: an important consideration given its potential to redefine the social and cultural meaning of seamlessness in our current digital age. My research examines the meaning of seamlessness in our contemporary, social and technological contexts. By shifting traditional airbrush practice into an interactive and installation-based platform, I use participatory strategies to investigate the social implications of relational art forms to challenge the notion of seamlessness as an idealized pursuit of perfection. Inspired by the debate between Nicolas Bourriaud’s concept of relational art and Claire Bishop’s critique of Bourriaud’s micro-utopian concept of relational aesthetics, this paper investigates how participatory and interactive art functions within gallery spaces to gain a deeper understanding of Chantal Mouffe’s concept of radical democracy. Using art galleries as an arena to engage theory and praxis, my thesis project employs a research-creation method with a participatory approach that intends to trigger conflicts and negotiations in the domain of galleries. It investigates the blurred boundaries between consensus and conflict, controllability and unpredictability, inclusion and exclusion. Lastly, through theorizing and redefining the meaning of seamlessness from an aesthetic concept towards social agency, this research questions the inclusivity of art institutions and their role in relation to social and cultural production