Alexandra Young – Research Project

3D printed Origami – Experimentation with PLA and TPU to create flexible/foldable sheets.

This project experiments with translating folded paper into sheets which can be 3D printed flat and then folded into shape. Using TPU and PLA and finding ways to integrate the two together to create a form which had stiffness to it but also flexibility.

The first stage was to trial different folded paper patterns – ending up with the triangular tessellated pattern which was simple and provided long folds and surfaces. This was then translated into rhino, creating a flat thin surface with indents for the fold lines. Along the process there were a number of issues which occurred, which led to the development of a system which integrated the TPU and PLA during the rhino stage, as well as changing the default settings on CURA to give the best results when printing the thin sheets.

The most successful were created by increasing the TPU circle joints on the rhino model and recessing them into the PLA surface layers, creating 3 layers which were interlinked (PLA-TPU-PLA). Then during the printing stage, editing the CURA default settings to remove the top and bottom surfaces and just print infill to create a more interesting surface texture. Some prints with these settings ended up being much more flexible than others, due to the fold line widths which were changed on rhino before printing.