Abstract
Many studies concerning the precision manufacturing of freeform concrete panels have been conducted, however, this process remains labor intensive taking significant amounts of time and cost. In particular, the precision in the shape of the panels produced tends to be low because of the manual work involved in producing the curves of those panels. This study documents the development of mold production technologies that can be used to produce precise curved surfaces on the upper and lower parts of a mold for freeform concrete panels. A double-sided multipoint press CNC (computer numerical control) produces curved upper and lower surfaces of a mold without the need for manual work, while the operational technology we developed to control this tool enhances the precision of the curves created. The precision of these technologies was verified through experiments. The difference between the shapes designed and those produced were found using 3D scans and quality inspections. Unpredictable errors can occur due to the size of certain curvatures, the elasticity of the silicone plate, and the rotational angle of the joints of the rods supporting the surfaces. To minimize errors, shape compensation was carried out through reverse engineering, leading to a maximum error of 2.887 mm, which is within the allowable error. The results achieved in this study are a significant step toward technologies that will produce increasingly precise freeform concrete panels.
Highlights
The double-sided multipoint press CNC is based on a silicone plate supported by CNC
The operational technology proposed in this study cannot produce freeform panels that exactly match the designed shape of the lower surface
As it is possible to minimize shape errors to allowable levels, our method is a suitable technology for producing freeform concrete panels
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The curved concrete facades of freeform buildings cannot be produced with a single massive mold, they must be constructed by dividing the façade into smaller panels. To address the issues around producing freeform concrete panels, reusable molds that take advantage of CNC technologies are being developed, but this is still labor intensive and generates high volumes of waste. The CNC technology is used to create curves in the lower part of the mold for the concrete panels while the curves in the upper part of the mold are plastered. Technologies that can simultaneously produce precise curves in both the upper and lower parts of the same mold are needed. Operational technology for accurately producing both sides of the freeform concrete panels using the developed equipment is presented.
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