synesthetic light

Process

As glass 3D printing is still not widely available, Synesthetic Light tests the ability of plastic to look like glass through extrusion techniques, temperatures, and speeds on a KUKA KR120. First, the project focuses on finding the right proportions of extrusion temperature versus robotic speed. If the extrusion temperature was too high, the plastic would start to slump and if the extrusion temperature was too low, the plastic would look cloudy and lose its glass like appearance. If the print speed of the robot was too fast there were gaps in the plastic layers and if it moved too slowly there was a build up of plastic in the corners. Finding a temperature that was hot enough to still have a glass-like appearance and a robot speed that allowed for even extrusion layers became vital to the project.

The second objective of the project was to create forms that manipulated light and color to create patterns. These forms were designed with the intention for them to refract, scatter, and absorb light. To accomplish this the different forms consist of curved surfaces, sharp angles, and repeated patterns. Objects were tested with different kinds and colors of light to check their abilities in light manipulation.