Our main laser cutter has now been repaired and is back online.
If you had a booking last Friday or today that was moved please call or email in to re-book a time.
Thanks, Scott and Jim
Completed [Re_Map] 4599/’Beyond Conflict’ 1:1000 Coventry model
Here we can see the complete [Re_Map] 4599/’Beyond Conflict’ 1:1000 Coventry model being displayed with projected graphics and under lighting.
Laser Cutter Update
Our main last cutter is still out of service as we await a replacement part today. We’ll let you know as soon as we’re up and running again. in the mean time please refer to the Chatham workshops if you have a pressing deadline or look at an alternative method of construction.
Scott and Jim
[Re_Map] 4599/’Beyond Conflict’ 1:1000 Coventry model
This year 6 project has focussed on the city of Coventry with a view to looking at the functionality of the city post WW2. Given the scale of the area being studied the group chose to produce their master plan at scale 1:1000.
Building heights we created by layering up cut components to an approximate height based on the number of floors at the scale. 
The group had two other methods of conveying their site.. Firstly a projector would be mounted above the model projecting mapping over the model to convey various changes. This required quite a lot of thought and as the group realised, time should always be made for overcoming scaling issues when using projected images.
Secondly, buildings the group has focussed on across the city were made as separate acrylic blocks assembled in the same manner as the laser cut ply components. There buildings would allow light from the plinth base below to be case upward mapping specific roles of each site.
Plinth construction should always be kept as simple as possible without compromising the strength of the construction. It is important for the sake of material waste and money that any plinths are designed well and used only when necessary.
The plinth-base construction was chosen to allow the group to store several map types which can be slotted in place to cast a variety of chosen scenarios across the buildings. This meant the proposals for the site could be demonstrated in variants and allows further proposals to be demonstrated at a later date.
Laser Cutter Out of Service!
Be advised that our main laser cutter is currently out of service due to a technical fault. We are working to resolve this issue as soon a possible but it is likely the machine will not be online again until sometime next week.
Please email or call in to discuss current bookings.
All paid bookings will be refunded of honored for another day.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Jim and Scott
Materials Price List Update
There have been a few price changes from our materials supplier which have meant some increases to sheet prices from our stock. As stated on our materials page these prices are all in line with the cost to us and you are charged at cost.
Updates can be found by clicking here.
We now have laser bed sized 5mm Acrylic sheets in stock at £16 each.
1:500 Master Plan Model, Year 3 BA Architecture
This group project for 3rd year BA students will be used to display multiple concepts that will continue to develop throughout the year. For this reason considerable thought was put into getting the contouring and overall model size correct for purpose.
By figuring out high and low points on their site the group could then make a series of supporting ‘ribs’ at the relevant size for the 1:500 scale. Clearly marking each piece by number is crucial when there are many components. Once fixed in place the engraved ‘skin’ was fixed over the top creating the flow of contours across the site.
The next main phase of construction was to produce the existing site buildings. by taking plans printed at scale the group divided the site into different zones and gave each building a number to assure easy identification when assembling.
By referring to visual reference such as photographs it is possible to find an approximate building height by looking at courses of brickwork and door/window heights. At this scale approximations are fine for the models purpose but extra care should be taken when focussing on areas in the immediate vicinity of the areas being used for proposed development.
The group decided to add extra laser engraved facade details to the exiting buildings closes to their proposed site. This helps to highlight the concentration and detail in the surrounding buildings without over emphasising their physical construction.
As the group found out, adding too many detail lines can prove costly in terms of time on the laser cutter.
We encourage you to consult us about any of these fine details as more often than not they can be simplified and still easily convey the message.
Structural Detail Models, Year 2 BA Architecture
Last week 2nd year students were given the task of further refining their designs for structural elements. By taking their initial ideas to the next stage they came up against many more problems to solve in particular how joining replicated components would work in practice as they made seven identical units to work with one another towards supporting a structure or forming a building form. 
In many cases designs will test the limits of the machines available anda degree of initiative will be required to solve the problem. In Georgia Govan’s case the angle she required for her components to fit together was too sharp to be machined and the profile nature of the laser cutter meant she had to use a ‘Jig’ to get the job done. This side of a task can often be time consuming and should not be underestimated. A lot of thought is required to design an effective jig but it’s worth the effort and the learning curve you will go through.
Marco Wan had an interesting approach to creating the curved planes for his design. This process is called ‘glulam’ and as the name hints at, involves laminating sheets together with layers of glue and material whilst clamped in a given shape. This produced a very strong formed shape that can and is used for many 1:1 building applications. Very nice to see a student employing this technique in their model development.
Structural Detail Model by Andra Calin
2nd year student Andra Calin has been developing a structural concept model that is expanding on a sketch model inspired by the form of a bird. Initially Andra produced a paper model of her idea which loosely defined what the structure would look like. For this next model she has increased its scale and added more detail. This kind of model will raise questions regarding connection detail and overall practicality of the structure.
For me its these intermediate types of development model that are the most fun to construct as they help clearly define details that can be replicated or improved upon and I hope to see more of these in the coming weeks as these ideas progress! Scott
Workshop Capacity
We thought it worth making a post about the 20 student capacity limits on our workshop.
Unfortunately due to the number of potential hazards in the workshop environment there is a restriction on the number of students we can supervise at any one time. This has been enforced several times over the last week resulting in a few disappointed and frustrated students. When in the workshop you should always sign in and collect an apron before starting your work. This is a good indicator of how busy it is as we only have enough aprons for our maximum capacity. If you can’t find an apron on the hangers its a good bet we have reached our maximum number of students for that time.
The best way to avoid having to wait for free space is to get into the workshop as early as possible both in your projects and each day. Asking for tips and advice about your project at an early stage will benefit how you plan your time and allow us to advise the best approach for what you are trying to produce.
Machine booking is also essential to avoid disappointment late on in your projects. We’ll see you all soon (if you aren’t here again already!).
Scott and Jim