Rehovot, Israel – Objet Geometries Ltd. announced that four abstract artworks utilizing Objet technology have been acquired for the collection of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.
Created by leading artist Neri Oxman, the pieces were originally selected for a special MoMA exhibition entitled “Design and the Elastic Mind,” which took place February 24 – May 12, 2008. Ms. Oxman printed the works on Objet’s revolutionary Connex500™, the first-ever system to allow the printing of several materials with different mechanical and physical properties simultaneously. This capacity was necessary to develop the pieces, which were mathematically designed to exhibit multiple structural and environmental qualities (i.e., stiffness, transparency, temperature/ humidity control, etc.) rather than adhering to a specific form.
According to Ms. Oxman, the works – entitled Catesian Wax, Monocoque, Raycounting and Subterrain – are prototypes for “structural skin,” a construction technique that supports structural load using external skin instead of a traditional internal framework covered with non-load bearing casing. Devised using algorithms and other computational tools, they’re designed to show the outcome of speculations about the intrinsic qualities of natural structures and inspire future directions for applied research, she said.
The pieces were originally part of a larger collection entitled “the Materialecology project 2007” by Ms. Oxman, who is also trained in architecture. Furthering the concept that guided her past collection, Ms. Oxman is now working on a larger-scale piece using the Objet Connex500™ to print between eight and 21 different materials of various physical properties that fit together in the form of a chair. The work is scheduled to appear in the Museo de Bellas Artes in Seville in October 2008.
Objet’s Connex500™ represents a breakthrough in three-dimensional printing by, for the first time, offering designers and product developers the ability to print parts and assemblies made of several materials with different mechanical and physical properties in a single build process. The system’s patented PolyJet Matrix™ Technology jets materials in ultra-thin layers, immediately curing each layer with UV light, a process which yields models that closely emulate the look, feel and function of an exceptionally wide variety of end products. In addition, the system allows users to create composite materials that have pre-set combinations of mechanical properties, also a first for the industry. The Connex500™ was unveiled in November 2007 winning the German EuroMold Exhibition prize for Innovation, and during 2008 was honored with the prestigious red dot design award and RadTech USA Emerging Technologies Award.
MPF
Source: :: Make Parts Fast ::
