Smart Tooling for Ceramic Profile Extrusion: New Approaches to Industrially focused Interdisciplinary Practice Based Research

Ceramics have been used for millennia for architectural construction, utilitarian items and cultural artefacts. The ceramic medium has unique qualities in terms of durability, sustainability, longevity and aesthetics and has been an integral part of our creative and commercial output. However, many of the sectors involved with ceramic production have faced extremely difficult conditions with a very significant decline over the last many decades. Such a decline is likely to be a combination of many factors, including overseas competition and cultural changes, but a lack of innovation is also likely to have contributed. In order for the UK to maintain or regrow its long heritage with this medium, new approaches and innovation are required.

Innovation within digital fabrication in the field of ceramics has, to date, been predominantly focused on 3D printing, with both powder and plastic clay printing methods being established. While these methods have extended manufacturing possibilities with new geometric possibilities, 3D printing remains a very slow and size limited production method, which limits the process' commercial potential with the ceramic medium. In contrast, profile ceramic profile extrusion is an extremely quick and efficient production method. This method dates back to the 17th century and remains a highly utilised manufacturing process in the production of bricks and clay pipes. However, ceramic profile extrusion is generally limited to the productions of straight linear sections and remain significantly under-utilised in many other aspects of ceramic production. This research project will seek to explore how digital fabrication technologies can be used to establish new approaches with the ceramic profile extrusion technique that extends conventional capabilities to provide new creative and commercial opportunities. The research will investigate how customised, curved and bespoke shapes can be generated through the application of robotics, and how rapid workflows from computer aided designs to creation of extrusion dies be developed through the used of parametric scripting and digital fabrication approaches which collectively are termed: Smart Tooling.

The research will include an in-depth survey of existing practices through interaction with industry specialists, visits to companies and leading international research centres. The core of the research will focus on interdisciplinary practice based investigations structured as a series of experimental feasibility studies. Technologies and approaches developed through the research are aimed to impact on a number of sectors including architecture, design and craft. Applications and exploitation opportunities will be identified through collaborative dialogue with key sector organisations, research partners and commercial companies.

The fellowship will be hosted at the Centre for Fine Print Research and draw support from the centre's extensive experience in practice based research and technology driven innovation. Furthermore, the project draws together a group of world leading companies and organisation as collaborating partners in the research; Wienerberger, Sibelco, Arup and Centre for Window and Cladding Technology.

The vision for this research project is to provide an exemplar of how material knowledge, new technologies and interdisciplinary approaches can be complied to deliver sustainable innovation with a traditional material.

The fellow will develop entirely new ceramic production approaches and technologies to provide new creative and commercial opportunities. Whilst centred on the use of the ceramic medium the interdisciplinary nature of this research provides the potential for both focused and wide ranging impacts.

Among the core target beneficiaries are companies that engage in the production of ceramics. SME's that produce bespoke ceramic parts for architecture or design lead artefacts will particularly benefit, as the tooling concepts developed will present opportunities for producers to rapidly respond to market demands and the development of new designs and products. Larger manufacturers (ie project partner, Weinerberger) will benefit from the research in enabling the creation of more flexible productions methods which enable the capacity to respond to changing market conditions and specialist customer requests. Short to medium term impact goals for all scales of ceramic manufacturers are the real-life implementation of Smart Tooling concepts. Longer term goals are to increased productivity and profitability.

The research will develop digitally driven flexible manufacturing concepts that offer designers, and architects with new creative opportunities that can be explored with low tooling cost and short development time. Smart tooling concepts on smaller scales will present individual designer-makers and art practitioners with new creative opportunities, and the potential for low cost and efficient fabrication methods that could enable individual creative practices to be more economically viable. The research presents increase opportunities for the creation of bespoke constructions parts which is evidenced by Arup and CWCT as collaborative research partners. Material suppliers for ceramic production, ie project partner Sibelco, will benefit from the potential of new markets and business opportunities.

The ceramic medium presents unique characteristics in term of durability, longevity and low embodied energy. Smart tooling approaches for ceramics will enable architects, designers and engineers to create parts and artefacts that respond to environmental and sustainability issues facing construction and production. Working in collaboration with ECAlab will ensure that these issues will be embedded within the research.

This fellow seeks to provide an exemplar of how conventional fabrication methods and traditional materials can be utilised in new fabrication concepts in combination with digital technologies and robotics. Technologically focused practitioners and companies will benefit from diversifying technology applications and increased user-base resulting in enhanced commercial opportunities.

Students from school to HEI will benefit through learning new skills and potential applications, which will allow them to understand and utilise this technology in the future. It will also demonstrate the impact of interdisciplinary solutions, utilising digital fabrication and robotics to innovate and strengthen traditional manufacturing in the UK to the next generation of the workforce.

The interdisciplinary approach of the project will offer case studies for wider industry, policy makers and third sector organisations, demonstrating the practical aspects of applying digital technology and robotics to traditional manufacturing techniques. The research will engage with third sector organisations to ensure that practices and policy are developed to facilitate similar project and initiatives.

It is anticipated that the proposed research will contribute to improving the UK's economic competitiveness by creating innovative new manufacturing methods that have wide application in domestic and commercial arenas. The new creative opportunities presented by the smart tooling systems have the potential for growing the cultural output of the UK both in terms of our built environment and domestic life.