Soft Engineering Mechanical Parts

A one-week intense workshop to learn basics of coding/designing mechanical parts for (interactive) installation, devices, kinetic sculptures, etc. We will have a look at connectors, shafts, couplings, flanges, holders, adapters, screw holes, threads, countersinks, slip rings, rods and so on.

In this class you can learn how design *the thing* that connects a thing to another thing - which might either be static and very stable or moving and flexible. Also, you can use these skills for sculpting or code-based 3D (physical) generative art and design projects.

This is a beginners class. If you're a big pro in 3D modelling, but new to text-based 3D modelling though, please feel just as welcome to join.

These approaches are offered:

• (!) text-based 2D/3D model programming with OpenSCAD
• GUI-based 2D/3D model design with Fusion 360
• GUI-based 2D modelling with Adobe Illustrator / Inkscape

And we will have a look at these fabrication methods:

• FDM 3D-printing (PLA, etc.)
• laser-cutting (acrylic, wood, aluminium, stainless steel, etc.)

Soft engineering is suitable for students who are (and, either, or):

• soft
• curious to code/design mechanical parts in a software environment
• interested in working with soft materials (soft robotics, casts for silicones, etc.)
• conceptually softly conversing with their working materials, rather than imposing function, form, concept onto the material
• incorporating their environments within their designs ( loosely inspired by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_engineering )
• ...

Certificate of achievement

• Presence, active attendance and participation during the workshop
• Participation in the end presentation

The workshop will take place in February during the lecture-free period:

Mo 2025-02-17 — Fr 2025-02-25, each day 10:00 - 16:00

Please, bring a computer that has OpenSCAD (open source yay!) and/or Fusion 360 (free student license) already installed.

If you are interested to join the workshop, please send me an e-mail with a rough estimation of your skill level to lotta.stoever@uni-weimar.de. If you have something specific you would like to learn in this realm, please let me know. I will then try to include it in the workshop.