As the heir to an ancient marble working tradition, Italy still ranks as a major home to extraordinary potential capable of merging design, technology and processing skills.
Design & Technology
The “Design & Technology” exhibition at Marmomacc aims to highlight the technological excellence, processing capacity and creativity of the Italian natural stone industry.
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- 02 October 2014
- Verona
New computer-controlled engineering systems and digital design today define a new frontier for this ancient material, thereby opening up new ways for designing and working natural stone.
Knowledge and awareness of the material and production processes, informed use and efforts to reduce waste and energy consumption are some of the essential aspects of future stone design projects seen in terms of a creative process promoting stone through a modern image.
The event tackles several specific technical and processing aspects (5-axis bridge saws with tool, diamond disc, lathe, robot, water jet, etc.) through a preview display of experimental works specifically developed by designer and curator Raffaello Galiotto for leading Italian companies in the sector.
The ancient engraving by Albrecht Durer in 1515 inspired Rhinoceros. Just as the manual straight, curved or geometric hatches delineate the two-dimensional figure so does the cutter sculpt the mass and draw the surface. The graphic texture is first digital, using software, and then material by passage of the cutting tool. It becomes the characteristic feature of the work itself, entirely “machine-made”.
Catenata, Corallo, Corona, Madrepora, Porifera, Serpentina are small marble objects made exclusively using 3D waterjet abrasive cutting technology. The particularity of these works lies in the complexity of their forms, obtained by following appropriate computer created cutting paths. The machine, thanks to these inclined, incident, multiple and overlapping cuts, is able to produce unexpected curved and perforated three-dimensional solids. Each of these small works investigates and expresses a different geometric problem that is inextricably linked to the specific technology of waterjet cutting.
Evo is the result of partial, circular and concentric cuts made by an inclined diamond disk. Its complexity resides in managing the notch cut by the bulk of the disk along its path which, unlike traditional cuts with constant thicknesses, has cutting cross-sections that differ in function of the given path.
Carapace is a shell strewn with sharp wedges made by a diamond disk cutter. The binary, circular and undulating paths lie on the large spherical cap and guide the disk that travels over them with an inclination at 90° with respect to the direction of the path. The result is a three-dimensional surface that is not obtained by traditional 3D software modeling but by passage of the inclined disk.
The classic grooved column is reinterpreted in Crio by processing by a diamond disk and milling lathe. The disk sinks into the marble following paths that are not parallel to the cutting axis. In this way it models the material and brushes the surface, generating complex and deep forms with a high degree of finish.
In Cora the stone takes on the appearance of an organic material, full of cavities and curved and twisted tunnels, confronting a particular problem: curved drilling. The problem was solved by using a cutter with C-axis control and using a tool with a ball head and thin shaft. The drilling path was made by checking that the thin shaft of the tool does not collide with the wall. In this way a first 90° curved cavity was obtained which, joined to a second, extended the hole up to 180°.
Spire is a kind of column composed by stacking deformed and tapered disks. The particular delicacy of the edges combined with the depth of the cavity was obtained by processing with a diamond disk cutter. After an initial roughing phase the disk executed a series of circular paths with an inclination varying from 0 to 20°. The sinuous and polished surfaces of the work were obtained thanks to this “flickering” effect.
24 – 27 September 2014
Design and Technology
curated by Raffaello Galiotto
Marmomacc 2014
Verona