The FORMlight project leverages Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and robotic technologies to create optimized, lightweight free-form metal facade panels with localized reinforcement, enhancing sustainability, efficiency, and design flexibility while reducing material use and labor.
Organization
TU Darmstadt, Institute of Structural Mechanics and Design
Project information
The integration of free-form metal panels in architectural facades represents a significant advance in the design of architectural components by adding aesthetic and constructive value to a building, while at the same time raising more and more complex challenges for efficient, fast and low-cost construction. Conventional fabrication methods are often labor-intensive, costly and require generic structural solutions, with thicknesses generally determined with a high safety coefficient, which results in considerable material thickness to meet structural demands. To address these challenges, the FORMlight project explores the potential of digital manufacturing, particularly Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), as an alternative capable of revolutionize the industry, improving sustainability, efficiency and design flexibility. The workflow developed combines robotic fabrication, WAAM, and geometry acquisition systems such as depth cameras, 3D scanners and Computer Vision to analyze, form and reinforce lightweight steel plates for free-form facades. Adding welded reinforcement only in the parts that are structurally required, the process automates fabrication, reduces labor and optimizes material use. This methodology lays the foundation for future in-situ robotic construction, where automated scanning, forming and assembly can revolutionize architectural fabrication processes.