Hello!
I have made this weird eggshaped lampshade for a client. It was supposed to be 3d printed but now the client wants to try to make it from laser cut metal sheet.
So I wanted to know if there is a way to unroll this surface.
I am getting really weird results
Thank you
How are you envisioning going from a cut flat sheet to that shape? Like, what kind of metal forming process will be used?
Im not really sure but I think it will be hammered into this shape. The client has a lasercuter and a cnc machine and some other tools but he didn’t specify what process he will be using, he just wants a flat version of it.
I find it really dumb and defeats the purpose of the original design (playing with the translucency of the fillament) but what can I do? I´m really at a loss here
Hello
It is not a simple task. One strategy is to make a mesh of this object. Then suppress all intern points and just triangles. It could be flattened but you ll have to cut all loops that can’t be flattened
https://www.grasshopper3d.com/m/blogpost?id=2985220%3ABlogPost%3A1660067
As the shape in convex there is no overlapping.
Thank you, this seems to be a promissing solution.
I will try this process and get back to you
Send me your file, I can have a look and test that with my tools.
Uh…your client needs another idea. If that thing is only 400mm tall, trying to laser cut that from steel and ‘form’ it is…that’s nuts. It would need to be redesigned with a bigger pattern that’s broken into sections that are meant to be simply rolled together. Or cut by hand out of a formed steel egg. Or something…
I also think so, but this is supposed to be a table lamp, so I can’t make it much bigger than it already is. Lets see what my client comes up with.
It’s really nice - how did you achieve this trim?
Hello
here one first try that seems to work.
eggLampFalttened.gh (8.1 MB)
I think it is doable for a good welder with some egg shape in order to bend the shape nicely. Please show us the result and don’t hesitate to ask other questions.
It could be possible to change the first flattened face, so it changes the shape.
Another way of doing is laser cutting the egg like Greg Blanpied
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbLb7dGO1dK/
Thank you!
I used parakeet for the pattern then intereceted it with the eggshape and interpolated curves on the surface to create a clean cut on the surface! There are probably quicker ways but this was the only way I could think of.
Thank you so much!!
The laser cut verion also seems really clean and good
might also work with a rotary cnc
intresting but doesnt seem to work with metal.
why not? i dont see any reason such a device could not also work on metal. metal would be even slower for the drill head, so that should not be an issue. but i am not a specialist just had this idea and looked for some matching video, maybe not that exact machine (but then again why not) so i am pretty sure that could work.
First of all the description of the video you sent me specifically states the following:
“- Use on hardwoods, softwoods, exotic woods and many synthetic materials such as acrylic, and ABS, foam, modelling wax, styrene and epoxy board.”
Usually you can’t use the same sort of drills for metal and wood.
I am also no expert, but usually this is how it goes - If a wood tool doesn’t say it will work with metal it probably won’t.
are you talking about the tool tip? the drill or however one would call it in english? no that of course will not be the same, but the machine can do that pretty sure, it does not need more force, rather less since it will drill slower. but whatever i am sure you will figure it out how to produce that fabergé 
also as replied, that was just a random example i picked to show the idea, there are different machines of course.
To cut is one thing, the metal would naturally not want to bend. And the forming technique also requires material to change and elongate in multiple directions where 3D software cannot simulate or guess… CNC such shape can also be super challenging as of the size. 3D printing might be good way?
