Over the last weeks we have worked on applying Autodesk Pier 9’s digital fabrication toolset to the Lytefire Oven. One of the great things about Pier 9 is that some of Autodesk’s leading experts on digital fabrication have their office at Pier 9 and have directly been supporting us in our process. On May 25th we’ll be showcasing our Lytefire at Pier 9. Click here for more information on the event, and read on to learn about our process.
For this design we wanted to use thin metal sheet for the walls of the oven, and cut it using a water jet cutter. Pier 9 features an OMAX water jet. The machine shoots out a mixture of sand and water at extremely high speeds and pressure through a nozzle hovering over the metal sheet. As the nozzle moves over the sheet, amazingly precise shapes can be cut.
Cutting metal sheet using the OMAX Waterjet at Autodesk Pier 9
Since coming here we’ve been doing most of our design work in Autodesk Fusion 360. Through the Pier 9 experience we got access to Fusion’s beta feature for sheet metal work. Fusion 360 is an integrated CAD + CAM software, and what that means is that once the design is done, there are just a few clicks to get the design fabricated on the water jet. Here’s a preview of how Fusion 360 works for sheet metal.
Source: https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/blog/sheet-metal-check-in/
Stay tuned for more on the solar oven build as well as our public showcase event on May 25th!
Greetings from the CNC Workshop at Autodesk Pier 9!
