Ceramic Printing: 3D Print an Interior Clay Structure

Result of the print

The objective is to explore a clay structure for a facade or an interior of the space. We as a team of 3: Denisse Alvarez, Mark Newport, and I - Thi Vuong have to explore material tectonics, joint detailing, interconnection and locking systems.

This project is created as a course assignment at the California State University, Long Beach; taught by Behnaz Farahi: DESN 551: Materials, Tools, and Techniques of Prototype (Fall 2023)

1. Laguna B-Mix 5 WC401 Clay
2. Clay pigment of choice
3. SolidWorks (or any equivalent 3D modeling software)
4. UltiMaker Cura
5. 3D PotterBot 10 Micro

If this is your first time using a clay printer, we would recommend taking a look over these tutorials before getting started:

Starting Guide On Version 10 Printer Use

3D Potter WiFi Network Connection Guide

Loading Clay: 3D Potter Hand Loader Full Process

Loading clay and keeping it in tube

Changing tubes on the extruder

Using Cura with 3D Potter: profile installation, solid core objects, printing a base

Z Rail Height Change

Use any 3D modeling programs you are familiar with to create the model. In this project we use SolidWorks.

We are interested in the morphology and shape-shifting power of the 3D printing process and its potential in architecture and interior/furniture design of the future. This project serves as a primordial study for us to explore changes in the form or structure of an organism during development or in response to environmental stimuli.

We have tested several models and narrowed it down to one. This one module can be flipped and stacked to create a wall-tiling system. We also play with color/clay pigment to create a gradient effect that caters to our concept.

After the single module, we try to aggregate it to explore aesthetically interesting setups.

Save the single module in .stl file.

Open the .stl file in Cura.

Start adjusting the layer height and layer width to find the right ratio. This step is important if you have curves in your model. You might want to lower the layer height for layers to get a bit squished so it won't droop down.

When you are happy with the preview, save the file in .gcode file.

Soak the clay in water 3 days in advance prior to printing.

After 3 days, the clay should be soft enough, take it out and start wedging to get rid of all the bubbles. This is when you would mix the pigment powder in with the clay if you wish to give the clay a different color. For us, we load the original clay first to print 3 white modules, then load another tube with a light blue clay (original clay + 5 oz blue pigment), then the last tube with a darker blue (original clay +10 oz blue pigment).

Load clay into the tube by using the clay extruder. This step further eliminates bubbles in the clay that could potentially ruin your print.

For this print, we are using a 3mm nozzle. Nozzle size and extrusion rate are the two factors that could affect the weight and density of the print.

Adjust the Z height so the first layer starts at the right height, ideally, the starting Z height should be the same height as the layer height you set up in Cura.

Upload the .gcode file and start the print

Put some clay slip on the print bat so the first layer sticks better to the bat.

Adjust Printing Speed and Extrusion Rate accordingly. We have our speed at around 80-100, and the extrusion rate at 200 (extrusion rate affects the density of the print). Our test print of 100 extrusion rate has a significantly lighter weight than the same model print at 200 extrusion rate.

There might be bubbles popping here and there in the print, we fixed that after the print was completely dried up. Some sanding/chiseling to make the grooves more prominent.

Here are all the test models we have printed to get to our final design.

The blue on them is us trying to experiment with dabbing the color pigment directly on the clay. It has a "grunge" and "tie-dye" look to it, which is beautiful if applied to the right project, but is not what we are looking for, particularly in this project. Mixing the clay with pigment before loading it into the tube is a better way to evenly color the clay.

If possible, we would love to try achieving the gradient effect by glazing next time.