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I wonder to which extend CNC and additive manufacturing will bring back ornate large contemporary style buildings.

by froh 4y ago

ilyt 4y ago
CNC got cheaper but not THAT cheaper. Even if electronic and software got cheap, it's still a bunch of precision equipment and that's always expensive, and will still take hours to make the part. Like, sure, cheaper than to hire a bunch of artists/craftsmen but still much, much more expensive compared to making another square
- s3000 4y ago
  > it's still a bunch of precision equipment and that's always expensive Like rockets? Precision equipment can also be mass-produced. What could be a hard limiting factor? I cannot imagine one. Once AI can design and build stone monuments, funny things will be built. Sooner or later, rock will become a rare commodity.
  - samus 4y ago
    Depends on your definition of mass production. According to the article, CNC machines for stones are still a very much niche application. At least compared to those for metals. Also, most large-scale construction nowadays is made from reinforced concrete, for requirements (including price and speed) that are hard to beat that with stone construction, even with assist by CNC machines. I certainly wouldn't mind a comeback of stone masonry in modern architecture though, both from an aesthetic point of view, and considering that stone buildings are usually made to last the ages.
  - IsTom 4y ago
    Precision manufacturing equipment requires regular maintenance and needs to be operated by skilled workers. You don't just plop a rock into a machine and get object out. Managing work-holding is like 50% of the work. Generally you can operate only on some surfaces in one position and then you'll need to rotate workpiece/change tools/type of machine and somehow hold the piece and place is in the right spot with really high precission which is harder than it sounds.
- ginko 4y ago
  Maybe not CNC carved stone but I'd love to see buildings covered with 3D printed stucco for instance.
Gare 4y ago
Most ornaments for buildings in 19th century were cast from molds, not carved. Lower quality, but much quickly and cheaply mass produced.
ragebol 4y ago
Even if you 3D print a whole cathedral in concrete, printing something really detailed and the intricate takes more time than a straight line or simple curve, because the print head needs to ac/decelerate. And time, even that of machines, is money. But much less than of humans, so the gap is smaller. Not sure about resin printing, but you can't resin print concrete (yet, AFAIK).

I wonder to which extend CNC and additive manufacturing will bring back ornate large contemporary style buildings.

by froh 4y ago

I wonder to which extend CNC and additive manufacturing will bring back ornate large contemporary style buildings.

ilyt 4y ago

CNC got cheaper but not THAT cheaper. Even if electronic and software got cheap, it's still a bunch of precision equipment and that's always expensive, and will still take hours to make the part. Like, sure, cheaper than to hire a bunch of artists/craftsmen but still much, much more expensive compared to making another square

s3000 4y ago
> it's still a bunch of precision equipment and that's always expensive Like rockets? Precision equipment can also be mass-produced. What could be a hard limiting factor? I cannot imagine one. Once AI can design and build stone monuments, funny things will be built. Sooner or later, rock will become a rare commodity.
- samus 4y ago
  Depends on your definition of mass production. According to the article, CNC machines for stones are still a very much niche application. At least compared to those for metals. Also, most large-scale construction nowadays is made from reinforced concrete, for requirements (including price and speed) that are hard to beat that with stone construction, even with assist by CNC machines. I certainly wouldn't mind a comeback of stone masonry in modern architecture though, both from an aesthetic point of view, and considering that stone buildings are usually made to last the ages.
- IsTom 4y ago
  Precision manufacturing equipment requires regular maintenance and needs to be operated by skilled workers. You don't just plop a rock into a machine and get object out. Managing work-holding is like 50% of the work. Generally you can operate only on some surfaces in one position and then you'll need to rotate workpiece/change tools/type of machine and somehow hold the piece and place is in the right spot with really high precission which is harder than it sounds.
ginko 4y ago
Maybe not CNC carved stone but I'd love to see buildings covered with 3D printed stucco for instance.

Gare 4y ago

Most ornaments for buildings in 19th century were cast from molds, not carved. Lower quality, but much quickly and cheaply mass produced.

ragebol 4y ago

Even if you 3D print a whole cathedral in concrete, printing something really detailed and the intricate takes more time than a straight line or simple curve, because the print head needs to ac/decelerate. And time, even that of machines, is money. But much less than of humans, so the gap is smaller. Not sure about resin printing, but you can't resin print concrete (yet, AFAIK).