While working with the “leaf script” we started thinking about an inflatable kite that features, simply made out of two pieces of weldable fabric, an inflatable structure that stabilizes the construction.
The presented lines work as weld sew and are thought to be printed on textile. They enclose volumes which are meant to be filled with air. These chambers thus are supposed to form the supporting structure.
The calculations use a script that combines vertical loads with 2D calculations. In this case, this produces a more realistic calculation. The kite is usually directed “against the wind” – the loads are therefore vertically located towards the covering textile.
A large 3d-printer that features a hot end for welding made it possible to realize our plan. Using two sheets of TPU-coated fabric we welded the structure onto the textile.
The picture shows not only the outcome of the “3d-welding” ( flat yellow model) but also previous studies on the structure and the method of welding structures (blue model) .