Digitization of technological processes in design

Research team:

doc. Mgr. art. Marcel Bencik ArtD., Mgr. art. Juraj Blaško ArtD., Doc. Mgr. art. Sylvia Jokelová, doc. Mgr. Miroslav Debnar, doc. Ferdinand Chrenka, acad. soch., prof. Júlia Sabová akad. mal., doc. M.A. Blanka Cepková, doc. M.A. Maria Fulkova, prof. Štefan Klein akad. soch., Mgr. art. Peter Zelman, M.Sc. art. Peter Machata, M.Sc. Peter Baumann, M.Sc. Soňa Sadilková, doc. Pavol Choma, acad. mal., prof. Stanislav Stankoci, acad. mal., doc. Mgr. art. Pavol Bálik ArtD., Doc. Mgr. art. Ján Šicko, ArtD., Mgr. art. Eva Brezinova, Mgr. art. Ondrej Gavalda, M.Sc. art. Peter Nosal, Mgr. Maria Riskova, prof. Júlia Sabová, acad. mal., Mgr. art. Barbora Peuch, ArtD., Mgr. art. Zuzana Sidlikova, Mgr. art. Eva Veselá, Mgr. art. Michal Tornyai

Project description:

The project involved three departments that already cooperate with industry as standard - the Department of Textile Design, the Department of Visual Communication and the Department of Design. By modernizing the technological infrastructure, this cooperation has reached a higher level and intensified the transfer of creative potential and applied research in the field of design towards practice.

Thanks to the project, specialized laboratories focused on research in the field of application of digital technologies into design practice were established at individual departments.

Thanks to the project, the digital laboratory of the Department of Textile Creation has several unique implementation technologies supported by appropriate software equipment, which enable the design and implementation of professional outputs in this area. These include digital rugged TC 2 supported by Arahne software, the most current method of hair carpet production - tafting, professional sewing and ironing technology with a workplace for digitizing cuts, Silver reed 830 digital knitting machines with DesignaKnit8 software.

Digital cross-country TC 2 are the most modern technology of its kind intended for the development of experimental fabrics, ie it is intended mainly for schools and design studios. The possibilities of the device allow not only the realization of utility and home textiles, but also tapestries and hanging paintings. Arahne support software has been developed for digital fabric design, speeding up the process and expanding patterning capabilities. The Arahpaint component works with the design of fabrics for printing, in Arahweave the binding structures for leaf fabrics and jacquard are constructed. Working title: Project (Fig.) As outputs for TC 2.

Three laboratories of various specializations were established at the Department of Visual Communication: MediaLab, TypoLab and a bookbinding workshop. As part of the project, these workplaces were enriched with the most modern software and hardware equipment, e.g. high-performance printing and copying device, which, in addition to full-color printing, also enables the implementation of a simple binding of the publication.

Within the project, the research team at TypoLab focused on the digitization of historical fonts, which often existed only in sketches of the original authors. By converting them to digital form, these fonts were given a new chance for use in contemporary media. MediaLab creates a technological and theoretical background for the research of phenomena such as interactivity, process and generative approaches, modifiability, parametric design and a focus on interactivity. Within the project, the research team focused on examining tools, interfaces and the creation of prototypes that were verified in a real environment (exhibitions, presentations, performances).

The Department of Design has established a specialized workplace Laboratory of Digital Technologies of the Department of Design, which focuses on the implementation of prototypes. Thanks to the project, it is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies such as CNC 5 axis milling machine Dynamic FC 3000, CNC polystyrene cutter ThermoCut Pro 120, laser cutting system Epilog Legend 36 EXT, or system for vacuum casting of plastics. This equipment enables the implementation of a wide range of models, prototypes and limited series of products in the field of design, as well as other artistic disciplines such as. architecture, applied art, sculpture ...

The results of the project were successfully presented at the exhibition "Working title: Project" in the gallery of the Slovak Center for Design Satellite 15. - 24. 5. 2015.

The accompanying event of the exhibition was also the conference "Digitization of Technological Processes in Design II", where invited experts and teachers involved in the project evaluated its course and results in the context of current events in the field. A collection of lectures was published for the conference.