Topologically optimized cast glass: A new design approach for loadbearing monolithic glass components of reduced annealing time

Up to now, fabricating cast glass components of substantial mass and/or thickness involves a lengthy and perplex annealing process. This has limited the use of this glass manufacturing method in the built environment to simple objects up to the size of regular building bricks, which can be annealed within a few hours. For the first time,...

Rethinking the Cast Glass Mould: An Exploration on Novel Techniques for Generating Complex and Customized Geometries

This paper explores two alternative mould fabrication technologies that allow for the casting of (solid) glass components with a great degree of freedom in shape and size and/or of a customized design, in a cost-efficient way. In specific, the paper discusses the research, design and experimental work conducted at TU Delft on 3D-printed sand...