Muhammad Abdullah, Laurenz Seidel, Ben Wernicke, Mehdi Gouasmi, Anton Hackl, Thomas Kern, Conrad Lempert, Clara Lempert, David Bizer, Wieland Storch, Chiao Fang, and Patrick Baudisch

PopCore is a fabrication technique that laser-cuts 3D models from paper-foam-paper sandwich materials. Its key elements are two laser-cut lever mechanisms that allow users to break off surrounding residue material, thereby “excavating” joints efficiently and with very high precision, which PopCore produces by laser cutting from the top and bottom. This produces flush joints, folded edges that are perfectly straight, and no burn marks—giving models a homogeneous, clean look. This allows applying personal fabrication to new fields, including industrial design, architecture, and packaging design, that require a visual finish beyond what traditional personal fabrication delivers. We present the algorithms and a software tool that generates PopCore automatically. Our user study participants rated PopCore models significantly more visually appealing (7.9/9) than models created using techniques from the related work (4.7/9 and 2.3/9) and suitable for presentation models (11/12 participants), products (10/12 participants) and high-end packaging (10/12 participants).

(a) PopCore's key elements are two laser-cut lever mechanisms that allow users to break off surrounding residue material, thereby “excavating” joints with very high precision, giving models (b) a look that is cleaner and more homogeneous than any prior fabrication technique. (c) PopCore achieves this by laser cutting from both the front and the back. PopCore's clean appearance allows personal fabrication to tackle fields that require a professional look, in particular industrial design, architecture, and high-end packaging design.

As a side effect of cutting from both sides, PopCore naturally allows placing arbitrary features on either side.(a) This allows engraving a recessed press-fit channel. (b) The engraved channel allows press-fitting the frosted acrylic panels that act as diffusers for (c) a lamp which we replicate from HingeCore. (d) PopCore not only supports rectilinear geometry, but also slanted and rounded geometry.