KNOUNIDESIGNS.
by Stepan Knouni
Power Cell
This project also explores the idea of stripping the function from an object, only to leave behind its form. It is constructed by a 3x3 matrix of bronze casted AA batteries. The batteries emerge from the black acrylic base symbolizing the increasing dependency of our society in electric energy.
Project Overview
A flexible box mold of a AA battery.
The mold was the used to cast wax copies of the battery. A wax spruce system was set up in order to be invested. The wax will be burned out after the investment has cured to make room for the bronze
The wax spruce system was then invested. A vacuum chamber was used to ensure minimal air bubbles where trapped in the investment.
In preparation for the pour, an appropriate amount of bronze was weighted and placed inside the special centrifuge flask. The small size of the casting allowed the pour to be done on the centrifuge displayed below in the right.
After the crucible was brought up to the bronze melting temperature, it was placed inside the centrifuge to complete the pour. Below there is a clip of the centrifuge pouring process. This pour was executed by a classmate of mine, but the exact same process was used by me, for my piece.
Centrifuge Pour
After the brozne cooled down it was taken out of the investment and the remaining plaster was cleaned off. The last step is to polish the two pieces and correct the imperfections that were created by the casting process.