Laser cutting in architectural model making 

Kohn Pedersen Fox is a renowned international architectural practice with studios in New York, London and a growing presence in Shanghai. The practice offers full architectural design, programming, urban design, master planning as well as product design services for clients in both the public and the private sector. Through 30 years of practice KPF has become one of the most respected architectural firms in the world. More than 200 won awards prove KPF’s commitment to design excellence and customer satisfaction.

www.kpf.com

The model is a crucial presentation tool in architecture. In order to truthfully represent a project, the model has to be finely detailed and exactly to scale. At KPF, a large range of materials is used in model making. Paper, cardboard, wood, veneer and plastics have to be cut into model components with accuracy and precision. Architectural model making is an extremely precise craft. All parts used for a model must be of outstanding accuracy and quality. Therefore, the cutting system has to provide excellent results on different materials and for all sorts of geometries. As the applied materials are generally very thin, it is important that the cutting system does not damage them during the cutting process. Deadlines in the architectural business are often very tight. Therefore, it is crucial that the cutting tool is highly reliable and easy to operate.

The CO2 laser Speedy 300 from Trotec is the perfect cutting system for KPF. Thanks to its extremely fine laser beam the flatbed system realizes excellent cutting results on a large range of materials and even for the most complex geometries. On its large working area the Speedy 300 processes materials up to 726 mm by 432 mm at high speed and with the utmost repeat accuracy. The Speedy 300 works contactfree. Therefore, the processed material will lie flat without

having to be clamped—this ensures that materials will remain completely intact.

Trotec laser cutting technology provides a software package that makes working on the Speedy 300 very intuitive and user-friendly. Furthermore, the flexible interface to

various graphics programmes allows direct transfer of files. The high processing speed and reliability of the Speedy 300, as well as the outstanding quality cutting, allow KPF to work a lot more efficiently than with traditional cutting tools.