Journey of the Pineapple

Applied Skills

Making Skills

Casting

Mould Making | Lost Wax Casting | Aluminium

Metal Work

Cutting | Grinding | Polishing

Software Skills

Autodesk Fusion 360

CAD Design

Autodesk Meshmixer

Combining photogrammetry OBJ files

Blender

Parametric Design | Rendering

Photo Catch

Photogrammetry

Project Overview

Exploring Digital Form Through Traditional Metalwork

This project began with a simple fruit - the pineapple - as a lens to explore its global journey, symbolism, and future potential. I used it as a metaphor for transformation across time, space, and culture, crafting seven digital models that reinterpret the pineapple through mesh mixing, photogrammetry, parametric design, and 3D modeling.


From these digital studies, I selected two models to physically recreate using metalworking. One involved plasma cutting, bending, and welding steel components into a sculptural, textured form. The other used lost-wax casting to reproduce a digital file in aluminum.


This project pushed my skills in both digital and physical fabrication, while exploring how form, process, and meaning intersect across materials.

Digital Explorations

  1. Pineapple Fingers

  2. Waves

  3. Spinning Pineapple

  4. Minimal Pineapple

  5. Loosing Faces

  6. Peal Away The Skin

  7. Blend of Species

Physical Realisation

Made using the lost-wax casting process.
A wax model - formed from a silicon mould of a clay and PLA original - was attached to a wax tree, encased in plaster, and then melted out to create a cavity. Molten aluminium was poured into the mould to form the final piece. The surface was finished through filing and grinding to enhance texture and form.

Made from plasma-cut mild steel.
Flat steel sheets were precisely cut using a plasma cutter, then hand-bent and welded to create the final structure. Tubes were added to echo the pineapple’s texture, and the whole piece was finished using a sandblaster to create a matte, textured surface.

Casting process
Prepare a model | Create a silicon mould | Create a wax copy with silicon mould | Prepare running system for casting | Pour metal

Castingrocess
Prepare a model | Create a silicon mould | Create a wax copy with silicon mould | Prepare running system for casting | Pour metal

Plasma making process
Prepare a CAD file | Plasma cut material | Bend sheet | MIG weld together | Cut pipe

Project Reflection

This project helped me bridge digital design with traditional metalworking techniques. Although I had some prior experience, working with metal still felt like unfamiliar ground. Through casting, welding, and surface finishing, I gained hands-on insight into translating speculative digital forms into tangible, physical objects

lachlanhopedesign©

lachlanhopedesign©