Paper Tearing Machine
The sound of tearing paper is the one sound that makes me want to run out of the world. So I imagined a machine that can produce this faulty sound for as long as possible.
Thanks to its gear system, the Paper Tearing Machine tears an A4 sheet in two in roughly 3 minutes at a comfortable cranking pace, producing an even tearing sound throughout. The project grew out of a university assignment to build a sound-producing kinetic installation on the theme of “error”.
Thanks to its gear system, the Paper Tearing Machine tears an A4 sheet in two in roughly 3 minutes at a comfortable cranking pace, producing an even tearing sound throughout. The project grew out of a university assignment to build a sound-producing kinetic installation on the theme of “error”.
Info
Design
Supervisor
Genre
Year
Design
Supervisor
Antal Bodóczky
Genre
kinetic installation
Year
How It Was Made
After experimenting my way to the ideal tearing speed, I calculated the gear ratios and built a 3D model of the installation. I laser-cut the acrylic parts from that model and turned the aluminium shafts on a lathe. I then glued stiffeners next to the gears and bolted the structure together. A spring makes sure that once the paper has torn completely, the arms of the machine snap back to their starting position.
