An Origami Paper Creasing Device

Abstract

Origami, the centuries-old art of paper folding, has been found in recent years to have many uses in technological fields and as a therapeutical tool. Previous work has been done to automate the process of folding origami models by creating robotic arms that can fold very simple models. This project aims to explore a way to supplement the origami folding process without entirely replacing it, and is capable of aiding the creation of models of any complexity. This was accomplished by building a device that automates half of the origami folding process by pre-creasing paper according to a crease pattern. An XYZ translation stage was built to move a sharp stylus across a sheet of paper with a soft surface underneath, creating creases by applying pressure and scoring the paper. Various soft surface and stylus combinations were tested to create an optimal crease. An intuitive graphical user interface was created to control the device and design custom crease patterns. The final device was shown to be able to successfully crease a complicated pattern at least as quickly as an experienced human origami folder.