The 3-day Digital Making workshop introduced students to working with algorithmic logic, and digital fabrication machines, with a focus on using the 5-axis CNC.
In teams of 5, students designed and fabricated a lantern using one sheet of 10 mm plywood (2440×1220) as their primary material. Students worked from the design of a component and joint to a system. There are many factors to consider in the design of the lantern including form, support, position, and how it filters light. These factors must be balanced with the method of fabrication and assembly, including tools to use, toolpath efficacy and efficiency. Students will begin by designing a component, by cutting and joining material by hand before converting their analog process, with the tutor’s help, to a digital process using Rhino and Grasshopper, and into geometry for fabrication with the CNC mill.