Digital Fabrication Joints: Educational experience

This research examines students' experimentation skills in the field of digital fabrication for the development of construction joints. The architecture students in charge of the experiment had no previous experience with digital fabrication technologies. However, with specific lessons and the optimization of digital design tools commonly used in their studies, such as CAD software, they were able to achieve results that were useful in understanding the design and production processes of this technology. Ten local FabLabs, maker spaces, and woodworking shops were involved in the manufacturing process. The CNC machines used are those available from the manufacturer partners and represent the most commonly used types: FDM, laser cutter, and miller cutter. The aim of this research is to investigate the accessibility of design and production processes for digital fabrication joints using only the tools that are commonly employed by local manufacturing companies.