ABSTRACT
The concept of ‘Digital Forming’ was first coined by Assa Ashuach in 2005 and later developed into a commercial company in 2009 with the aim of unlocking product design and co-creativity online. Digital Forming facilitated the design of everyday products, using synthesis of innovative 3D software solutions, through the online personalisation and shape modification of products. In addition considerable saving can be made by utilising the concept of postcode production, where products can be produced locally via the intelligent assignment of the user’s submitted designs. By enhancing the end-user’s participation in relation to the product design process and linking it to that of a designer, key benefits can also be derived. These include both optimised, tailor-made and therefore better-fitting products and an increased attachment to owned artefacts. This architecture also provides producers with the means to capitalise on their redundant production capacities, by ensuring that their otherwise non-used machine space is utilised. In addition, this benefits users with improved delivery times resulting from an optimised production and supply chain. This in turn reduces carbon footprint, and with an on-demand production process, the conventional storage and logistic issues for mass produced items are removed. Finally, the concept and work carried out within ‘training objects’ (an intelligent platform for the use of personal data to design and produce optimised product) is introduced.
