ABSTRACT
A quick scan of digital fabrication research across the academy suggests that computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is most common in mechanical engineering, architecture, design, and urban planning departments (Goertz and Morgan 2014: n. pag.). For two examples among many, consider Taubman College’s Digital Fab Lab at the University of Michigan and the John H. Daniels Faculty Fab Lab at the University of Toronto. Inspired by Neil Gershenfeld’s groundbreaking work at MIT (2005), digital fabrication – or the creation of digital models in tactile form using additive or subtractive computer numerical control (CNC) techniques – appeals to practitioners in these fields because it tightens the loop between screen and prototype, code and material, idea and object. It also allows those practitioners to better anticipate surprises, reduce error in the manufacturing process, and rapidly test their ideas before projects are delivered for small-or large-batch production. But, aside from a few recent publications (e.g. Elliott et al. 2012 and Kee 2014), very little attention has been paid to the relevance of CAM techniques to arts and humanities research. In response to such a lack, below we walk readers through the particulars of digital fabrication, with an emphasis on materials design, digital/analog convergence, and manufacturing techniques such as 3-D printing, cutting, etching, routing, and milling. Ultimately, our aim is to demystify digital fabrication for researchers who are new to it, giving them a granular sense of computer-aided manufacturing before they start a lab, acquire equipment and materials, commit to a specific technique, or even write about it from a critical perspective.
