TOOLS AS AGENTS IN DESIGN AND MAKING PROCESSES

The inversion of knowledge structure in electronics prototyping platform has allowed designers and architects to design and build reasonably stable mechatronic systems to aid novel material production; these new and hacked computer numeric controlled (CNC) machines are used to explore emerging material constructs and facilitate generative design processes. This paper examines tool making and questions the agentive capacity of such tools in design processes through a case study of a bespoke CNC machine which uses vacuum thermoforming techniques. Through understanding the agentive capacity of CNC tools, the authors suggest that the knowledge structure of tool making is distinctly different from fabrication workflow. This paper proposes an alternative means of understanding the capacity of CNC tools in the design and making process.