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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Digital fabrication covers more than 3D printing: it includes CNC machining, laser cutting and 3D pens, too. A 2016 Make: roundup by Eric Chu showed the range through nine projects, from useful insoles and storage to a full-size car sculpture and animated discs.
What can you make with digital fabrication?
These examples show how different fabrication methods serve different goals. Some produce useful objects; others turn a machine or material into a way to create movement, spectacle or art. The projects below were featured by Make: in an article published November 17, 2016, so its equipment and material references are historical rather than current recommendations.
| Project | Purpose | Method and notable details |
|---|---|---|
| Deer Rack | A wall-mounted hanger for a hat, charms or a bicycle | CNC-machined from half-inch (12 mm) plywood as a faux-taxidermy trophy |
| Gensole Custom Insoles | Custom-fit shoe insoles | A web app uses 3D foot scans to generate printable insoles |
| World’s Largest 3D Pen Sculpture | A full-size Nissan Qashqai crossover sculpture | Made with a 3Doodler pen; sections were pre-assembled and fused together. Make: reported 800 hours for this project in 2016. |
| Pip Boxes | Storage for small parts and tools | Stackable, print-in-place drawers designed to stay captured so they do not fall out |
| Campbell Planter | A self-watering planter that reuses a can | 3D-printed to fit over the rim of standard-sized soup or soda cans |
| The Pink and Green Domino Machine | Automatically setting up dominoes | A machine by Greg Zumwalt |
| SLO 3D-Printed Camera | A camera with interchangeable optical lenses | Amos Dudley produced it on a Formlabs Form 2 SLA resin printer; the lens needed substantial polishing |
| Z-Purse | A flexible handbag | Dragon Mountain Design used NinjaTek SemiFlex filament; T-shaped edges interlock with slots, without glue or fasteners |
| Laser-Cut Phenakistoscopes | Animated visual effects | Drew Tetz’s laser-cut discs spin on a record turntable and are viewed with a strobe, smartphone or videocam |
Which projects are designed to be useful?
Custom insoles address fit
Gensole takes 3D foot scans as input and generates custom 3D-printable insoles. The project responds to a familiar problem—finding insoles that fit well—by turning a scan into a personalized object. The roundup describes the concept, not clinical validation or a guarantee of fit.
Small-parts drawers and a can-reusing planter solve everyday problems
Pip Boxes are stackable drawers for tools and small parts. Their print-in-place design captures the drawers so they stay in the box rather than sliding free. The Campbell Planter takes a different reuse approach: it clips over the rim of a standard-sized soup or soda can and is designed to water the plant itself.
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A CNC-cut hanger makes plywood decorative
The Deer Rack uses a faux-antler silhouette as a functional hanger. CNC machining shapes half-inch (12 mm) plywood into a piece that can hold items such as a hat, charms or a bicycle.
How do makers use 3D printing and CNC machining?
The projects use these processes for more than producing a finished shell. The Gensole app turns scan data into an insoles design; Pip Boxes rely on print-in-place geometry to keep moving drawers attached; and the SLO camera uses 3D-printed parts in a system with interchangeable optical lenses. These examples also expose the work behind the result: Dudley’s camera lens required substantial polishing, so printing the parts was not the whole fabrication process.
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The CNC-machined Deer Rack illustrates a contrasting workflow: the design is cut from sheet plywood rather than built up layer by layer. That makes the process and material distinct from the printed objects, even though both approaches turn a digital design into a physical item.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which projects lean toward spectacle, play or motion?
A pen-built crossover scales up a hand tool
The full-size Nissan Qashqai sculpture was made with a 3Doodler pen. Its sections were pre-assembled and fused together. Make: reported 800 hours for this particular sculpture in 2016; that figure is not a general estimate for making objects with a 3D pen.
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A machine arranges dominoes
Greg Zumwalt’s Pink and Green Domino Machine automates the setup of dominoes, making the arrangement itself part of the project. It is a playful use of mechanism rather than a simple printed object.
Laser-cut discs turn rotation into animation
A phenakistoscope is an early animation device: a disc with sequential images appears to move when spun and viewed through intermittent flashes. Drew Tetz’s laser-cut versions use a record turntable for rotation and can be viewed with a strobe, smartphone or videocam. Here, laser cutting makes the image-bearing discs; the viewing setup creates the illusion of motion.
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What to take from the examples
- Digital fabrication is a family of methods. The roundup spans 3D printing, CNC machining, laser cutting and 3D pens; no one machine makes all nine projects.
- Practical projects can depend on design as much as the machine. The captured drawers, can-fitting planter and scan-generated insoles each solve a specific use problem through form or customization.
- Some projects are deliberately about experience. The crossover sculpture and phenakistoscopes use fabrication to create scale and motion rather than everyday utility.
- Fabrication may include finishing and assembly. The car sculpture’s sections were fused, and the camera lens required polishing.
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