Throwing Out Conventions: Reimagining Craft-Centered CNC Tool Design through the Digital Pottery Wheel

Abstract

Skilled potters use manual tools with direct material engagement. In contrast, the design of clay 3D printers and workflows reinforces industrial CNC manufacturing conventions. To understand how digital fabrication can serve skilled craft practitioners, we ask: how might clay 3D printing function if it had evolved from traditional pottery tools? To examine this question, we created the Digital Pottery Wheel (DPW), a throwing wheel with 3D printing capabilities. The DPW consists of a polar mechanical architecture that looks and functions like a pottery wheel while supporting 3D printing and a real-time modular control system that blends automated and manual control. We worked with ceramicists to develop interactions that include printing onto thrown forms, throwing to manipulate printed forms, and integrating manual control, recording, and playback to re-execute manually produced forms. We demonstrate how using a physical metaphor to guide digital fabrication machine design results in new products, workflows, and perceptions.