The reconfiguration of tool parameters in clay extruder

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS), which have emerged with mass customization in the industry, allow the tool or system parameters to be adjusted in a controlled manner to produce customized products. Although the reconfigurable manufacturing systems have been applied in building and construction for waste, time, and cost reduction in producing specific mold forms at a prototype level, their utilization in additive manufacturing (extrusion) has not been explored. This paper presents, initial steps of ongoing research on the development of reconfigurable tools and workflow by transforming the tool's rigid parts with controlled parametric movable parts. The clay extruder tool used in crafts is transformed into a reconfigurable extruder tool that allows making customized forms. In the experimental setup, die combinations and tool head rotations are examined with the proposed Extrusion-based Making Grammar (EbMG). Produced forms illustrate the variations of the design space in relation to the rule sets. Here, a rule-based approach is found to be efficient for controlling the making parameters. This study explored the potentials of transforming a rigid craft tool into a customizable tool that allow the generation of product variation. It presents the preliminary stage of transforming craft tools into further digital craft tools.