**Digital Fabrication** is a broad field of study that includes advanced manufacturing, computer-controlled machines, computer-assisted design, electronics, and computer-programming.
“How to make (almost) anything”
is the process of incorporating computer automation and control into the fabrication and manufacturing process. It refers to a wide range of digital techologies that produce tangible/physical products or artifacts. This includes but is not limited to 3D printers, cnc routers, laser cutters, robotics, microcontrollers, and physical computing devices.
Credit: Formlabs
Some examples of this include an inkjet printer, 3D printer, laser cutter, and milling machine. There are many different fabrication methods that are able to be controlled by a computer and there are constantly new methods being developed and brought to market. For example, 3D printers, which is a broad term for the additive manufacturing process in which material is fused together rather than removed, to create an object. To date, there are 3D printers that can create objects out of plastic, clay, glass, and more. However, the end product need not be a complex three-dimensional shape. In fact, there are many two-dimensional machnines that offer an easier starting point for learning about digital fabrication. Two-dimensional machines include inkjet printer, paper/vinyl cutters, and laser cutters. These machines
Consider the most common and accessible digital fabrication machine, the inkjet printer. It may even be sitting on your desk or behind you on a shelf right now. example of this is an inkjet printer, which uses a digital document (e.g., word document) as the instructions for controlling where to place the ink of the paper. You, as the end-user, do not think about the fabrication process of getting the ink onto the paper, your primary focus is on the creation of the media or document. The printing of the document has become a near-trivial experience for most people with basic computer skills.
Introduction to Digital Fabrication — Course Slides
Fab Academy — Digital fabrication discussion begins around 13:20 in the video.
Digital Fabrication 101 (Formlabs)