Melt | Remelt

Domestic fabrication; at MIT, 2021

This project attempts to use everyday materials to reshape everyday space. A desktop CNC machine, “Tiny Z”, was assembled from scratch with standard hardwares components. Wax was selected as the primary material for its low-waste potential - it can be repeatedly transformed through the application of heat. By integrating a pyrography pen and custom 3D-printed parts with G-code controlling, Tiny Z was reimagined as a precision wax-sculpting tool. Unlike larger CNC machines, this petite device allows for highly delicate surface patterning. The resulting workflow of “melt - remelt”, produces small, doubly curved wax bricks with unique textures. When aggregated, these components are intended to reconfigure domestic thresholds, subtly transforming the experience of passing through. (The full-scale realization was constrained by lots of COVID-era limitations.)

Special thanks to instructor Zain Karsan