Computer numerical control (CNC) routers, mills and lasers have enabled engineers, designers and hobbyists to create various complex forms and designs through the process of subtractive manufacturing. Whereas CNC-routers and -lasers are generally used to machine flat 2D shapes out of stock sheets of various kinds of materials, CNC mills are used to create full 3D designs. Even though the machines are capable of creating very intricate and detailed parts, the machines themselves are very large and rigid contraptions. Owning a CNC machine often involves making the decision of either giving up a large amount of workspace, simply to be able to house the machine itself and manufacture large parts. Or saving space by choosing a desktop style CNC machine which comes at the cost of a smaller build area and lesser capabilities.
In order to allow the user to not have to choose between workspace or build area the following design statement was created;

Designing a ‘one size fits all’ resizable CNC router to enable designers, engineers and hobbyists to manufacture (large) parts without the need to compromise valuable workspace. Providing true flexibility to the user in terms of work- and build area.

This design statement laid the foundation for the entire project. In order to fulfil the statement, a resizable CNC router was designed and a fully functional prototype was created.

The concept of this resizable router was achieved by taking a closer look at existing solutions and machines as well as the different users and contexts in which the machines operate, in order to gain a better understanding and derive requirements for the design.
The process taken during the project could be categorized into three different phases; The Research/Analysis Phase, The Idea Generation Phase and the Embodiment/Materialisation Phase. A number of fitting design tools, techniques and methodologies have been implemented during the three different phases of the project. Respectively the most important design tools/techniques that have been implemented were;
A ‘Function Analysis’ which resulted in a ‘Function Structure’ (which formed the basis for the List of Requirements), ‘The Fish Trap Model’ which was used to generate ideas and create the concept and finally the most important model used during this project was the ‘Build Measure Learn’ (BML) loop. The Build Measure Learn loop was kept in mind during the entire process of this project, it describes a process of prototyping, evaluating and reiterating in order to create functional and valuable prototypes in a fast-paced manner.

With the help of the previously mentioned design tools, methods and techniques a design was realized for a resizable CNC router. This design was supported and evaluated with the help of the creation of a fully functional prototype.