Personal-Scale Manufacturing

The use of affordable, accessible manufacturing tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines by individuals or small groups to produce custom physical objects, as opposed to relying on industrial-scale production. In the context of assistive technology, personal-scale manufacturing enables people with disabilities, their caregivers, and non-engineers to create customised assistive devices tailored to specific needs. These tools lower the barriers to fabrication by being computer-controlled, requiring no specialised manual skills like welding or machining, and producing objects from digital design files that can be freely shared through online communities.