ABSTRACT
This paper introduces the Sustainable Prototyping Life Cycle for Digital Fabrication, an adaptation from the Life Cycle Assessment method that presents the environmental impact of digital fabrication in every prototyping phase. The cycle has four phases: raw materials acquisition, manufacturing and distribution, use, and end of life. It presents designers as manufacturers of their own materials for digital fabrication, and bio-based materials are used as an alternative and sustainable prototyping material. We interviewed ten experts in digital fabrication and introduced the use of bio-based materials such as mycelium-composite for prototyping with digital fabrication. Using experts’ reflections, we conducted a workshop about the environmental impact of prototyping with 22 design students. We reported their decisions on materials used for prototyping and their perception of using mycelium-composite within the Sustainable Prototyping Life Cycle. We aim to increase environmental awareness in prototyping and highlight the importance of designers’ decision-making through the cycle.
PUBLICATION
2020 – Eldy S. Lazaro Vasquez, Hao-Chuan Wang, and Katia Vega. 2020. Introducing the Sustainable Prototyping Life Cycle for Digital Fabrication to Designers. In Proceedings of the 2020 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference DIS ’20, July 6–10, 2020, Eindhoven, Netherlands. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3357236.3395510
🏅 Best Demo Honorable Mention, DIS’20
PDF – Demo video – Video presentation
Myco-sheets biofabrication process and Sustainable Prototyping Life Cycle



Workshop with design students


Interview with Prototyping Experts

Myco-sheets laser cutting testing

Artifacts and electronics enclosures laser cut from and engraved in Myco-sheets



DIS 2020: Presentation Slides
DIS 2020: 10-min Video Presentation
DIS 2020: Demo Session Video