Case Study: Pilchuck Glass School achieves new glass textures and molds with ShopBot Handibot

Pilchuck Glass School creates 18-inch vase with ShopBot Tools’ Handibot

The Pilchuck Glass School, an institution focused on glass arts, sought to explore how generative design and digital fabrication could create new forms and textures in glasswork. To aid in this artistic exploration, they utilized a Handibot Smart Power Tool provided by ShopBot Tools, Inc.

ShopBot Tools' portable and flexible Handibot enabled the resident artists to create precise wooden molds, textured roll plates, and graphite plates. A key result was the creation of "Iceberg," an 18-inch high vase, for which the Handibot machined a large, textured roll plate using a tiling technique. This successful integration of CNC technology demonstrated a novel method for imparting complex digital designs onto glass.

Pilchuck Glass School