PacCAM: material capture and interactive 2D packing for efficient material usage on CNC cutting machines

The availability of low-cost digital fabrication devices enables new groups of users to participate in the design and fabrication of things. However, software to assist in the transition from design to actual fabrication is currently overlooked. In this paper, we introduce PacCAM, a system for packing 2D parts within a given source material for fabrication using 2D cutting machines. Our solution combines computer vision to capture the source material shape with a user interface that incorporates 2D rigid body simulation and snapping. A user study demonstrated that participants could make layouts faster with our system compared with using traditional drafting tools. PacCAM caters to a variety of 2D fabrication applications and can contribute to the reduction of material waste.