Parametric Joinery. Development of a system of configurable joints

Making joints through traditional methods generally requires time and experience to be made properly and for this reason they are often an expression of quality and prestige. The development of joints is closely linked to design and fabrication technologies available and accessible in a given period. In fact, over the years, the joints have undergone adaptations based not only on specific needs, but also on the development of new tools and machines. Due to the difficulties of making a well-made joint through traditional methods, following the spread of economic fastening means, such as screws, all wooden joints have been partially replaced by joints that require accessories. The connection accessories offer various advantages, such as the realization of joints in less time and they do not require great manual skill compared to the realization of traditional joints. Despite these advantages, this type of joints could be responsible for several critical issues, in particular regarding the environmental impact, the aesthetics, the performance, and the ease of assembly and disassembly of the final product. Nowadays, the diffusion of numerical control production technologies and the development of computerized design techniques offer the possibility of further evolving this field. In fact, thanks to the development of these technologies it is possible to rethink the concept of all wooden joints that could solve the critical issues of the fastening means. However, designing and testing new joints could require time and particular resources. In addition, a new joint is developed based on the characteristics necessary for a given requirement and therefore its adaptation to components with different characteristics could not be immediate. As a result, these solutions could not be easily achievable by many small enterprises. The present research aims to experiment with parametric systems easily adaptable to the characteristics of the various projects and achievable by designers and small enterprises, which could improve their competitiveness.