Proto-Pack: A Procedural Modular Prototyping Toolkit for Sustainable Packaging Design

Packaging design has witnessed an impressive transformation with the rise of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer numerical control (CNC) machines. Like many CNC-reliant practices, there is an inherent cost to working through the CAD-CAM workflow, especially when fit and measurement are involved. Although quick to generate prototypes, the workflow is also quick to consume materials leading to unsustainable design practices. Here, we present a more sustainable packaging design process through Proto-Pack, a CAD toolkit for procedurally generating modular, reusable, and reconfigurable packaging building blocks that increase a prototype’s lifespan and utility. We show how Proto-Pack can be used to enable a sustainable workflow that reduces design footprints, supports thinking through doing, and encourages reuse of materials.