Ryan Murray Studios Design + Build

Ryan Murray

Model Making · Fabrication · Digital Manufacturing  ·  Phoenix, AZ

Teaching in the Era of AI

Essays on teaching, making and the tools reshaping both.

Learning to Speak Game

Building browser simulators to teach CNC machining, what AI actually contributed, and what a dead leaderboard taught me about my students.

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The Closest Thing I Have to a Perpetual Motion Machine

How an $850 invoice rewired what I think is buildable, and why I now ask students to build a tool instead of write an essay.

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Robots and AI for Manufacturing

A case report on a $600 arm, twenty thousand magnets, and the course I am building from an automation project that isn't finished.

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The Data of Breaking Things in Class

A course built on destructive testing turned into a data instrument, and the record of how novices expect failure became the most valuable thing in it.

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Selected Work

Fine metalwork, product design, sculpture, and brand installations, through my studio and Six Seven Studio, for clients including the City of Chandler, The Heard Museum, Carvana, Arizona Biltmore, the Phoenix Suns, and Tostitos. On a commission, the client brings the idea and I handle the design and artwork, engineer how it gets built, program the CNC, and lead my team through fabrication and install. Pieces marked Personal project I developed end to end, from concept to finished object. sixsevenstudio.com ↗

Resume

Model maker and fabricator with 15+ years turning concepts into refined physical prototypes and finished objects. Deep, practical command of CNC machining, laser cutting, 3D printing, moldmaking, casting, and metal fabrication, backed by CAD/CAM programming in Rhino and Fusion 360. Trained at RISD (MFA, Design) with an exacting eye for craft, materials, and finish, now folding AI into digital fabrication workflows.

Experience

Professor of Digital Manufacturing · University of Advancing Technology, Tempe, AZ 2023 to Present
  • Founded and built the university's manufacturing and innovation lab from the ground up, specifying, installing, and programming CNC, additive, and laser equipment.
  • Teach hands on CAD/CAM, CNC machining, digital fabrication, and prototyping; mentor students from concept to finished object.
  • Guide every student through their capstone, helping each find a project matched to their skills and scope and carry it through to completion.
  • Integrate AI, robotics, and additive manufacturing into the making process.
Founder & Principal · Six Seven Studio, Phoenix, AZ 2018 to 2023
  • Designed, fabricated, and finished large scale sculpture, prototypes, and brand installations for the City of Chandler, The Heard Museum, Carvana, Arizona Biltmore, the Phoenix Suns, and Tostitos.
  • Designed and led a team to build the studio's own tooling and fixtures; personally programmed and operated the CNC router, 150W laser cutter, and multiple 3D printers.
  • Took work from CAD through toolpaths to presentation grade finished objects across metal, wood, bronze, and polymer.
Product Designer · R&D Design, Phoenix, AZ 2009 to 2018
  • Prototyped and developed products from concept through production; hands on model making in close collaboration with engineers and manufacturers.
  • Built deep expertise in manufacturing systems, prototyping, and production processes.
Founding Instructor, Fabrication Technologies · TechShop, Chandler, AZ 2013 to 2017
  • Created curriculum in CNC machining, digital fabrication, woodworking, metalworking, and injection molding.
  • Trained entrepreneurs, professionals, and career changers; helped establish one of Arizona's most recognized community fabrication environments.
Fabricator & Exhibit Developer · Burgeon Group, Phoenix, AZ 2007 to 2009
  • Designed, fabricated, and installed educational exhibits for museums and libraries across the United States.

Education

MFA, Design, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, RI
Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching & Learning, Brown University, Providence, RI
BFA, Sculpture, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
AAS, Motion Picture Production, Scottsdale Community College, AZ

Making & Technical Skills

CAD/CAM & digital: Rhino · Fusion 360 · CAD to toolpath CAM programming · FDM/SLA & multiple 3D printing processes · additive manufacturing · AI assisted design & manufacturing

Machining & fabrication: CNC router & mill programming/operation · lathe · 5 axis water jet · 150W laser cutter · manual machine tools · TIG/MIG/oxyacetylene welding · steel & non ferrous fabrication

Molding, casting & finishing: plaster, urethane & silicone rubber, and sand molds · foundry (wax working, furnace operation, bronze casting) · blasting, polishing, hand finishing

Materials: steel · stainless · bronze · brass · aluminum · acrylic · ABS & thermoplastics · wood · Corten

Contact

For new projects please fill out this form and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank you, Ryan Murray

sixsevenstudio.com  ·  @ryanmurraystudios

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