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Cricut's Explore 3 is the perfect cutting machine for obsessive crafters
Cricut's Explore 3 is the perfect cutting machine for obsessive crafters, but the costs add up quick.
Shaper's AR-equipped Origin power cutter is going on sale for $2,500
If you've been itching to add AR to your DIY with a handheld CNC, you'll be happy to know that Shaper's Origin augmented reality power cutter will once again be available for purchase. Originally launched in 2016, Origin scans visual markers and then displays a guide on the device's screen to direct where you cut. If you get too far off your design, the blade will retract.
Not every house has rooms that turn 90 degrees, but this one does
It would seem that when Iran isn't busy putting the kibosh down on social media, its architects are designing some pretty crazy ways to beat the weather. Case in point: a seven-floor house in Tehran with three rectangular rooms that can rotate up to 90 degrees in accordance with the season. As Slate tells it, the design was inspired by Iranian mansions of yore that had separate living rooms for both summer and winter. When extended outward, the spaces offer each floor its own terrace. Besides being one hell of a bragging right for its homeowner, the rooms serve a functional purpose as well: the lowest is a breakfast area, the middle a home office and the top was planned as a guest room. How's it all work? Custom CNC-machined mechanisms that function a lot like the turntables used at auto shows do the heavy lifting... err, turning. This isn't the firm's first project to push architectural boundaries, either -- it's also done some bananas design on a house with curved concrete façades and interiors. [Image credit: NextOffice]
Desktop construction gets a boost from the compact Nomad CNC machine
Desktop 3D printers have offered makers their building chops for some time now, and Carbide 3D is looking to do the same with a highly capable CNC machine. This is the Nomad 883: a mill that takes building beyond ABS and PLA plastics to wood, brass, aluminum and more. The unit wields a brushless DC spindle motor that routs designs on an 8 x 8-inch machining area. Sure, we've seen compact CNC options before, all with varying degrees of utility and durability. Here, a solid aluminum frame is enclosed on the sides with either bamboo or plastic and there's a polycarbonate lid to keep noise and dust to a minimum -- key downsides to most CNC equipment. In terms of exact size, the Nomad ticks the tape at 19 x 17 x 16in. (around 48 x 43 x 40cm) and weighs in at a somewhat hefty 50lbs/22.68kg (for comparison, a MakerBot Replicator 2X is 39.25lbs/17.8kg). If you're looking to snag one, you'll have to wait for the fourth production run (set to ship in November) and be willing to part with $1,999. That's a $500 discount for Kickstarter backers, and the price tag includes a smattering of building materials and two software options to get things started.
We carved a custom bottle opener with the free Easel web app
Inventables' Shapeoko 2 desktop computer controlled (CNC) milling machine just got a whole lot more attractive. The company's new Easel tool is a free design and fabrication web app designed for the $650 open-source kit, which launched last October. The new duo will enable you to design objects in 2D with a real-time 3D preview, then "print" your creation using a USB-equipped CNC milling machine (such as the Shapeoko) with wood, plastic or soft metal. Best of all, Inventables has whipped up an interface so straightforward even an Engadget editor could figure it out. Creating designs, such as the bottle opener we tossed together is a simple drag and drop affair, and requires no prior experience. While you should be able to design basic objects in less than five minutes, assembling a Shapeoko can take considerably more time. Fortunately, Zach Kaplan happened to have one ready to go, so we caught up with the Inventables CEO to try out the new cloud-based design tool here at SXSW.
DIWire attempts to fill the gaps left by 3D printers (hands-on)
It brought solar-powered smartphone chargers to the streets of NYC, now Pensa, a Brooklyn-based design firm, is taking on desktop prototyping. Its latest invention, DIWire, is a compact CNC wire bender. A machine designed solely to bend wire clearly has its limitations, but DIWire was actually born from the limitations of more versatile technologies. The team traditionally used a 3D printer to build furniture models, but found that the resulting models didn't stand up to testing. With tiny broken chair legs as inspiration, Pensa set out to make an accessible machine that addressed the laborious nature of hand-bending and the impracticality of mass-production wire bending.
3Doodler pen gets safety feature, attaches to CNC arms to fulfill its 3D printing potential
When we ran into the WobbleWorks team on our recent Berlin trip, they were kindly enough to show off the shipping version of their crowdoverfunded 3D Doodler handheld 3D Printer. Though, when cofounder Max Bogue hinted that the company still had some surprises up its sleeve, he wasn't kidding. Perhaps most interesting is the inclusion of a mounting dock on the pen, which allows you to attach it a CNC machine, fulfilling the pen's 3D printing ambitions. Once attached, you can utilize another port to control the speed buttons remotely, so you can manipulate extrusion without actually touching the device. Also of note is the addition of a silicone tip cover, which serves to protect fingers from the heated metal extruder.
Handibot Smart Tool hits Kickstarter, cuts in 3D with mobile controls (video)
While CNC routers are part-digital by their nature, they haven't really kept up with the times: they're often fixed in place and don't easily adapt to unique tasks. ShopBot Tools hopes to modernize these machines by crowdfunding its Handibot Smart Tool. The device is portable and cuts 3D shapes out of many flat surfaces, but its specialty is the accessible, app-driven control that the fundraising will support. Builders can give the Handibot a wide range of instructions through apps on PCs or (eventually) mobile devices, whether they need a few simple holes or large, ornate patterns. Those pledging support will need to spend at least $1,995 to get a Handibot this September, assuming ShopBot reaches its $125,000 goal; still, it may be worth the cost for any workshop enthusiast who feels limited by existing tools.
MakerPlane lets you build an experimental aircraft with digital printers
If you're a member of that mildly crazy tribe who want to build and actually fly their own airplane, MakerPlane has a new way of enabling your obsession. The open source aviation organization will allow you to download its plans and schematics for free, then build your plane's parts using CNC (computer numerically controlled) mills and 3D printers. If you don't have one of those lying around, you'll be able to go to a "makerspace" replete with all the necessary tools to get your wings whipped up, instead. As for keeping the blue side up, open source avionics software will also be included, allowing bold dabblers to create digital flight instruments and displays. For now, the group is working on its first set of plans, led by an aeronautical engineer volunteer, and hopes to have that design (shown above) flying in time for the Oshkosh airshow in 2014. While you're waiting, start looking for trusting souls brave enough to fly in a small plane you built yourself.
Kikori CNC gantry router eyes-on (video)
Judah Sher's cubicle wasn't originally on our slate of scheduled stops during yesterday's trip to the Artisan's Asylum hacker space in Somerville, Massachusetts, but the man behind the Kikori CNC gantry router lured us in with a rather large piece of plywood leaned up against a wall, reading "Sindrian Arts Welcomes Engadget," our familiar logo carved out in big letters. The wood was cut in Sher's sawdust-covered space, using the Kikori, one of the more unwieldy devices in the space's 118 cubes.
Roland's iModela 3D milling machine: it's a crafty tool
3D printing. Sure, that's pretty neat, but there are other ways to make three dimensional objects at home. Roland's new iModela, for example, is an "affordable" ($899) digital hobby mill that can carve 3D shapes, jewelry, textures and prototypes out of balsa wood, foam, modelling wax and plastics. Projects definitely need to be more on the petite side, but the 3.39inch x 2.17inch x 1.02inch milling area should be good for a wide range of small craft creations. The iModela comes with all the cutting tools, software and materials you need to get started, but if you've already been tinkering with ideas, there's also compatibility with other "popular" CAD software. Want to get making right away? Tap the source, or hit the PR after the break for more info.
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Alliances MMORTS announced
"I gotta present for ya!" What RTS fan doesn't remember the classic Command & Conquer franchise with extreme fondness? If you're one of the legions of supporters, then this is a good time to be alive. It seems as though C&C is slated for a revival soon, with BioWare working on Command & Conquers Generals 2 and EA prepping Command & Conquer: Tiberian Alliances. The recently announced Tiberian Alliances is being shaped as a free-to-play MMORTS in which players can choose one of three factions (The Forgotten, GDI, and NOD) and duke it out over a war-torn battlefield. Developed by German studio Phenomic, Tiberian Alliances will be playable in a browser and is currently accepting applications for its beta testing program. Will this be the MMORTS for you or will you call in an orbital strike on its prospects? Hit the jump to see the announcement trailer for your first taste of the latest chapter in C&C history.
Stradivarius violin recreated from CAT scan, 'sounds amazingly similar'
We've seen all kinds of crazy things being printed -- from bones to blood vessels -- and now you can add antique violins to that list. Music loving Radiologist Steven Sirr popped his into a CAT scanner to see what it was made of, then showed the results to a violin-making friend. Curiosity soon led them to scan everything from guitars to mandolins, so when the chance to take a peek inside a 307-year-old Stradivarius came up, how could they resist? 1000 scans later, the files were converted to 3D CAD format and another violin maker enlisted. Crucially, the images show the density of the wood all the way through, allowing a CNC machine to carve out copies of each section, with different woods used to match the differing densities. With all the parts in place and a lick of varnish, the replicas were complete. Sirr claims the copies sound "amazingly similar" to the original, but we are unsure if he plans to make it open-source.
Insert Coin: SeeMeCNC H-1 cuts entry price to the world of 3D printing
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. Maybe it was the Turtle Shell racers, or the ability to crowdsource homes for crabs, but we're enthralled with the potential of 3D printers. Now, SeeMeCNC is looking to offer up its skeletal H-1 as "the most affordable" entry-level three-dimensional printer available. Its design roots come from the open source RepRap's latest self-replicating machine, the Huxley. However, there are a few differences here. SeeMeCNC has replaced several parts for injection molding, which apparently shaves a substantial chunk off the manufacturing costs. This includes using plastic roller bearings instead of metal bearings, while the machine has also been readjusted to inch measurements. Fans of the imperial system and 3D printing antics can peer beyond the break to judge whether the cut-price printer will still cut the mustard.
Wooden Sega Saturn laptop sits nicely on your antique dresser
If there's one thing better than a new Ben Heck mod, it's seeing something his army of apprentices has cooked up. This time, Turkish modder c_mon has produced a striking wooden Sega Saturn laptop. It's got a 5-inch LCD screen pulled from a Sony PSOne in the lid, built-in speakers and a fan to keep things cool in the enclosure. The case copies the mould lines from the original Saturn, with the natty addition of an electroluminescent wire that puts us in mind of Tron when the device is running. Keen-eyed visitors to our gallery below will notice that the laptop's lid actually bears the logo of Saturn automobiles -- it's deliberate as the modder couldn't get his CNC (Computer Numerical Control) cutter to play nicely with Sega's curved logo. Incorrect marque or not, we can all agree it's much more handsome than previous efforts. %Gallery-133881%
WikiHouse promises printable homes, work for the world's idle CNC routers
If you want something done right, do it yourself. That includes building a house, but that's a project out of reach for many DIYers. Enter WikiHouse, a community for open-source home designs. There you can mix and match architectural plans using Google SketchUp; once you've settled on your dream home, just print to your waiting CNC router and start building. That's the idea, anyway: the site's still under construction, with the designers planning to debut the first WikiHouse in September during South Korea's Gwangju Design Biennale 2011. Sure, it certainly won't be as flashy as Electronic House's Home of the Year, where wall-mounted iPads control the shower temperature, or Sharp's prototype zero-emission house, with its 180-inch LCD. But does suggest a new, DIY way of thinking about the "home of the future."
CNC machine carves dot drawing portraits for your living room walls
Fancy seeing your mug enlarged to halftone-processed heights? You're in luck, because Finnish modder Metalfusion has a homebrew solution for those Wall Street Journal-style hedcut delusions. Using a specially designed image conversion program, the DIY hobbyist tranforms .jpg, .gif or .png files into DXF-formatted dot patterns of varying density. The resulting images are then fed directly into a CNC machine where a drill is left to make the wood-carved magic happen. Need some visual confirmation of this awesome feat, then head past the break for a video demo of this old-timey optical illusion.
MTM Snap project lets you build your own CNC machine so you can build more stuff
It may not be quite capable enough to let you build your own Weighted Companion Cube, but those looking to try their hand at a DIY CNC milling machine won't likely find many more straightforward options than the MTM Snap. Built by Jonathan Ward of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms, the machine itself is constructed from some high-density polyethylene parts milled on a ShopBot (which simply snap together as the name suggests), and it's controlled by an Arduino board that lets you operate it from any Mac, Windows or Linux computer. Unfortunately, you can't simply buy a kit and piece it all together, but Jonathan's made all of the plans for building your own available, and says it shouldn't cost you any more than $700 from start to finish. Head on past the break for a video of the finished product in action.
CNC mill and Sixaxis controller make beautiful DIY music together (video)
Have you ever thought to yourself, "my CNC mill is pretty cool, but I really want to make it more awesomer"? Well, first, "awesomer" totally isn't word, and second, have we got a hack for you! A reader wrote in to the DIY hub Adafruit to show off his CNC being operated by a PS3 Sixaxis controller -- mimicking features found on high-end machines that allow you to trigger jobs from a distance and manually control the mill. Best of all, it's a pretty simple mod that uses a program called QtsixA to map the gamepad as a keyboard and mouse, allowing you to interact with a Linux box running EMC2, which is used for controlling the mill, lathe, plasma torch, or a number of other fun and dangerous tools. Check out the video after the break.
DIYer builds his own CNC mill, fabricates a Weighted Companion Cube to show off
So you've built your own homebrew CNC mill and want to test out some recent modifications? That's a question few ever have to ask themselves, but DIYer Jamie Nasiatka recently did, and came up with the bright idea of making his very own Weighted Companion Cube. As you can see above, things turned up pretty well, and you can check out the complete build process at the source link below -- yes, it lights up, and changes colors. Let's just hope no one tries to throw this cube through a Portal t-shirt.
