Incredible CNC milled columns designed with Processing

These astoundingly intricate columns by Michael Hansmeyer were designed in Processing using a subdivision process before being CNC milled slice by slice from 1mm ABS plastic. Yes, I did say 1mm.

As you might imagine, this means that each column has an enormous number of layers, 2700 in fact. Each column has a core of wood and iron to keep all those layers in place and support what must be significant weight.

Creating long-range wifi links with CNC cut

This project was designed to provide WiFi to small communities in Afghanistan and Kenya using off-the-shelf wireless routers for a total cost of $60 per unit. While the design was originally intended to be made with CNC routing, the locals quickly started making more by hand.

Wonderful onion dome structures — the Zome

Rob Bell, a maker with a professional background in software development has creates interesting temporary structures with Sketchup Pro and a Shopbot CNC Router. His clever joinery details allow the structures to be assembled without the use of tools.
More images and video after the jump…

Bell demonstrates the usefulness of code when designing. To save time creating geometric forms, he makes Ruby scripts to generate the geometry. He has released several scripts including Zome Builder for Sketchup.

Emphasis on testing ideas is key to how Bell designs, he suggests to “Start small and make small prototypes so you don’t waste your time, material or your money.”

Bell has some encouraging advice for people who are makers in other fields – “The type of skills and thinking that make someone a good software engineer are the same skills that make a solid craftsman, designer and builder.”

Brilliant new multi-material desks from Because We Can

With wood, resin, CNC tools and Talent, Oakland’s incredible furniture studio Because We Can turns out another masterpiece.

 I’ve been a fan of Because We Can for a long time, so much so that I filmed an interview about their work and philosophy. They’re incredibly open about their business model, methods, and techniques. They’ve even given free lectures on how to follow in their footsteps.

Their latest project is a set of interlocked swiveling tables for a San Fransisco home and I have to say I’m astounded. They’re made from wood and aluminum sheets routed on a ShopBot. The real brilliant part comes in how they’ve etched the surface of the table tops using an engraving bit, and then filled the resulting voids with contrasting resin. The finished table is, I think you’ll agree, stunning. 

They’ve also made a short film about the production of the piece.

CNC routing helps surfing become more sustainable

In a sport that is highly attuned to the rhythms of nature, Mike Grobelny’s Clean Waves design is making ripples toward a greener future.

Typical surfboards contain resins, polyurethane foams and fibreglass, none of which are easy to breakdown or reuse once the resin has cured. However not Clean Waves…

Completed as part of a student project at Auckland’s AUT, product design graduate Mike Grobelny’s board is an uncompromising design and has already caught the attention of many in design circles. Grobelny is a finalist in the Best Awards, the New Zealand design awards, a finalist in the IDEA international design awards competition, and was recently featured in idealog, a NZ business, design and innovation magazine.

Adhering to the cradle to cradle approach of product life cycle design has ensured the consideration of every aspect of the board’s impact on the environment. The design called for the close scrutiny of timber. Grobelny settled on bamboo and paulownia – selected for their fast growth rate and thus suitable for sustainable management. Minimizing the impact and achieving a green board included even the lacquer finish which is biodegradable.

The hexagonal pattern was CNC routed into the timber – increases buoyancy and reduces weight, but maintains the structural rigidity important for carving up waves.

Grobelny’s timelapse design process and use of CNC routing on dual sided compound curved surfaces.A jig is used to hold the milled side in place while the router mills out the opposite face.

Giant CNC’d Scrabble

I suspect this was cut out at MITers or the ShopBot in the basement of the Media Lab, but my knowledge of the MIT CNC machines isn’t as extensive as it once was. There is pretty much unlimited coolness that can be achieved with a giant computer controlled wood router ready to do your bidding.

I also think someone laid the word RAZED on a triple word score for a total of 43 points. Not too shabby.

CNC Routing

Overshadowed somewhat in recent years by laser cutting and 3D printing, CNC routing remains a fabrication technology with enormous potential. It can be used with more materials than 3D printing and creates 3D shapes more easily than laser cutting. These ten examples show this technique at its best.