In the second episode of the You Create Podcast, we discuss why you would want a CNC machine and what things were like before CNC.
I spend some time talking about the advantages as well as things to consider when looking to purchase a system. This episode was also geared towards a general audience, specifically beginners. We will get into more detailed stuff as the weeks progress, but since this is a new podcast, I want to be sure to cover a lot of the basics, even before someone makes a purchase.
In this episode we discuss:
- Life before CNC
- Hand tools
- Complicated measuring
- Lots of math
- Required a lot of skill and patience
- Considered an art form
- Different tools for different materials
- Limited types of things you could create
- Advantages of a CNC
- Automation
- Reduced skill level
- Less risk of mistakes
- More productivity
- More precise than hand work
- Repeatability
- Flexibility
- Eliminiate the need for many hand tools
- Shorter lead times
- Less waste material
- Great family activity
- What are the limitations?
- Physical size of the machine
- Power Requirements
- Still need hand tools for finishing and preparing material to mill
- Work area size based on projects that you want to create
- What to look for in a CNC machine?
- Rigidity
- Manufacturer Support
- Parts Availability
- Optional Accessories
- What materials can you CNC?
- Woods
- Plastics
- Foam
- Carbon Fiber
- Wax
- Rubber
- Fiberglass
- Aluminum
- Brass
- and much more…
- What projects can you CNC?
- Draw from scratch
- Sketchup
- Inkscape
- Download a premade project – Thingiverse.com
- Scan and trace a part
- Vectric’s Image Tracing (vectorization) feature
- Online service to hire someone to create your drawing
- elance.com
- fiverr.com
- Draw from scratch
To view a transcript of this episode, please click HERE
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