[HH] The Othermill: a desktop CNC

[Tom Metro]

In another thread I wrote:

> I should clarify my take on 3D printers: in the end, they'll win out
> over subtractive technology. The end-game for additive technology is not
> squirting out melted plastic or metal powder, but assembling objects at
> the atomic or molecular level. Such fabrication already happens in
> laboratories, but we're not at the point where that is practical for
> production with million dollar machines, never mind affordable peripherals.

Along these lines, have you seen the recent stop-motion film IBM made by
animating the motion of individual atoms?

A Boy And His Atom: The World's Smallest Movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSCX78-8-q0


Elsewhere in that thread I asked:

> What I'm wondering is whether the excitement around 3D printers will
> create a sizable market for desktop computer controlled fabrication in
> general, leading to nicely packaged, low cost table-top CNC devices.

A Kickstarter project launched on May 5 brought attention to The
Othermill, which is a desktop CNC.

It has an open frame, home-brew look to it, but they do claim to have
addressed the noise problem, so you can place it on a desk in an office
environment.

In summary it is small, quiet, mainly designed to cut PCBs, but can be
used for other soft materials, possibly including aluminum. They don't
know what it'll cost, but the Kickstarter pricing suggests it'll be in
he neighborhood of $1000.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/otherfab/the-othermill-custom-circuits-at-your-fingertips

  An easy to use, affordable, computer controlled mill. Take all your
  DIY projects further with custom circuits and precision machining.

  What is the Othermill?

  The Othermill is a portable, computer controlled, 3-axis mill that is
  specifically designed for use at home or in a small workspace. Our
  objective is to build a mill that is compact, clean, and quiet enough
  for use at home, yet is precise enough for high level electrical and
  mechanical prototyping work. The Othermill will be at home on your
  desk, in your workshop, or on your kitchen table.

  What Can You Make With the Othermill?

  With our mill, you can produce custom circuit boards quickly and
  cheaply. [reliably cut 10 mil trace] ...it can also cut metal, wood,
  wax, and plastic. It is great for engraving and milling 3D shapes for
  jewelry or mold making.

  What Makes the Othermill the Premier Desktop Mill?

  -You can grab it and take it on the bus, toss it in your trunk, or put
  it in your bike basket. The Othermill is a ten inch cube and 15
  pounds, so it is small and light enough to carry with you. It even has
  handles.

  -The Othermill is not a kit. It comes fully assembled and ready to
  use, right out of the box. The Othermill also has a transparent,
  approachable design that encourages modification.

  -It has a quiet, high speed spindle. Machines can be loud, and we've
  worked to keep noise to a minimum, so that you can work next to the
  Othermill in comfort. In addition to being quiet, the Othermill's
  brushless DC motor ensures a long spindle life.

  -Othermill uses the TinyG motion controller. We love TinyG because
  it's open source firmware and has a built-in g-code interpreter.


Some highlight from their FAQ:

  How loud is the Othermill?
  The Othermill is super quiet. We haven't measured it exactly yet but
  it's about the volume of an electric toothbrush.

  What kind of computer do I need to run the Othermill?
  Othercam runs on Mac OS 10.7 or higher. However, you can run other CAM
  programs using tgFX.

  Will Othercam run on Windows/Linux?
  Not at this time. There are open source CAM programs like tgfx that
  run on these platforms.

  What will the retail price be?
  We don't know yet. There are a number of factors that influence the
  retail price. One of them is demand. Once we have an idea of demand,
  we will better be able to quantify the price.

  Can I make double sided PCBs?
  We are working on double sided PCB functionality for Othercam. It
  probably won't be ready for the initial release but it is in the
  works.

  Can I cut steel?
  Not at a speed you'd want to wait for, plus you'd need coolant and
  that just gets gross.

  How fast can it go?
  The maximum traverse speed (rapid) is 1,000 mm/min and the maximum
  spindle speed is 12,000 rpm. Cutting speed depends on materials and
  tools.


 -Tom