CNC

What I Am…

Read a comment made by an old (youngish 66 year old) dude about his involvement with 3D printing. He said he is a retired engineer. The reason he loved 3D printing wasn’t from what he made. It was the complexity and constant challenge to learn and understand the technical process. The CAD; the item design; the CNC; the process; the hardware; the mental stimulation. It had to be complex and difficult or he wouldn’t be...

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Carveco = Vectric?

I received an email a few days ago from a software company named “Carveco”. It was an introduction and an offer to pre-invest in CAD software that replaces a product called ArtCAM. I had not realized that Autodesk had shut down ArtCAM last year. It appears they sold out to this Carveco group. ArtCAM was pretty much the top level program for 2.5 D CAD/CAM in sign making, wood carving, and what I do in...

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NUC / GTI Performance Update

My tiny but high performance Intel NUC has been performing very well since the fan (blower) transplant. It is everything I need for the job I ask it to do. There is no worse feeling when a new and expensive item suddenly goes sour. The fan is probably one of the least expensive components in the computer. It was an easy fix. Probably a low bid component selection by Intel. It’s that sort of thinking...

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All Things Plastic?

I am writing this as I think the “blush” of a new love has worn off. The love was infatuation with the process of three-dimensional printing. I truly like using the process but now only for purposes where it makes real sense. Printed plastic parts have a place in many things I like to make. That’s not going away. I have also made a huge box full of useless plastic junk just because it was...

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