Hey All,

I have been expirementing around with my milling machine and some 3D software and came up with this.  I created a3D model of my son and then sent it over to my mill machine and this is what I got.  He is foam right now, but I could use bass wood as the material. 

Sorry, to quick hittling the post button:-)

Hi,
   what is a milling machine?

A milling machine is basically a 3D printer.  It has a cutting bit and one inputs data, like a 3D model and then the machine begins to carve the image out.  It is really cool machine!  I have used it to make props.

Regards,

William

is the milling machine yours if so how much would it cost to use as in we send you a 3d image and you do your thing

Looks great..... Are you going to make into a puppet..... if so what type? Is this the machine you are talking about?
http://www.rolanddga.com/asd/products/scanners/MDX15/

Billy D.

That is so cool.  You could make a very realistic portrate puppet with a machine like that.  I'll probably stick to hand making mine (it's theraputic for me) but I still think you milling machine is awesome.

Hey William, welcome back - it's been awhile! 

Thanks for sharing this with us. Max looks like a cute kid.

How many axes does your machine operate in? Can it handle undercuts OK? Did you mill the head in three pieces (1 front & 2 back) and then glue them together afterward, or did you glue them up into one block and then mill it in one go? What kind of cutting head does it use? Is polyfoam a normal material for this kind of machine, or is this something that you were experimenting with? Is that polyfoam, or some kind of styrofoam?

There are different technologies lumped together under the rubric "3D printing." I guess that a CNC milling machine would fall under that umbrella, or does yours use a different technology? Are CAD/CAM and CNC considered to be related these days, or completely different?

Lots of questions...



Ron G.

PS
For the uninitiated:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milling_machine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3d_printing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CNC%2C_CAD%2C_and_CAM

Few lots to reply to, I love it!:-)

Jovack,  Yep it is my machine.  And absolutly I will mill things out for others. Send me deatils on what you want milled out and we can talk about cost.  We can make it happen.  My email is william@hennesproductions.com


Billy D, Yep, that is the machine. I have been thinking of making some table top puppets, but have not gotten that far yet.  I do how ever have plans in making a robot rod puppet.


Hi Ron, glad you remembered me.  I just dropped of the face of the earth for a bit.  No not really.  I just got buried in work.  It's good to be back!  My machine does not have a rotating y axis.  But I get around that by milling the model out in several pieces and then assembling and sanding a bit.  I can use DXF files, which most 3D appts export.  CAD included.  So I can take CAD drawing of a bolt let's say and produce it in a many different materials.  The foam in the picture is foam that you would find at a Home Depot as insulation.  But I can cut wood, plastic, wax, most foams, balsa wood, ect.  As far as different milling machines, CNC, ect.  The 3D printer is, in my opinion, the easiest to use.  Create a 3D model and set up and GO!  Thats it.  But, it s all based on the same priciples.

Let me know if I have answered what you have asked detailed enough.  If not feel free to email or post questions.  I love to share and I am happy to help.

Jon,  Thanks for your kind words.  I am a sculpture and model maker and so I love working with my hands as well. So I know what you mean.

Regards,

William


 

That is just amazing.  Technology is so cool. (In the right hands of course.  I have managed to make lumps and bumps in 3d software and that's about it.)

How tall is the figure you made?