We’ve mentioned the revolutionary aspects of rapid prototyping here on the blog before. The technology gives us the ability to quickly and inexpensively take an idea from computer generated concept to actual physical project in less time and with less materials used than ever before.

Techniques such as 3D printing literally create a product out of thin air as the drawing comes to life line by line. Exact measurements are taken, coordinates are plotted, and rather than removing material from a raw piece of steel, aluminum, wood, alloy, or plastic, material is actually laid down pass after pass as a print head creates an actual object rather than just a printout on a piece of paper.

This technology has helped to speed along production of countless numbers of objects. However, rapid prototyping tools and technology can also be used to create final products. The highly precise nature of the printing combined with the ability to make minor changes through various production runs makes for a high quality, highly customizable product that can be created seemingly on demand.

Such is the case with Derby, a dog that was born with deformed front legs. Rather than having paws, Derby’s front legs are short and just seem to kind of trail off to nothing. Movement was difficult for Derby, as he would push the front half of his body along with with his rear legs. Running was, of course, impossible.

His adoptive owner first tried getting him a cart to support his front half. This allowed for movement but was far from ideal. Mobility was much less than it could have been and he was unable to play with other dogs.

That’s when the owner, a woman who fortunately had access to high tech 3D modeling and printing facilities, got the idea to create prosthetics for Derby using rapid prototyping.

They would go through multiple iterations of the prosthetics that would eventually allow Derby to lead a normal life. Casts were made of his elbows and the specialized 3D printing equipment was able to use two separate materials simultaneously when creating Derby’s new legs. This allowed for a hard surface to be used for the actual job of being his legs but a softer, more comfortable material was used for the cups used to attach them to the dog.

“Having these images on file and being able to pritn them is a lot easier than having to hand sculpt every single mold and rebuild these braces five or 10 times,” says the certified orthotist involved in creating new legs for Derby.

Once outfitted, Derby was off to the races. He now routinely runs a mile or two a day with his owners and the joy he has in his newly-found free range of motion is evident in almost everything he does.

There’s just something chilling about the dentist’s office.

When we step into our physician’s office we’re surrounded by high tech machinery. There are instruments with lights, gauges, and computers attached to them. The doctor might carry a tablet computer to record his or her notes.

The optician’s office is much the same. There are devices that look like they came from science fiction. Pre-programmed robotics take measurements of your eye and relay custom specifications to cut precision corrective lenses just for you.

But, then we get to the dentist. One look around the dentist’s office at the scrapers, chisels, hammers, wrenches, pliers, and other seemingly low-tech solutions and it’s almost as if we’ve stepped back in time; or perhaps into a horror movie.

One dentist is using CNC to change that. The Democrat and Chronicle, a newspaper out of Rochester, New York, tells the story of Dr. Randy Raetz. Dr. Raetz is a dentist in Brighton, New York. Using a combination of a 3D scanner and an in-house CNC machine, he is able to produce custom crowns while his patients wait.

The machines, part of a PlanScan combination of scanner and CNC milling machine, is one of several models now available in the newly created industry of “digital dentistry”. The mill itself is about the size of a large breadmaker.

As we’ve discussed in previous posts, CNC mills are able to work with a variety of raw materials. Steel, alloys, wood, and plastics can all be milled to exact specifications when the machine is used properly. In the case of digital dentistry, the material is porcelain. The 3D scanner take all of the appropriate measurements and sends them to the CNC mill. The mill, in turn, works with a piece of raw porcelain and shapes it to the real-time specifications it just recieved.

A small amount of work, done by hand, is still necessary to add the appropriate final touches. But, in the end, the dentist has created a custom crown for the patient, during the initial visit, that is more accurate that any of the chalky, disgusting form-fitting molds that we have been told to bite down on in the past.

It is hard to find an industry that hasn’t been affected by CNC. CNC milling and turning has been used to create parts from the very large to the very small. Just on this blog we’ve seen industrial applications, of course, but we’ve also seen art, medicine, and using CNC to make the world a better place.

Regardless of your use of this technology, one thing that can’t be overlooked is the impact it has had on our ability to manufacture goods and provide excellent service for customers. Precision milling must be done with precision for serious reasons. At Excello, we are proud to produce the tools and other precision-machined goods that make our customers as successful as they can be.

Being someone who actually makes things for a living can be an incredibly rewarding career, and working in CNC brings many things together that so many people find appealing. You’re working with your hands, day in and day out, machining new items out of solid metal, steel, alloys, and wood. You’re applying real-world math and science principles in order to create precision-crafted items that have to pass the most stringent quality control tests. You’re working with high-end modern machinery.

Put all of these things together and if they sound appealing to you then life in a CNC machining and turning shop might be just the career you’re looking for. So, what’s it going to be? CNC Operator or CNC Programmer?

CNC Operator
A CNC operator can get his or her start in a variety of ways. Some of the more common include apprenticeships and on the job training. Others choose to go the classroom route and earn associate degrees in community colleges or certifications from vocational technology schools.

Regardless, the CNC Operator must have a good understanding of math, blueprint reading, and other applications technologies. Obviously, extended training in CNC machine operation, setup, and safety are required as well.

To enhance their knowledge and set the stage for future earnings advancement and promotion, CNC Operators may choose to learn various CAD, computer aided manufacturing, and other computer programming technologies. This enhanced computer training will set the stage for programming CNC lathe, milling, and turning machines further down the road.

Training to be a CNC Operator can take time. Associate degree programs can take 2 or more years to complete and a CNC apprenticeship can be upwards of 4 years. In most apprenticeship programs, however, the apprentice operator is an employee of the company that is training them.

CNC Programmer
CNC Programmers are responsible for giving the CNC machine its instructions. They use blueprints as well as computer based drafting and design programs to tell the CNC machine exactly what to cut, where to cut, and at what angle.

The CNC Programmer can be trained through on the job training as well as an apprenticeship program. However, a 2 year degree can be helpful in various industries.

Those that excel as CNC Programmers are highly detail oriented and are generally considered to be mechanically inclined. Skills in math, reading drawings, and a basic understanding of computer technologies will always set a CNC Programmer up for success.

Which Path Will You Take?
While it is possible for someone to go straight into CNC programming, it is not uncommon for a programmer to have gotten their start as a CNC operator. The skills they learn as an operator give them a very good understanding of the machine when it comes time to program a set of instructions for a new piece.

Regardless of the path, however, the pride of seeing a shop full of high quality, high precision CNC machined pieces ready for delivery to the customer is always a part of the end of every day.

CNC shops are very functional environments. Customers have very precise needs and those of us with the right CNC milling and turning equipment fulfill those needs. On any given day you see your fair share of parts for tools, pieces of industrial machinery, rows and rows of smaller pieces of machined goods, and everything in between.

Most of the time these are to fulfill orders for items that will be used in very specific roles. The creativity that went into their design happened in order to solve a problem. Something needed to be done, something needed to be made to do it, and then something was designed and created in order to complete the task.

As today’s post will explore, however, these machines can also be used to create beautiful works of art. Limited only by the vision of the artist, digital plans can be given to CNC machines which result in the creation of stunning physical forms. In many cases, these forms require dimensions so precise that only CNC is capable of making them happen.

Helmet Sculpture

How do you turn 120 kilograms (264 pounds) of aluminum into an amazing sculpture of a motorcross helmet? The only way to make that happen is with CNC.

Granted, this may not be exactly what some might consider to be art, but, we would disagree. The level of detail on this piece is absolutely amazing. And, when you’re in your garage, den, or cave in your house dedicated to your love of your bike, this piece might just bring a tear to your eye. For us, it’s the video of it being made. Take a second and check it out.

Kinetic Sculpture

The next piece uses a foot pedal to rotate a wheel around an axis which gives the impression of matchstick-formed humans walking around the perimeter. It has to seen to be appreciated and you can check it out at the Charlotte Observer.

The artist, Ryan Buyssens, describes himself as a “weird hybrid investor-artist-science guy” who pushes boundaries when he creates a new piece of art. This sculpture certainly answers that call.

Finding the Beauty in Plywood

The artist for our final example uses the precision of CNC cutting heads to carve intricate designs, patterns, textures, and shapes into ordinary plywood. The result is fantastic and can be seen on Visual News.

His name is Michael Anderson and, in his own words he uses CNC “to express art through form, texture, and spatial experience.” Most work is based on algorithms and the final product is then sanded and smoothed to clear any remaining rough edges.

The human need to express one’s self through art is an amazing example of using technologies to create something new and beautiful. Through the ages we have drawn on rocks, carved into trees, painted on paper and animal hide, and formed gorgeous works from iron and steel. Now we use technology to create pieces that test the boundaries of our own abilities and require the precision of computerized control to form the physical manifestations of what we imagine in our heads. These works are just a couple of the examples out there of people using CNC to add beauty to the world around them.