July 21, 2016

It has been a really intense few weeks and I have not had the time to post anything new.

I have made a few new updates on the design that improve the performance of the machine.

1. We have switched the bed material to 1/2" PVC that lets us countersink the bolts and eliminates the need to thread the plates. PVC is also more cost friendly and easier to machine than aluminum. Something that I like about PVC as well is the fact that if you accidentally mill through your sacrificial bed layer for cut out milling, your endmill is not going to suddenly hit a harder surface than what you were cutting above (if you are milling something softer than aluminum.
2. Rather than magnetically attaching our clear dust guards/shields, we have added groves to the frame so that it can slot in. This design eliminates the unsightly magnets and metal contacts, which means fewer parts to deal with. Also, the groove secures the dust guard in all directions except up, which eliminates the chance of it falling off forward like it occasionally did with the magnetic guards.
3. The frame now has holes where you can use brackets to assemble the frame. A multi-piece frame lets us bring down the shipping box size over a one piece frame.

During the past week or so, we have done a few cool things as well.

We got a chance to tour Tiercel Technology, who contacted us to help us with designing our machine to be manufactured. They were awesome and gave us a lot of ideas to improve our design.

We also went to the Kitchener Market to show off our machine and sell some of the things we milled to prove that artists can mill things with our machine and to make money. We weren't there to make money, but we sold a few things and made $22.

At the Market, we also met Grant Greenfield from the KW Woodworking and Craft Centre. He showed me around this week and gave me a box of walnut wood to mill! He's a great fellow.

We received an extra $1600 in funding from the University today in the mail. We are still waiting on $2500 to come in from the Engineer of the Future Trust.

At this current moment, we have 2 of our 5 pre-production models claimed. Order yours now to get your hands on the first batch of machines. If you can wait, stay tuned for our Kickstarter!

It is late now and I must go sleep. Thank you for your support! Goodnight everyone!