Phlatprinter: a CNC machine you can build with hardware store parts

Francesco sez, "Phlatboyz are about to release the new and really improved Phlatprinter MK2: a special type of CNC machine (created by Mark and Trish Carew) that anyone can build with materials purchased at a local hardware store."

The Phlatpriner MK II (Thanks, Francesco!)

• [Telecustard]

  Amazing. They have invented the CNC router. This could revolutionize manufacturing.

  But snarking aside – is there any reason they aren’t calling this what it is? Hard to tell from their site what makes this special (other than it’s consumer grade).

• [Anonymous]

  Looks like it’s designed to cut mostly 1/4″ sheet foam. If that’s your material of choice, then it looks like it does a pretty good job. Found this picture gallery on their website: http://www.phlatboyz.com/pictures/

• [rasputinaxp]

  If I had any idea what a CNC machine or a Phlatprinter is, I’m sure I’d be stunned. Let’s check Google…

  Oh Wikipedia, you help so much. I love you so.

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

  Numerical control (NC) refers to the automation of machine tools that are operated by abstractly programmed commands encoded on a storage medium, as opposed to manually controlled via handwheels or levers or mechanically automated via cams alone. The first NC machines were built in the 1940s and 50s, based on existing tools that were modified with motors that moved the controls to follow points fed into the system on paper tape. These early servomechanisms were rapidly augmented with analog and digital computers, creating the modern computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine tools that have revolutionized the design process.

  Hooray for background information!

• [Anonymous]

  Consumer grade? Does anyone else feel the need for a really basic starter CNC printer – say one that could make pieces under a foot wide, for under $100? (or 100UKP, whichever – I’m in the UK so that’s what I’d prefer). Stories like this excite me and then make me balk at price tags, probably not what the inventors have in mind.

  Open source CNC printer for under 100 quid? That’s got to be a boingboing friendly project fo’ sho.

  D

• [Egypt Urnash]

  The ‘special’ part is this:

  “anyone can build [this] with materials purchased at a local hardware store”

  Off-the-shelf CNC cutters cost several thousands of dollars. Their kit (which claims to have everything you need except for a few bits of electronics) is $900. I am assuming that if you are good at sourcing stuff for cheap you could get the plans and spend rather less. Any garage workshop can have a CNC cutter.

• [xian]

  Another thing to keep in mind with this printer is its material limitations. After poking around on their website, it becomes apparent that the Phlatprinter is designed to mainly cut foam. It can also cut balsa wood and 1/16″ plywood, but at a much slower speed.

  Regardless, it’s a very cool printer, but anyone hoping to machine aluminum parts, make plywood furniture, mill acrylic, etc. need to look elsewhere.

• [Takuan]

  http://www.torchmate.com/

• [Takuan]

  or these guys
  http://www.shopbottools.com/

• [Anonymous]

  This is an excellent resource to consider for potential CNC builders who don’t want to do all their own scrounging and such.

  But it bears mention that, for the mechanically inclined and well-equipped, a CNC router of ANY size can be built for far less money. The stepper motors and control boards can be had for as little as ~$200 retail, while everything else is as cheap as where you can find it.

  The Phlatprinter seems like it was built to compete with slightly more expensive CNC routers designed to work on long boards. You feed the board in one end, and the mill works the lumber and cranks it along as needed to cut the entire piece. You can buy one of these for about $1600 retail.

  Meanwhile, old-skool CNC machines look like big steel tables with a heavy bar over the top. You place your blank on the table and get it centered, then fire up the router and set the program to go. The router is then controlled across X,Y and Z axes on that overhead bar. These are the ones that range between $1500-50,000+.

• [GregLondon]

  Foam?!?!

  Bah.

• [kram242]

  Hello. Mark and Trish Carew here. Thank you for watching our video, checking out our website, and posting comments.

  The Phlatprinter is unique in several ways but let us start from the beginning. My husband is a scratch builder for remote control airplanes. Before the Phlatprinter came along, this was a very tedious task. Someone would post pdf plans for an airplane design. We would need to tile and print paper plans. From there, you would need to line up and tape together the tiled pieces. Once that was complete, you would apply your plans to a piece of foam and cut it out using a razer knife. Very time consuming and frustrating if you weren’t happy with the end product.

  The Phlatprinter allows you to design or import your 3D model into the free version of Sketchup, use the PhlatScripT (free Sketchup plug in we developed with help from our friends) to generate g-code (CNC language), load it in your driver software and hit print. Later, if you want to make changes, you can re-open you model, changes a few lines and print another one in a matter of minutes.

  We have used the Phlatprinter for personal use for years. In July 2008, we released it to the public to see if there was any interest. We have had an overwhelming response! The Phlatprinter is a very exciting new product.

  The original Phlatprinter Kit retails for $468! Our goal is to keep the Phlatprinter as affordable as possible so anyone interested in breaking into the world of CNC can afford to do so. You gain so much CNC knowledge by building a Phlatprinter that can be applied to anything you set your mind to. We are using a Dremel as our cutting tool and we have been able to cut various types of materials up to 22″ wide. The materials that we have tested are depron, fan fold foam, EPP, 1/2″ blue and pink foam, 1″ blue and pink foam, and 2″ blue foam. We have also cut posterboard, cardboard, balsa wood, and light plywood.

  Over the past several months, our customers have built and modified the Phlatprinter to suit their needs. We have taken all of the great feedback that we have received along with ideas and improvements we have had ourselves and created the Phlatrinter MK II, the second generation of the Phlatprinter. We are using a rotozip for our cutting tool as well as a complete belt drive system. This should allow us to expand our material capabilities and overall performance. We are very excited about the MK II. It retails for $899.

  Thank you again,

  Please let us know if you have any questions.

  Mark and Trish Carew
  http://www.phlatboyz.com
  http://www.phlatforum.com

• [SD]

  Numerical control ( CNC Machinery) refers to the automation of machine tools that are operated by abstractly programmed commands encoded on a storage medium, as opposed to manually controlled via hand wheels or levers, or mechanically automated via cams alone.

• [Piers W]

  Looks as though a set of other bits (including 3 stepper motors and a controller board, so not exactly optional) is another 230 dollars, very cheap in itself if they work.

  Still it claims to work with Mach 3, and has an interesting cheap and easy way of generating Gcodes via SketchUp. It doesn’t have a Z axis, so I assume this is to make stuff in layers.

• [cinemajay]

  Someone want to explain what a CNC machine is? Linkage?

• [Takuan]

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

• [Takuan]

  http://www.instructables.com/tag/?q=cnc&limit%3Atype%3Aid=on&type%3Aid=on&type%3Auser=on&type%3Acomment=on&type%3Agroup=on&type%3AforumTopic=on&type%3AforumTopic=on&sort=none

• [Dealator]

  Crazy! I have half of these things lying around my garage – I just need a little impetus and some sales to get me going!

• [cinemajay]

  Thank you!