I'm CNC plasma cutting circles and rings out of medium-large scrap metal sheet. I would love to automate nesting as much as possible. Does anyone know of any software that might work? I've seen some that get close, but only nest into rectangles, and even then they cost $1000+. The holy grail would be something I can just input a list of of OD, ID, & QTY.

Hi

I'm a CS PhD student maybe a year or so away from graduation. Working on mobile 3D Printing. I really love the work done at ETH Zurich/GKResearch. Have been there once for RobArch. It really seems like a dream place to work. Swiss hills high tech robots - what else could you want.

Does anyone here maybe work there and has some insights on how hiring is done or what kind of people are they looking for, what roles are there etc. ? Specifically as I don't come from Arch background but robotics I'm not sure what pathways there are.

Hello guys I'm using HSMworks in solidworks ,I want drill a hole but it won't be selected knowing that the surface is flat "2 mm" ,also does anyone knows how to make cut a rectangle in half from the sides using slitting saw or slot ?? I would appreciate any help !!

I am not sure if this is the best sub to ask this question, but I have been searching for an answer for a while and found no answer, so if this is not the place for it I would appreciate it if you can tell me where I can find an answer. trying to create a PLT file using some data extracted from a simple design software for a project for a class. I essentially want to create bars with round ends. I want to create a plt file since the laser cutter software we use (RDWorks) can read that info. The lines for my bars work, but arcs create crazy lines. I tried a simple code I copied off of an instructional website on HPGL commands which was supposed to create 6 circles, instead I got weird lines connecting points on these circles. How can I resolve this problem? I played around with the angle and tolerance of the arcs but it doesn't seem to help.

There are some nice services / marketplaces out there for 3D printing / FDM, such as 3dhubs or treatstock.

Is there anything similar for Shopbots / 6040 and the like?

Good morning, recently graduated architect from Porto (Portugal) here

I want to seek some opinions on starting a carrer in digital fabrication. I graduated a few months ago with a master in architecture, but I don't feel the calling of working in a studio. For the past year I've been involved with my local fab lab, first in a specific project and then just stopping by, observing and learning more. I've always wanted to pursue something related to wearables design (fashion, costume, research,...) and I've been keen to explore the intersection of digital fabrication with this fields. I've applied for an internship with a department in a European fab lab who is already working with this topics (waiting for their response). What you guys think about this shift?

I was working in a project ordered by the city's municipality. How do I add that to my cv/portfolio? (Had a bit of a territorial response when I asked the other fab lab attendees, who said I can't consider myself as a fab lab worker...). Should I consider myself as a freelancer designer and add this as an experience?

Thank you! Have a nice day

We are looking for people who could share their challenges in the webinar next week. https://webinar.startupblink.com/

Hello All!

I've been working on building a tool for generative electronic design over the last two months. I'm looking to make it an open tool and I wanted to reach out to see if anyone had any suggestions or ideas of what would be cool to include in such a software.

I really feel that there is a lack of user friendly design software for electronic design, and hence I thought that something aimed at the home user and Makers would potentially be of interested to others.

Keen to hear any thoughts or ideas!

Don't hesitate to send me a private message if you prefer.

Hi guys, I just wanted to share something useful here, it's an inmediate 3D printing quote system that not many services provide. It's really cool, and I hope you guys can get some use of it.

https://jcadusa.com/get-an-instant-3d-printing-quote/

JCAD-Inc is a company that specializes in computer aided design and drafting, 3D printing, prototyping and mass production. And they've been helping enterpreneurs to 3D print their ideas for many years now, so they really know what they're doing.

All you need to do is upload your 3D CAD file in .STL format, choose your personalized options, and they'll return a quote for you, straight away.

If you want to check them out they're on https://jcadusa.com/

Over the past few weeks I’ve been designing a Arduino Uno CNC controller shield.

My requirements were pretty simple:

• GRBL 1.1 compatible
• Pin compatible with Pololu DRV8825 drivers
• User replaceable stepper motor drivers
• Screw terminals for connections
• E-Stop, Abort, Hold, and Resume buttons
• Probe connection
• Spindle PWM control
• User selectable 4th axis function (clone or separate)
• No SMD packages in the first version

Arduino CNC shields are pretty easy to find (and shockingly cheap) but not many are compatible with the changes in GRBL 1.1 or use pin headers for all connections. I didn’t want a product that was out of date before I even purchased it and was also a pain to use.

My design is loosely based on the Protoneer Arduino CNC Shield. I fully support the purchase of the Protoneer product but they are hard to get in the US – available only from his eBay store, I believe.

I’m calling the controller the GRBLDuino Shield Uno as I have plans (and partially completed designs) for a Mega shield as well as integrated Uno and Mega versions. The Mega will be set up for 6 axis control based on some GRBL variants I have found.

I wanted an easy to set up, easy to use, and inexpensive product not (overly) intimidating to new users.

I have the write-up along with schematics and Gerbers on my blog but these are also for sale through a few outlets. The best price will be at the Eccentric Workshop store, but they are on Tindie and eBay.