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Okay, so this is a first for us. Inside this is a CNC machine from InfinaMaker. The idea is to create something accessible to everyone. So that you can go from idea to finished metal product as quickly as possible, and so that this device can simply stand next to your computer. You don't need any complicated software to work with it. You have an idea for a product, and boom-you create it in metal using this machine. So let's unpack it. This will be our first experience and hopefully it will show that it is easy to use. I mean, that's what we're hoping for here. Okay, here's our machine. That is, this is its front part. You see that everything is closed, and this is another important point. Oh.
The InfraMaker K1 is set up, and I have to be honest with you: I don't have much experience working with CNC machines. However, I see this as an attempt to take the idea of a CNC machine tool and make it much more understandable to people who are not necessarily familiar with CAD programs; and, let's put it this way, I see it as converting a CNC machine into something as close to a 3D printer as possible. That's exactly the impression he gives. Interacting with it and using the interface, as well as the hardware itself, is one thing. Reduce the size, do it all in one, and it's a five-axis machine, so it has multiple tools for different materials. It's like a set it and forget it" principle:
press "start" and it really does the job. The magic of CNC is the materials. This is where it significantly outperforms 3D printing if you are into prototyping. We work with wood. We work with brass. We work with aluminum. We work with acrylic. And we get prototypes that feel much more like finished products, and of course can be used in many areas where 3D printing simply wouldn't be suitable. Or, you know, making finished wood products that look like the real thing that you want to put on display. This is definitely a tree. Essentially, it works like this: inside this program, you can even take a 2D image and let it create a model that you can reproduce on a
machine tool. The device also has a display that shows what exactly it is doing at the moment. You can see why this is a five-axis machine. I mean the X, Y, Z, B, and C axes. This allows you to manipulate objects like this, giving this pineapple such detail. And since this machine can work with metals, you will, of course, need distilled water as a lubricant and coolant. It is poured into this container and connected through a tube. Another thing it is capable of is automatic tool changing. You just load them manually at the beginning, and it changes tools itself as you work. So, right now, this piece of acrylic is in the machine. It
solves a problem with this device that everyone in the tech community is very familiar with, namely that this Magic Mouse charges in the most ridiculous way. Everyone knows this. Well, this is supposed to solve the problem, and the machine just finished working, which means I can get the part. Here's this little product, which, of course, could be polished up a bit. You can take sandpaper and bring it to the look of the finished product. Just imagine. It's. you just have a whole assembly line of these little docking stations trying to fix the Magic Mouse charging problem. So, the Magic Mouse will be placed like this
. At an angle for using a mouse so that you can connect the charging cable. It is inserted here like this Now we have a situation where you can use the device while charging. But, in addition, we got something that creates even more ergonomic enjoyment. Actually, creating prototypes of such things is the main purpose of a CNC machine. So, Infomaker sees it this way: the process of CNC machining anything, whether it's a prototype, a piece of art, or something a designer wants to work on, is currently quite complex due to the knowledge required to work with the equipment available. And they wanted to create a desktop device that was affordable not only in terms of user experience and size, but also in terms of cost. It's currently
on Kickstarter and the price for early buyers is under $6,000, and it fits on a table. Although it is still heavy. It weighs over 100 kg. When it comes to CNC, accuracy really matters, and to maintain it requires a fairly massive device, and according to the Infima maker, this is probably the smallest and lightest option they could make while still maintaining results that people will be happy with. Here you can even see the Unbox Therapy logo on the tree. This would look great on a desktop. You could make all sorts of different business card holders, or maybe you want a brass bowl. And, of course, it's common knowledge that metals are simply difficult to work with.
Look here, we have the FIFA World Cup here. Or more complex things, like cutouts inside a cube. It feels like aluminum. It can work with everything from real metal to wax and a host of other materials in between. Supports titanium, aluminum, jeweler's wax, epoxy tools, hardwoods, brass, stainless steel, acrylic, red copper, jade. I mean, you can create your own jewelry on this thing. But really, the main thing here is how easy it is to create a 3D object. So in this case we just use text- to-object conversion. That is, it generates a 3D object and begins to create it. This even goes beyond what 3D printers are capable of, because many 3D printers do not have this kind of software. You simply go into their interface and select objects
that already exist. You give a rough idea using text queries, and here we have the result. From a solid block of aluminum, we got our object based on what we asked for, using only natural language. So even for a guy like me with zero experience with CNC machines or anything like that, it was incredibly easy to operate, and we were able to create some cool objects. Some of them were sent to us as examples. Acrylic Magic Mouse charging mount and our aluminum object: Optimus in a hat. And this is from guys who have no experience with CNC machines at all. So, if you've been interested in this category but have been afraid, InfiMaker might be for you. It's currently on Kickstarter. They have special prices for first-time buyers, and you can start experimenting with
building your own prototypes in perhaps the easiest way possible- with the K1 from InfiMaker.
