Page 297 - Making things move_ DIY mechanisms for inventors, hobbyists, and artists

274 Making Things Move

If you’re drilling into plastic, especially a type that cracks easily, you can get drill bits
made for plastics that will decrease that probability. For cutting thin plastics, scoring it
with a knife or other sharp blade can give you a clean edge to break the part along.

Digital Fabrication

For digital fabrication, there are a growing number of ways you can use digital files to
create parts directly, both in 2D and 3D.

2D Methods
One method of 2D digital fabrication that everyone is familiar with is your regular
desktop inkjet or laser printer. You can print designs on paper to cut out of other
material, or print designs onto thicker card stock that you can actually use to make
things (see Project 8-2).

The next step up from using a machine to print on something is to use a machine to
cut out something. You can do this on vinyl with a vinyl cutter. These machines start
at about twice the size and a few times the cost of your average home inkjet printer.

The next step up in 2D digital fabrication is a computer numerically controlled (CNC)
router. A CNC router allows you to create a digital design using CAD software, and
then upload it to the machine, and the router will cut your material by following the
lines and contours in your model. ShopBot (www.shopbottools.com) makes low-cost
versions for small businesses and hobbyists, which are used mainly for wood, but the
entry-level price is still more than most individuals can handle. However, if you have a
community shop near you, you might find one there.

If you made your own gears in Project 7-1, you’re already familiar with a very popular
2D digital fabrication technique: laser cutting. In that example, we used Ponoko to cut
gears for us, but you can find plenty of other shops online that do similar custom
work. The type and thickness of material you can cut depend on the strength of the
laser. In Figure 9-7, you can see how an Eyebeam resident, Ted Southern, used a laser
cutter to cut fabric patterns that were later assembled into a prototype spacesuit
glove (see www.finalfrontierdesign.com).

3D Methods
As with 2D digital fabrication work, CNC routers and CNC mills can be used for 3D
projects. Routers are designed to do mostly 2D work, but they do have a third axis for