CNC sewing machine

Craft & Design
CNC sewing machine
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MAKE pal Andrew Lewis, who’s part of the Upcraft.it team, created this Arduino powered, servomotor actuated sewing machine:

The servos are attached to an Arduino that is programmed to operate in one of three modes:

1) Basic Zigzag – This duplicates the functionality of the original zigzag machine.

2) Pattern Mode – Choose from one of 10 preset patterns stored in the Arduino’s memory.

3) Full CNC – Connects directly to a computer via USB, and accepts custom pattern instructions from the machine. In this mode the machine can control fabric and needle direction, so with some clever thinking I should be able to program it to do letters and numbers.

It’s still a work in progress and Andrew promises more updates as he develops the idea further.

Update:
Andrew posted this video on the YouTubes, showing the machine in action and the CNC add-ons.

CNC Sewing Machine

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

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