Perry of Overloard Robotics reached out to us to show off his latest creation, the SwissMak. This is desktop mill-turning machine unlike anything we’ve seen in the maker community yet.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1260359869/swissmak-the-mill-turn-center-for-your-machine-sho
This style of machine, capable of precision 5 axis milling and lathe work is typically very expensive, way out of reach of the home machine shop. Perry is launching his kickstarter with hopes of producing these for incredibly cheap, around $4,700 for the most expensive pledge level (with all the features).
There are a couple other 5 axis systems available right now, but there is a considerable difference in their intended use case. There is the Pocket NC and the 5-axis maker (there may be more that I’m unaware of) but both seem focused primarily on soft materials like wax or foam, and possibly aluminum, for prototyping. The SwissMak is constructed to be much more rigid, and capable of working primarily with metals. Of course, this means that it is bulkier and heavier.
Keep in mind, comparing this machine to the others isn’t completely fair until it goes through a successful crowdfunding campaign and goes into production. There are currently 2 functional prototypes, so we know they can build it, but can they deliver a product at the price point they’re targeting? We’ll see, I hope so.
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