At its heart, the $7,000 system is a streamlined CNC machine with all the modern amenities, including Wi-Fi connectivity and a camera for watching the project unfold in real time.
hrm… no. it’s really not that much like a CNC at all, other than it’s computer controlled and it it can cut out shapes.
also, the camera doesn’t let you watch the project unfold in real time.
i mean, hey, grats to GF on getting the funding. but that’s a very misleading description of the machine.
teeeeechnically… it is. But you usually hear them called CNC laser cutters or just CNC Lasers. 
Basically anything that can use a computer and software to automate a tool (any kind). Even 3D printers are technically CNC machines.
CNC is certainly more accurate than “printer”.
ok, i stand at least “technically” corrected.
in today’s general vernacular, when someone says, “i got a CNC,” people immediately think CNC router, not a laser cutter (and nobody but GF thinks it’s a printer, since printers add material, not remove it, but that’s a long-beaten horse at this point).
This reminded me…remember, long ago we were able to see real time progress on the bed?
Also…it was not a crowdfunding campaign
yes, and i miss that. i actually demoed the machine from my office using that. i did everything from work except for hitting the button. my wife hit the button and monitored it while the people in my office watched progress in the UI.
Ya…I miss it, too.
Maybe some of that $45M of OPM (i.e., other people’s money) will find it way into improved customer support! Some customers need hand holding—even if it doesn’t really change the outcome. 
I wish this existed now!
CNC = Computer Numeric Control
It refers to how the system providing control over the machinery, how it gets from the design space to a physical object.
There are CNC lasers, routers, mills, plasma cutters, waterjets, etc., basically anything can be referred to as CNC, as long as it uses strings of numbers to provide control.
Happy Cake Day!
(Thanks for the clarification, I had no idea!)
That’s nothing compared to USA Today’s take on “Black Bear” and “Gated Florida Neighborhood”, seen earlier this week…
It’s so wrong, one of my friends suggested this might be the negative by mistake…
This topic was automatically closed 32 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.