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I sat at a banquet a week ago with a guy who started up, worked, then sold his wholesale machinist biz, in our Sacramento CA suburb, Rancho Cordova. That’s where the money is, in the long run, but for young people starting out, a starting wage of $20, up to $26, is not chopped liver. The happy-stance is that the computer control programming, like specialty AutoCAD, for 3D printing, at local education specialty clubs and for hobbyists, strongly resembles the professional computer application software for machinist vocational training, that now goes by the jargon CNC, for Computer Numerical Control. Our...

If you are frequently working with metals, plastic, and wood in your home or private workshop, a CNC router is indeed a handy tool. That is the case if you want to break down these materials into specific sizes and shapes. Specifically, this device is designed to slice and engrave thick and sturdy materials like they are nothing. But of course, you won't enjoy such benefits if the CNC router that you are going to choose has a flimsy construction. It won't be able to cut smoothly, and its lifespan would dwindle down quickly. On the other hand, a good...

Already at the age of 12 I was dreaming of making a machine which could make things! A machine which would give me the opportunity to create products for in and around the house. Two years later I stumbled ont the words 'Computer Numerical Control' or more specifically the CNC milling machine. After I found out people were able to build one themselves in their own shed, I knew it! I had to build one, I yearned to have it!! For three months I tried to find the proper parts (A dremeltool, drawer slides, pieces of wood, etc.), but I...

CNC firm’s 3D printing adapter to combine additive and subtractive processes in one machine. CNC machine maker, Hurco, announced that it recently filed a U.S. patent application for a new technology that combines 3D printing and CNC machining. According to the company, it has developed an additive manufacturing adapter that will allow Hurco machines to 3D print directly. “We designed an additive manufacturing adapter that, in combination with proprietary Hurco control software, effectively turns a CNC milling machine into a 3D printer,” said Gregory Volovic, President of Hurco Companies, Inc. “With this new additive manufacturing capability, users may go from...

You may have noticed my complete lack of posting about Cody Wilson and his printed gun technology. The reason for that is simple: it’s a gimmick. Sure, printed guns can work, but the question is inevitably “how long?” When it comes to the catastrophic failure of the thermoplastics used in the construction of the barrels and firing chambers, it isn’t a matter of “if,” but “when.” As a practical matter, with current and near-term technologies, plastic guns are a loser.That said, some of the emerging technologies that make plastic guns feasible are viable for metalwork as well, and machines like...

Copenhagen climate change talks must fail, says top scientistExclusive: World's leading climate change expert says summit talks so flawed that deal would be a disaster Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 2 December 2009 20.54 GMT The scientist who convinced the world to take notice of the looming danger of global warming says it would be better for the planet and for future generations if next week's Copenhagen climate change summit ended in collapse. In an interview with the Guardian, James Hansen, the world's pre-eminent climate scientist, said any agreement likely to emerge from the negotiations would be so...

Ticket sales for Bill Clinton's speech Saturday at the CNE have been much slower than expected, forcing organizers to reconfigure the stadium layout and offer fairgoers $5 tickets at the door. About 7,000 advance tickets are sold for the 4 p.m. event, a far cry from the 25,000 people expected when it was announced two weeks ago.“I'm the eternal optimist. I thought we were just going to sell like crazy at the very beginning and it looks like we're going to sell more towards the end of this sales cycle,” said David Bednar, general manager of the Canadian National Exhibition....

Al Gore’s campaign against global warming is shifting into high gear. Reporters and commentators follow his every move and bombard the public with notice of his activities and opinions. But while the mainstream media promote his ideas about the state of planet Earth, they are mostly silent about the dramatic impact his economic proposals would have on America. And journalists routinely ignore evidence that he may personally benefit from his programs. Would the romance fizzle if Gore’s followers realized how much their man stands to gain? Earlier this year Gore experienced a notable public relations debacle. The Tennessee Center for...

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