The crew over at Nortd Labs developed an amazingly well designed and documented Open Source laser build. With power up to 100 W and a standard working area of 2 x 4′ this thing is a beast. The current BOM runs right around US$7k which is well under what similar machine would cost from the big brand names. We’re planning to build v13.10 here at El Paso Fab Lab soon.
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WikiHouse – Just Add CNC
WikiHouse is an open source construction set. The aim is to allow anyone to design, download and ‘print’ CNC-routed houses and components that can be easily assembled with minimal formal skill or training.
We really like the open source design aspect of this project and can’t wait to download and “print” some wikiHouse modules of our own using the blackFoot CNC router.
3D Scanning made easy
MakerBot just released their Digitizer desktop 3D scanner. For about $1500 the Digitizer will let you start scanning small objects to replicate on your 3D printer or mill. We can’t wait to get one at Fab Lab El Paso and start printing scanned parts on our Kossel Mini 3D printer! Ships in October.