One of the things that I admire about Ed is his focus, commitment, and passion for delving into the technical side of the things that he does, and the LongMill was no exception. Please meet Ed, our second beta tester for the LongMill MK2.
About the beta testing program
Just as a quick intro about the beta testing program, at the end of last year, we recruited three different people of different backgrounds and skill levels in our area to test the LongMill MK2. At this point, we were at the final stages of our development for the MK2 and were looking to iron out the rest of the kinks to finalize the production of a few of the parts. All beta testers paid for their machines, albeit with a small discount. Each beta tester volunteered their time and space to observe and interview them at each step of the process as well as testing prototype and production parts as they were made to update their machines.
Working with Ed
It was fantastic to work with Ed in the beta testing program. Especially during the early stages of testing, he provided us with lots of thoughts and feedback on the engineering design, especially in terms of improving the accuracy of the machine with regard to the process of setting it up and assembling.
Just to give some context, here’s a photo of his first project (https://forum.sienci.com/t/first-project-needlessly-complicated-torsion-box/4791/4):
It should be pointed out that Ed:
- Did this project in Fusion 360, which I personally consider one of the most advanced hobby CNC software available
- This project also includes tiling, which is also a fairly advanced technique, especially because it requires a lot of thought to position the material when the dimensions of each component matter.
- Requires parts to slot together accurately, and to do that, Ed took the time to make dozens of test boards to find the perfect fit, each marked down with the measurement, settings, and bit size.
- Made all of the parts with the machine supported by rickety saw horses, not a stable base as we typically recommend our customers to use.
This project gave some additional perspective on the limitations and possibilities of how accurate the machine can be, and what sort of things we can do to improve the accuracy overall, especially for technically challenging projects.
It is wonderful to continue to see Ed work on technically challenging projects and see how capable the LongMill can be in the hands of someone so technically capable. I also admire his drive to jump straight into the deep end in terms of what a CNC machine can do and come out with some amazing projects and knowledge to share. If you want to see some of his other projects, make sure to check them out on the Forum.