Hey guys, another busy month here for Sienci Labs. Here’s some news to share.
AltMill
We continued to ship machines out in July and we are excited to see people putting their machines together. Our first 50 or so folks should have received their machines and we are expecting to start shipping another 50 units at the start of August. The remaining parts for another 100 units will arrive around the end of August so that we can wrap up the first batch in September. As we typically do in these situations, we are full bore on the assembly of subcomponents, and we will be able to ship things rapidly once everything arrives.
While overall things went smoothly, there were a number of things we needed to improve on and change, or make adjustments to the manufacturing process as we continue to work towards starting shipping for the next 150 machines.
- A number of shipments arrived damaged and we have continually improved the packaging for the AltMill to address these issues. Since we did anticipate some issues to come up when we first start shipping, we’ve staggered some of the shipments to allow us to make sure we are able to fix things as we go along.
- We did also miss shipping the dust shields with the first 13 or so AltMills, which we’ve shipped out as soon as we found out.
- There are a number of improvements to quality we’ve addressed, such as the height of the bearing blocks, threading on the extrusions, and surface finish of some of the parts. These issues were manually fixed for the first 50 machines, of course, but additional QA checks and instructions have been passed down to manufacturers to have taken care of in the future batches.
Besides some of the issues, we’re glad to start getting positive feedback on the ease of assembly and overall quality and construction of the AltMill, and we believe that we will continue to improve this product in all aspects. Thank you to the first group of people who have provided us feedback and support!
Additionally, Batch 2 AltMills are now starting production. We are in the process of ordering 200 sets of parts for large components like extrusions and plates, and 400 sets of parts for smaller components, such as fasteners, bearing blocks, brackets, and couplers.
In other news, are working on a few more things including:
- Having replacement parts like bearings and linear guides up for sale on the store page
- Additional documentation for accessories, such as the dust shoe and Vortex
- Assembly video for the AltMill
LongMill MK2.5
LongMill MK2.5 pending orders have been caught up and new orders should ship within 1-2 weeks. We are now in Batch 9, with 1500 machines, which should keep us stocked for at least the next 4-6 months.
LongMill Spindle and Dust Shoe Kit
Due to the massive amount of interest from the LongMill community, we have now created a specific LongMill Spindle and Dust Shoe Kit! For those who might have already ordered one, the hardware is the same as the AltMill Spindle and Dust Shoe Kit, but with a 80mm router mount. You can find the kit on our store page.
These kits are coming with the AltMill Spindle and Dust Shoe Kits that are coming with Batch 1 and Batch 2 AltMills, and are expected to start shipping at the end of August or early September.
As with everything, we’ve done a lot of testing and research to make sure not only are we able to make sure that the kit is suitable for LongMill users but also to share testing data and our assessment. To read the full article, please check out our blog post.
Sprouter/Makita Router Clone/Spindles
We received another brushless DC motor sample to start another batch of testing. However, we have run into some minor issues and working on a few things such as:
- Making a new batch of motor and bearing mounts
- Improving the plastic sleeving for the motor
There still appear to be some speed-tuning issues we’re still trying to iron out. Development on the BLDC system continues to be a bit of a slow slog as we continue to work with and vet 2-3 different manufacturers.
We have some promising results with the Makita clone. Just for some context:
- We wanted to explore the option of selling our own version of the brushed AC router that other companies currently sell, like the Carbide Compact Router or the Openbuilds RoutER, and started talking with some companies that make them.
- We had done some testing on similar products in the past, as well as a deep dive into the construction of the Makita RT0701 and found some areas that we could improve.
- We could add a few features, such as using an ER collet system, better bearings, and PWM control
We have found that the overall power and speed control performance is acceptable and on-par with the RT0701.
Our next steps from here include:
- Creating a system for 5V input and a switch between manual and PWM control
- Safety and regulatory certification
Panel computer
I’ve been using one of the new panel computers and to this point, they have been fantastic. With regards to the hardware, they are solid and easy to work with. We’ve also tested a number of monitor mounts and designs and have settled on a pretty stable set up that should work well for LongMill and AltMill users.
Our main problem continues to be with trying to sort of a way to get access to Windows 11 licenses. Here’s a few things we’ve learned:
- There are a number of different types of Windows licenses. The one we want needs to allow us to install Windows on the customer’s behalf as a OEM or manufacturer. This means developing a relationship with Microsoft to set up an account. Even though we’ve tried, there doesn’t seem to be a straightforward way to make that happen since we’re way too small of a company it seems.
- As another way to do this, we’re in the process of talking with some solutions providers that partner with companies like Microsoft to implement IT solutions.
- Additionally, we’ve talked with some other, perhaps better known computer manufacturers that can sell us a similar type of touch screen computer.
- There are also some secondary markets for licenses that sell online for a reasonable cost. However, based on our research, buying from these sources do create some risks, such as the licenses stopping working after a while or arbitraged from countries that might not allow the licenses to be used in certain markets or North America. It is still an option to use this, but we are aware that there may be some risks and we are considering our first options as there are less risk of licensing issues.
Vectric 2024 User Group Meeting
We are thrilled to announce our participation in Vectric’s 2024 User Group Meeting! Join us for an exciting weekend of learning and fun at the Embassy Suites Round Rock Hotel in Austin, Texas, on Friday, October 11th, and Saturday, October 12th, 2024. We’ll be showcasing the AltMill and Vortex, and Scott will be a guest speaker. If you can make it, we’d love to see you—stop by and say hello!
For those unfamiliar with Vectric, they create VCarve, an excellent design tool for CNC projects. You can purchase a copy on our website and enjoy the benefit of owning the software with no subscription fees.
To learn more about the Vectric 2024 User Group Meeting, visit Vectric’s event page.