When’s the next machine coming out? When are you guys going to build a bigger machine? These are questions we get all the time. Over the last few months, we’ve been looking at many of the details involved with building a larger machine, such as the feature set, cost, and manufacturing of the new product. Some of our discussions includes talks with current customers, industry professionals, members of the maker community, and more. Here are some of the things we’ve heard from them.
Larger work area:
People want to have more work area to do larger projects, anywhere from a few inches larger than the work area of the Mill One, to a full 4’x8’x machine. In between these sizes, we need to pick one (or maybe two) sizes that will satisfy the majority of the needs of makers, as well as being compact enough to fit into any workspace.
Full enclosure:
While the partial enclosure of the Mill One works reasonably well in capturing the majority of dust and chips, it still lets some more ambitious particles to leave the inside of the machine. A full enclosure will greatly increase safety, reduce noise, and make cleanup easier. While this feature hasn’t been as popular as the large work area one, since we use our CNC machines all the time, we know what sort of difference this feature could make.
Network capability:
The ability to connect to a CNC machine without being tethered to a computer or laptop is a feature many of our customers have wanted to have on their Mill Ones. This means developing some sort of physical or digital interface with the machine.
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These are just a few of the things that folks have wanted. Make sure to let us know what you think should be in the next machine, and stay tuned for more news!