Check Out These Videos

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Hey everyone. Take a look at our CNC tutorials, resources, assembly videos, and behind-the-scenes projects! Stay informed about our latest builds, production insights, and tips to enhance your maker journey. Discover new techniques and best practices for your CNC projects!

AltMill CNC Assembly Guide | Full Setup Tutorial

Learn how to assemble the AltMill CNC with this step-by-step guide. Follow along for detailed setup instructions and discover key features to get your CNC running efficiently. For written instructions, visit: https://resources.sienci.com/view/altmill-assembly/

Testing the 4.5KW AltMill CNC Spindle: Behind the Scenes with Sienci Labs

Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at our mechanical engineering team’s latest project! In this video, Daniel is tinkering with a 4.5KW spindle concept for the AltMill CNC. AltMill accelerations are 1500mm/s2 during cutting demos. Interested in this concept? Share your feedback and suggestions through our Product or Feature Request Form and AltMill Spindle Survey. Product or Feature Request Form: https://sienci.com/faq/company-faq/can-i-give-you-a-suggestion-for-a-product-or-feature/ AltMill Spindle Survey: https://forms.gle/jpcvYQgB78mpcmVQ9

Maximize Profits $$$! CNC & Laser Customization of Stanley Tumblers | Cottage Country Sienci S2 EP3

Discover how to boost your earnings by customizing trending items! In this video, Scott demonstrates the process of personalizing the popular 40 oz Stanley Quencher Tumbler using top-notch tools like the LongMill CNC, Vortex Rotary Axis, and LaserBeam Laser system. Learn step-by-step techniques to transform everyday products into unique, high-value creations that stand out in the market. Perfect for makers and entrepreneurs looking to tap into the customization trend!

Behind the Scenes of the 39″x52″ Smaller AltMill CNC Idea | Sienci Labs

Discover the latest innovations from our mechanical engineering team as we take you behind the scenes. In this video, Ben is tinkering with a concept for a smaller version of our AltMill CNC, sized 39 inches by 52 inches. Interested in this concept? Share your feedback and suggestions through our Product or Feature Request Form: https://sienci.com/faq/company-faq/can-i-give-you-a-suggestion-for-a-product-or-feature/

LongMill Spindle Kit Installation and gSender Setup

In this instructional video, we will show you how to install the LongMill Spindle Kit onto your LongMill MK2 CNC machine. In the last half of the video, we will show you how to set up the software side of the spindle installation using gSender. Minimum tools are required. All you need is a small flat-head screwdriver and the Allen key that came with the LongMill Mk2 or Mk1 machines.

DIY LongMill CNC Vertical Clamping Setup Part 2

Join Dennis Harlock as he demonstrates how to set and define the zeros (origins) for your projects using the vertical clamping system on the LongMill CNC. Vertical Clamping Setup Part 1: https://youtu.be/RcsLYTHdpPc

Installation Guide for Closed-Loop Stepper Motors on Vortex Rotary Axis for LongMill & AltMill CNCs

We explore the advantages and differences between closed and open-loop stepper motors. You’ll learn how each system affects precision, performance, and reliability in CNC machining. We also provide a step-by-step guide to installing and setting up a closed-loop stepper system on the Vortex Rotary Axis for both the LongMill and AltMill CNC machines. This video will help you understand the benefits of a closed-loop system and how it can improve your CNC setup. For written instructions, visit our Resources page: ​​https://resources.sienci.com/view/vx-closed-loop-motor/

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more CNC Videos!

October 11 – October 18, 2024 “Halloween Projects Part 1” Contest

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Happy Friday! Thanks for sharing your nature-themed projects made on the LongMill/AltMill.

Last Week’s Winners

We are happy to announce that Rick Tanguay, Steve Gareau, Bob Weimer, Scott Paul, Rob Duceatt, and Russell Crosby are the nature-themed projects contest winners. Watch out for a prize!

Also, we will be closed on Monday, October 14th, for Thanksgiving and will be back in the office on Tuesday, October 15th.

This Week’s Theme: Halloween Projects

Celebrate Halloween with us by sharing your spooky LongMill/AltMill projects! We’ll pick our favorites and send out some (not-so-scary) prizes!

Weekly Themed Contest Guidelines and Rules

Have ideas for themes? Let us know by commenting below!

Happy creating!

October 4 – October 11, 2024 “Nature-Themed Projects” Contest

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Hey everyone! Thanks for posting your coaster projects made on the LongMill/AltMill.

Last Week’s Winners

We are happy to announce that Ralph Matile, Jim Hambone, Darren Jeans, Jacob Columbus, Dave Parkerson, and TJ Mack are the coaster projects contest winners. A prize is on its way!

This Week’s Theme: Nature-Themed Projects

This week’s theme is “nature-themed projects.” Share your favorite plant, animal, scenery, or outdoor-themed creations made on your LongMill/AltMill for a chance to win prizes!

Weekly Themed Contest Guidelines and Rules

Have ideas for themes? Let us know by commenting below!

Happy crafting!

October 2024 Production Updates

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Hey everyone, here’s our October 2024 Production Updates.

AltMill

We’re excited to have another batch of parts arrived in September.

We’re sort of hitting an interesting new wall in manufacturing, where the number of parts that we need to make with each manufacturer is more than they can handle in a reasonable time, so we’re working on diversifying our group of manufacturers so that we can move faster in scaling up production.

Power supply samples for testing a new supplier

Shipping was put on a hold as we wait on restocking for spindles. They were expected to arrive Sept 20, 2024, but due to shipping delays at the port due to a recent rail strike, they are expected to arrive Sept 30th. We’ve asked for a rush on these items. Other parts for orders are being assembled now and we will work to ship as much out as we can as soon as the spindles arrive.

Assembly videos for AltMill are coming very soon to Youtube, as they are going through final edits now live on our Channel! These will supplement the written assembly instructions found on our Resources soon.

We now also have AltMill documents open-sourced! hey so I have the public version of the AltMill doc ready for release: https://resources.sienci.com/view/open-source/

LongMill

LongMill orders continue to ship out without incident.

We’re happy to share that the LongMill Spindle and Dust Shoe Kits are shipping and resources for installation are now available!

Due to the shipping delay as mentioned above for the spindles, we are expecting spindles to arrive Sept 30th and will start shipping kits soon after they arrive.

Vortex

The big news for the past month is that closed-loop stepper support and full 4th-axis support is coming out now for Vortex. Learn more about it in our article here: https://sienci.com/2024/09/05/vortex-rotary-axis-close-loop-stepper-motor-update/.

Motors and cables for closed-loop steppers for Vortex have already arrived. We are currently working on testing, packing, and a few other details before they start shipping.

Test carving done on the AltMill

LaserBeam

Focus rings and sets are back in stock! New LaserBeam Safety glasses have been ordered and will arrive well before we run out of stock.

We are continuing to work on updating and adding new resources to the website for the LaserBeam.

We have started building a new, enclosed laser testing area to improve safety measures and also the level of technical support we can provide to you, our customers. 

Keep an eye out for the new Magnetic LaserBeam mount, coming soon!

gControl Panel Computer

50-panel computers are now on the way! We are currently working on a few things to get these ready for ordering, such as the branding, the computer configurations, and other little things. Look out for a blog post coming out that’ll cover all of the details.

We now have 50 Microsoft licenses ordered and waiting on them to arrive. We are also working on doing the final configuration on the OS side. Brackets for mounting are also in manufacturing now and expected to arrive anytime.

Once we sell and ship the first 50, we’re going to be planning out how many we’re going to order for the second batch.

If you’re interested in this product and want to fill out a survey, please visit the survey here: https://forms.gle/E1vaWAaGsfuQB8yg9

Sprouter

So it turns out that someone else is using the name Sprouter for another project. So we’ll probably have to lay off on using that name going forward. If you have any suggestions for names, feel free to let us know!

Also, if you have a non-Sienci Labs machine, such as with a Masso or Shapeoko controller, we’d like to test if the PWM control integration works properly with your machine so that this router can work on all sorts of different hobby CNC machines. If you’re in the KW area and would like to let us test, please feel free to reach out.

Our first prototypes for the Makita clone have arrived and are going through testing. You can see from the photo, they are just like the regular router but with an extra cable sticking out the back for the PWM control.

In the mean time, the team is working on conceptual designs for the top motor housing to work with the extra cable for the PWM signal and for wire management and cooling.

In other news, we are currently waiting on a new version of a VESC driver to be made that can handle up to 200V. We recently tested VESC up to around 100V, with fairly good results, but to get to the RPM range of around 24,000RPM, we need to have a controller that can handle the 200V. One of the main questions we have now is if we’re able to get reliable and fast speed control response at the higher voltage and speeds. We expect the new drivers to arrive in the next month or two.

In our last tests for the BLDC version, we found that the bearings were operating at a higher temperature that we’d like. We suspect that this may be caused by a number of factors, suchas due to improperly machined bearing seats. New bearing seats have arrived and we are going through assembly and testing now.l

Vectric 2024 User Group Meeting

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be part of Vectric’s 2024 User Group Meeting! Join us at the Embassy Suites Round Rock in Austin, Texas, on Friday and Saturday, October 11-12, 2024, for a weekend packed with learning and fun. We’ll showcase the AltMill and Vortex, and Scott will be a guest speaker. If you’re attending, be sure to stop by and say hello!

For those new to Vectric, they’re the creators of VCarve, a top-notch design tool for CNC projects. You can purchase it from our website and enjoy full ownership without any subscription fees.

To learn more about the 2024 User Group Meeting, visit Vectric’s event page.

September 27 – October 4, 2024 “Coaster Projects” Contest

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Happy Friday! Thanks for sharing your autumn-themed projects made on the LongMill/AltMill.

Last Week’s Winners

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We are happy to announce that Brian Heidinger, D. Cam MacGregor, Michael Allan Erickson, Joe Bruning, Darryl Rowe, and Jason Binkley are the autumn-themed projects contest winners. Watch out for a prize!

This Week’s Theme: Coaster Projects

This week’s theme is “coaster projects”! Share your best LongMill/AltMill coaster creations, and we’ll pick our favorites to win prizes!

Weekly Themed Contest Guidelines and Rules

Have ideas for themes? Let us know by commenting below!

Happy making!

September 20 – September 27, 2024 “Autumn-Themed Projects” Contest

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Hey everyone! Thanks for posting your colourful projects made on the LongMill/AltMill.

Last Week’s Winners

We are happy to announce that Mauricio Jurin, Thomas Andrew, Tammy Noble, Brad Jaycock, Jesse Kurisko, and Shaun Hanson are the colourful projects contest winners. A prize is on its way!

This Week’s Theme: Autumn-Themed Projects

Celebrate autumn with us by sharing your autumn-themed projects made on the LongMill/AltMill. We will select our favourites and send prizes to the makers!

Weekly Themed Contest Guidelines and Rules

Have ideas for themes? Let us know by commenting below!

Happy building!

September 13 – September 20, 2024 “Colourful Projects” Contest

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Happy Friday! Thanks for sharing your household projects made on the LongMill/AltMill.

Last Week’s Winners

We are happy to announce that Scott Gardner, Sean McKenzie, Paul Larson, Matthew Mead, Raffi Chris Balabanian, and Mike Jakus are the household projects contest winners. Watch out for a prize!

This Week’s Theme: Colourful Projects

This week’s theme is “colourful projects.” Share your LongMill/AltMill projects with a pop of colour for a chance to win prizes!

Weekly Themed Contest Guidelines and Rules

Have ideas for themes? Let us know by commenting below!

Happy creating!

Vectric Aspire Now Available on Our Store

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Purchase Aspire Now

Hey everyone, we now offer Vectric Aspire on our store!

We’ve taken the jump to offering Aspire in conjunction with the demand for more advanced users.

Why are we offering Aspire?

In the past, our main niche was to serve the beginner, entry-level market for CNCers. However, as our products improved and we continued to come out with new features and accessories, we found more and more advanced users being drawn to our company. We’ve also started playing around with 3D designs and doing some projects where we need the advanced capabilities of Aspire as well.

Now with machines like the AltMill, as well as continued hardware and software advancements on the Vortex Rotary Axis, we’re also better able to take advantage of some of Aspire’s more advanced use cases, such as for making complex 3D models, reliefs, and creating lithopanes.

What is the difference between all of the Vectric software?

We’ll let Vectric explain for themselves. Also make sure to check out their comparisons on their website as well.

Is Aspire right for me?

To be completely honest, although extremely powerful, Aspire is a pretty expensive software. It isn’t something I would personally recommend to a hobbyist right off the bat. If you want to read about my opinion on free versus software, make sure to check out my article. I believe the majority of users, even experienced ones, will be happy with something like VCarve which is less than half the price. Just like with most software, it is possible to get the same functionality by using a combination of software, such as Blender for 3D modelling, and VCarve for the CAM, to get a similar effect. If you’re looking at software options, make sure to check out our Resources as we have lots of different options available.

Aspire however is very streamlined in working with CNC-focused 3D models, plus it comes with many free models that users can modify and change to fit with their projects. We have gotten a number of requests to carry Aspire from a small number of people which I would best describe as the “I want the best and money is no object” group.

Either way, I encourage everyone to do their research and try out all of the different software to find out what works for you. Additionally, even though we have a number of higher-end software options available in our store, we are still very much committed to offering content for alternative software and resources, especially for our beginner users.

September 6 – September 13, 2024 “Household Projects” Contest

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Hey everyone! Thanks for posting your cutting board projects made on the LongMill/AltMill.

Last Week’s Winners

We are happy to announce that Jim Hambone, Emerald Custom Woodcraft, Steve Smart, Scot Lovdahl, Kory Kiefer, and Them Poolstar are the cutting board projects contest winners. A prize is on its way!

This Week’s Theme: Household Projects

This week’s theme is “household projects”! Share something you made with your LongMill or AltMill that you use at home—like trays, boards, furniture, or decor. We’ll pick our favorites and send the creators some cool prizes!

Weekly Themed Contest Guidelines and Rules

Have ideas for themes? Let us know by commenting below!

Happy crafting!

Vortex Rotary Axis Close Loop Stepper Motor Update

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Hey guys, I’m sure many of you have been in great anticipation for the close-loop stepper motor option coming for the Vortex Rotary Axis. Here’s a bit of information.

Before we get started, I just want to apologize that we caused some confusion with a number of people, especially new AltMill users, as the current open-loop version that is currently available doesn’t work yet. We should have had some more info ready to share so that people knew what they needed to expect for the Vortex AltMill compatibility. If you haven’t heard from us yet, we’ll be reaching out directly so that you have the support and parts coming so that the Vortex will work with your machine.

Without further ado, below is Daniel’s write-up of what you should know about the Vortex Rotary Axis Close Loop Stepper Update!

First install of close loop stepper and AltMill

A novel feature of the Vortex Rotary Axis kit not seen with any other rotary axis add-ons is the use of a rotary switching module which ‘intercepts’ power going from the motor drivers to the Y-axis motors and instead sends this to the A-axis, allowing for use of an A-axis which would otherwise be impossible with any regular 3 axis CNC controllers such as the original ‘LongBoard’ controller used on the LongMill.

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With the release of the new SLB controller used on the LongMill MK2.5, and SLB-Ext controller used on the AltMill, we now have an A-axis specific output. Instead of switching between control of the Y-axis and A-axis, we can now drive both simultaneously and independently.

A-axis control output marked by the red square

Please note that if you have a SLB controller, you can put your own motor driver to control the open-loop stepper motor on the Vortex. Resources and instructions for this can be found here.

Since the AltMill uses integrated drivers with the Y-axis motors, it isn’t possible to ‘intercept’ this control of the Y-axis motors, so we aren’t able to use this same rotary switching module. To use the Vortex Rotary Axis with the AltMill, it is therefore necessary to use the A-axis output, along with a motor and driver just for the A-axis.

Going forward, to complement the new capabilities of the SLB and SLB-Ext controllers shipped currently with the LongMill and AltMill users have the option of choosing the ‘Close Loop Motor’ option to pair with their Vortex Rotary Axis kit. This kit will not come with the rotary switching module, but instead with an A-axis closed loop motor and motor cable that will be installed onto the Vortex.

There are several benefits of this new arrangement:

  • No more need to toggle between Y-axis control and A-axis control.
  • The Y-axis motors stay ‘locked’ during use of the A-axis, preventing any possible drift while cutting rotary axis projects.
  • Higher torque at the rotary axis, with the ability to instantaneously self-correct position, should the position of the A-axis slip under cutting load.
  • Alarm feedback from the motor to the controller to stop a program if something goes wrong or A-axis position is lost.
  • Higher possible speed, and higher possible acceleration of the A-axis, to speed up projects with lots of small detail.
  • Simpler wiring with no need to mount a separate switching unit and two extra sets of cables.
  • Capability of full simultaneous 4-axis CNC programs, allowing for completely new types of geometries to be machined in one setup.
gSender in full 4 axis mode

Vortex with closed loop motor mounted on AltMill

Closed Loop Motor Compatibility

If you’re unsure of the compatibility of your CNC machine and the Vortex Rotary Axis kit, please note which controller you have installed with your CNC machine and refer to the following:

  • 30″ and 48″ Open-loop versions of the Vortex Rotary Axis are compatible with the LongBoard controller and SuperLongBoard controller used on the LongMill MK1, MK2, and MK2.5
  • 30″ and 48″ Close-loop versions of the Vortex Rotary Axis are compatible with the SLB-Ext controller on the AltMill and SuperLongBoard controller used on the LongMill MK1, MK2, and MK2.5

The closed-loop motor variation of each kit will have a longer delivery time, and it is estimated to ship out sometime between Oct and Nov.

Order the Vortex

AltMill – Batch 1 Early Adopters

In the haste of production and development of the first batch of AltMill CNC machines, purchases of the original Vortex rotary axis kit and AltMill in combination were possible and shipped out together, meaning some folks received these two kits without complete out-of-the-box compatibility, as a motor driver for the A-axis would be required as described here. 

For these few people affected, we’ll be sending out closed-loop motor upgrade kits to upgrade Vortex Rotary Axis kits for full compatibility with the AltMill free of charge. Customers who had placed an order for their AltMill and Vortex before August 15th included in this will receive a confirmation notice by email. If you have placed an order (or two separate orders) including an AltMill and Vortex before this date and do not receive a confirmation of this by September 18th, please reach out to us with your order number to get this sorted out. These will be shipped out in the coming 2-4 weeks.

Kits will also come with an updated 48” extension track section for improved compatibility with the AltMill.

For assembly of this upgrade kit, please refer to the assembly manual sections showing the assembly of the headstock motor mounting, and the wiring instructions.