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This week we have a very special interview for you.  I talk with Zak Johns from UnrealWorx (www.unrealworx.com), a custom specialty drone company that does work for government projects, NASA and corporate accounts. He started as a professional UAV pilot working for the government at the age of 13 and today has a very impressive company that services a wide variety of drone applications. The full interview with Zak can be heard at DroneVibes.com (www.dronevibes.com/071), as the first part of the interview he spends talking about his drone company. The second part of the interview is what I included here as we discuss the STEPCRAFT system that he has and how he uses it every day in his business.  In fact, Zak tells us how he got an ROI (return on investment) on his STEPCRAFT CNC in just 3 days!  In this part of the interview we talk about cutting carbon fiber and G-10 fiberglass. LINKS IN THIS EPISODE UnrealWorx Full Interview on DroneVibes.com

We just got back from the WRAM show at the Meadowlands Convention Center in New Jersey.  This is the largest model airplane show in the Northeast and is home to between 65-75 exhibitors with around 8000 people that come through over the weekend. This is our second year at the show with Stepcraft and our booth is always a popular attraction.  In preparation for the show, I had to design and cut some projects that were model airplane related.  In this process, I learned a few new things about using Tabs in my project with Vectric software to which I discuss in this episode. Visit MakeCNC to browse their huge variety of CNC project files

We just got back from the Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield, Mass this past weekend and WOW... 25,000 people, 4 buildings, and hundreds of exhibitors.  I have never been to a hobby show that was this large. We talked non-stop for two days to over 5,000 people who visited our booth.  The show was amazing and the people were so excited about the STEPCRAFT product line.  For more information on the show, please visit www.railroadhobbyshow.com. Below is the model railroad bridge that I made for the show.   The new STEPCRAFT Automatic Tool Changer was also a big hit at the show.     For more information please visit: https://stepcraft.us/product/automatic-tool-changer/

We just got back from the Cabin Fever Expo in Lebanon, PA this weekend (www.cabinfeverexpo.com).  This was an awesome show with so many talented individuals.  The STEPCRAFT booth was jam-packed all day Saturday with tons of people showing lots of excitement about our product and its capabilities. For more information on the show, please visit www.cabinfeverexpo.com

In this episode, I am giving a tour of the STEPCRAFT website in response to the many emails that I get on a regular basis asking for pricing and more info.  The puzzling thing about this is that people are on the website and fill out the contact us box at the bottom of the homepage when they ask for more info and pricing.  We packed the website with all the information we can as well as post pricing for every single product, so I am hoping this podcast will help walk people through a little better.  I know that since our website is ala carte that it can be confusing for some to figure out exactly what they need to buy.

NEW PRODUCT Stepcraft just released a new heated bed for the 3D Printer attachment that will allow the use of ABS filament without the typical curling and other bed adhesion problems.  You can read more about it HERE TECH TIPS Aligning the Gantry   UPCOMING SHOW STEPCRAFT will be exhibiting at the Cabin Fever Expo   LISTENER QUESTION "Im new to CNC world and I started to do my homework by looking what is out there. I'm a industrial designer who mostly use Solidwork and illustrator. your Stepcraft-2/420 seems to be a good fit for me.Do you know if we can work directly from  file like STL or other format use by Solidworks?"        

Happy New Year!!! In this episode I talk about the Railroad Hobby Show (www.railroadhobbyshow.com), the largest model railroad show in the country.  We are planning to attend this show on January 30 and 31, 2016.  Hope to see you there! Zeroing the machine is one of the most common things that people ask us about. I talk in depth about how to zero your machine, how to choose the best zero datum position when setting up a job, how to touch off the X and Y to the side of the material and how to touch off the Z. Mentioned in this episode The Makers Guide Triple Edge Finder FREE Start A Business - With A Stepcraft All-In-One Desktop Creation System

In this episode I discuss my new found fascination with creating lithophanes.  Lithophanes are 3D photographs that when viewed in normal light look a little odd and very lifeless but when you apply a light to the back, they transform into beautiful 3D images with depth and detail that you can not get from a 2D photograph.   Lithophanes can be created with Vectric PhotoVCarve or Aspire and they require ball nose endmills (1/8" or 1/16" for finer detail). They can be made from 1/4" Corian or Candlestone (my preferred material). The idea is that the lighter areas of the photo will have more material removed and the darker areas will have less material. When you apply light from the back the various depths that are carved in the material will translate into darker and lighter parts of the image producing a high quality black and white image. NEW BOOK! This week I released my first book entitled Start Your Own Business - With a Stepcraft All-In-One Creation System.  You can download your FREE copy at www.stepcraft.us/ebook.         INTERVIEW A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of being interviewed on Bill Griggs's CNC Router Tips Podcast.  You can listen to the interview HERE

In this episode I discuss working with aluminum on a CNC router.  I get asked the question a lot, if a CNC router can cut aluminum and the answer is definately YES.  However there are some things you need to be aware of to work with aluminum successfully: Use compressed air to evacuate chips away from the cutter Use a speeds and feed calculator - Check out G-Wizard Use a carbide end mill - 2 or 1 flute - they work better for the higher RPMs of routers Don't expect crazy material removal rates or fast feed rates like a purpose-built machine If you have a choice, stick with 6061 aluminum, We source from OnlineMetals I also talk about the term that you use to describe your CNC system to someone that does not know what it is.  Do you call it a CNC?  Do people know what CNC is?  We have been looking for a new term to describe our systems to people and via a vote on our Facebook group we are going to try All-In-One Creation System.  What do you think??  Leave a comment... Lastly, in our efforts to expand our customer  base we are turning to you... our listeners, to help us spread the word.  Our new Stepcraft Affiliate Program will pay you 5% on any sale that you refer, but simply going to www.stepcraft.us/affiliate and signing up - it's FREE and only takes a minute.  Then you can use your personal URL code to refer people you know to us.  When they buy, you make 5% - it is that simple. LINKS OnlineMetals- Excellent source for ordering metal to machine G-Wizard - World's best Speeds and Feeds Calculator Stepcraft, Inc. - World leader in all-in-one CNC systems Stepcraft Crafter's Club - Facebook Group for Stepcraft Owners CNC Router Tips Podcast - Excellent Podcast by Bill Griggs on CNC CNC Router Tips Facebook Group - Great group of helpful CNC fanatics    

In this episode we talk about the Drag Knife for the Stepcraft CNC System as well as the Donek Drag Knife. The drag knife is an attachment that you can add to the Stepcraft CNC (other CNC systems can use a Donek Drag Knife).  The Stepcraft Drag Knife can be adjusted for various thickness materials and can be used for crafts, scrapbooking, vinyl cutting and much more.  It's simple to change the spindle to the drag knife and you can use a program like Vectric Cut 2D to create the toolpath. For thicker material, Donek Tools makes a drag knife that you insert into the spindle of your CNC (Make sure CNC motor is off!) and you use a special "Gadget" from Vectric called DragKnife Toolpath to create the Gcode to cut out shapes.  The Donek drag knife will cut thicker materials like cardboard and foam board and even materials like leather. It uses standard utility knife blades that you can get from a local hardware store. The drag knife will expand the flexibility of your CNC!  Stepcraft has it as one of many System Attachments that you can use to create just about anything you can think of.