Prototype started...

[geneb]

I've started building the single seat, WWII era fighter cockpit.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtIsqST9KhU[/media]
This video is of the ShopBot cutting out the first of 2 part sheets. I manged to fit the entire cockpit on to two 4x8 sheets of OSB. Stringers not included of course.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Meu7hyy0BQ[/media]
This is just a walk-around of the first completed assembly. This is the left side of the cockpit.

I'll start work on the center section tomorrow and I'll start on the right side if I have the time.

So far, it's looking like I've got the interior geometry nailed, but I won't know for sure until I have the instrument panel mounted.

thanks for looking.

g.

[BHawthorne]

Looks great. Which aircraft are you doing? That your router or do you have a shop do the cutting?

[geneb]

Thanks. The cockpit is a "generic" model. I didn't want to try to stick to any one specific model in order to allow people to outfit the shell as they saw fit. Doing scale cockpits tend to be more expensive as well.

The ShopBot is mine. It's a fantastic tool.

g.

[Joe Cygan]

Wow, thats awesome!

I love your $50K shop bot.

[geneb]

Wasn't even half that much Joe.

g.

[Joe Cygan]

Wasn't even half that much Joe.

g.

You’re right, I’m wrong, but still a very nice CNC no doubt.

Awesome work!

[geneb]

The 'bot as configured actually came out to be about $17k or so. It's the
PRT Alpha version. Of course they came out with the new PRS machines shortly after I ordered mine.

g.

[BHawthorne]

Anyone looking at the shopbot might look at the mechmate too. It's basicly an open standard for a router table people are developing based on years of shopbot mods. I was working on a mechmate for awhile but switched over to an X2 mini-mill retrofit with the same controller setup and steppers as the mechmate. The mechmate setup is really overkill for the X2, but I already had the electronics all purchased. The X2 better suits my current milling needs. If I had the space for a 5x10' mechmate I'd look it over again though.

[geneb]

Brad, the ShopBot and Mechmate are both more oriented to working with wood than with metal. The X2 mill is perfectly suited for doing actual CNC machining. The ShopBot can do 3D machining but it's a very slow process. You can't take too big of a "bite" from the material or the gantry flex will ruin the accuracy of the cut. That being said, the 'bot works great for cutting out instrument panels out of aluminum.

g.

[shadow0000]

The protoype loads an assembly(s), and performs a scan to count references to system type method calls. This scan is from a professionally developed C# application. In this example, String.Concat is statically referenced 1148 times. This started me thinking what other information could you use with a method usage profile? Classification, bad call smells?




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Rapid Prototyping