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Category: General News
Nylock nuts on anti backlash nut kits (also you can get them $10 off until Nov 30)
We’ve started shipping with nylock nuts. For most folks, this won’t make a huge difference, but it does add a level of security from having the M3 nuts back off over time, especially if you use your Mill One all the time. We try to keep finding ways to improve our products, of course, even if they’re small changes!
If you want to get an Anti Backlash Nut Kit, use the coupon code “10ABL” at checkout to get $10USD off the kit. The code will work until Nov 30!
Everything is on Thingiverse
Github can be confusing, especially if you’re not a software developer. For the uninitiated, Github is a repository commonly used by software developers to share and collaborate on projects, as well as provide version control over the project being developed. That being said, it can be a little confusing to navigate. You can still find our stuff on Github but it will be out of date.
To make things more approachable, we’ve taken many of the files you need to build your own Sienci Mill One and put them on Thingiverse. You can also find a lot of other files, including designs and sample gcode on our Thingiverse profile as well.
For the rest of our open source files, make sure to check out https://sienci-upgrade3.cospark.io/resources/hardware_resources/open-source/ to get all of the files you need to build or modify a Mill One! We have started to add community contributions, so if you have anything you’d like us to add, make sure to get in touch with us!
Chris Zindrik creates PDF templates for making Mill One frames
Chris Zindrik, one of the members on our Sienci Mill One Group, was kind enough to share his PDF files for the Mill One frame to make drilling holes and cutting easier. You can check out the files here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/166433110494695/files/
In other news, we’ve welcomed our 300th member to our Sienci Mill One Group! Make sure to join if you’re interested to stay in the loop for the latest developments in the community.
Makerween on Saturday!
Makerween is happening this Saturday and we’re gonna be there! Make sure to stop by our booth in the Kitchener City Hall.
For more information, check out http://www.makerexpo.ca/
One week left on the October Project Contest
Hey everyone! Just a reminder that the contest will be closing in a week!
To enter:
1) Share project photos and videos on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the tag #siencilabs
2) Share speeds and feeds and other tips and tidbits in the description for extra points.
3) Top three of our favorite projects will win prizes!
More details can be found here:
Tom uses the Mill One
If you have been following Tom Salanderer and his livestream on the Mill One, you’d know that he finished up that livestream without getting to the milling part. Well, he’s gotten back on the horse and got the Mill One up and running in this new livestream!
So, some good results with the Mill One for this first run. We’re looking forward to seeing the results for some of the new things he makes with the machine, and it’s pretty cool to know that this is the first desktop CNC machine to be on his channel (besides the MedelMax 3D printer he put a spindle head on).
Small changes to XZ gantries and electronics holders
Hey everyone, we have made some small updates to the XZ gantries and electronics holders to make the Mill One slightly better. These improvements have been made to improve ease of manufacturing.
XZ gantries:
We have changed the spacing slightly on the gantry to allow for more freedom of adjustment for the v wheels. Some users may have noticed that there is not a lot of room to tighten down on the v wheels. We have had two different batches of aluminum having come from two different sources. Thus some users have angle aluminum that is slightly wider than the first batch which reduces the amount of space to adjust the v wheels.
If you received a Mill One in the past two weeks, you will have received the latest version of the XZ gantry.
Electronics enclosure:
We have made a small change to the size of the plastic around the notch that holds the cover on the electronics enclosure to make it much more difficult to break. You can find the latest model here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2288412
October Project Contest!
We’re hosting a contest to encourage Mill One users to share their projects! Read below for more details:
How to enter:
- Post your project photos and videos made using the Mill One on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram with the hashtag #siencilabs. Using the hashtag will help us find your projects online.
- Extra points for sharing feeds and speeds, and other tips and tidbits for your project in the description/caption.
- Posts must be made between Oct 2, 2017 and Oct 31, 2017.
How to win:
- We will choose three of our favorite projects and contact our winners via phone, email, or social media.
- Winners may choose from one of the three prizes. The first place winner has first choice, second place winner has second choice, and third place winner has third choice.
Rules:
- You can post as many projects as you like, but you can only win one prize.
- Your project must incorporate the Mill One.
Prizes:
- 4 inch low profile drill press vise
- Tooling pack containing one 1/4″ to 1/8″ collet adapter, set of three 1/8″ flat and ball end mills, and two 3mm aluminum end mills.
- An official Sienci Labs t-shirt
One year Kickstarter anniversary
Can you believe it’s been a whole year since our Kickstarter campaign was funded?
It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come since we were funded in 2016. Since then we’ve shipped over 150 desktop CNC machines to over 20 countries to be used for thousands of different applications, from model making to creating medical devices. We’ve put our CNC machines in over two dozen schools, universities, and makerspaces, and helped educate hundreds of students CNC technology.
It is with the support of our Kickstarter backers and the community we were able to create low cost desktop CNC machines and make this technology more accessible for makers. You have provided us with the capital and engineering expertise to bring our product to life. Not only that, it is through your support we have been able to continually improve the quality and performance of our machines.
What can you expect from the coming year? We plan on scaling up production even further, as well as investing more time and money into developing new and affordable technologies for CNC.
By the way, check out our latest video, Introducing the Sienci Mill One Desktop CNC!