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ShopBot Tools, Inc
3333B Industrial Dr.
Durham, NC 27704
Ph: 919-680-4800
919-680-4466
Can't get enough ShopBot news and updates? Want to connect with ShopBotters in your area and around the world? Here are a few ways to keep up with everything ShopBot.
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[Download Full News Release, PDF]
[Download Full News Release, PDF]
ShopBot
Jamboree and Industrial Revolution 2.0 come to Durham, NC
Durham, NC (March 22, 2010) – After one year on the
West Coast, one year in Texas and a one-year break, the
ShopBot Jamboree will return to Durham, North Carolina this
spring. Current and soon-to-be ShopBotters, entrepreneurs
and anyone interested in digital fabrication, distributed
manufacturing, serious DIY, sign making or cabinet making is
invited to join the ShopBot community for two days of
application demonstrations, show & tell, vendor
presentations and networking with fellow ShopBot
enthusiasts.
[Download Full News Release, PDF]
ShopBot Increases
Performance of PRSstandard CNC Systems
Durham, NC (February 8, 2010) – ShopBot Tools, Inc.
has introduced a new control box and control board for its
PRSstandard CNC systems. The new PRSstandard Control System
includes RBK Series motor drivers contained in a sealed,
aluminum, industrial unit. The RBK drivers provide higher
speeds and smoother cutting than ShopBot’s previous
generations of PRSstandard models.
[Download Full News Release, PDF]
ShopBot Signs on as an
ISA International Sign Expo 2010 Exhibitor
Durham, NC (January 27, 2010) – ShopBot Tools
will be an exhibitor at the International Sign Association’s
Sign Expo 2010, this spring at the Orange County Convention
Center in Orlando, Florida. A long-time manufacturer of
powerful, affordable CNC fabrication systems for sign makers
and professionals in a range of other industries, ShopBot
will be demonstrating its PRSalpha CNC system and the
features that make the machine an attractive addition to any
sign shop, regardless of size or budget.
[Download Full News Release, PDF]
ShopBot Introduces Eyes-On Tech Support
Durham, NC (January 20, 2010) – ShopBot Tools
is now shipping a Logitech webcam with every ShopBot CNC
system. The webcams will serve as a component of ShopBot’s
new Eyes-On Technical Support System, allowing technicians
to troubleshoot electronic and mechanical components and to
assist with machine and accessory setup.
[Download Full News Release, PDF]
ShopBot Basic Training now available on the West Coast
Durham, NC (January 7, 2010) – ShopBot Basic
Training, a two-day course in part design and operation of a
ShopBot CNC system, is now being offered on the West Coast
by Ilan Dei of Ilan Dei Studio in Venice Beach, CA. The
program includes one day of introduction to ShopBot Control
Software and mechanical systems and one day of using
PartWorks design software to create ShopBot part files.
[Download Full News Release, PDF]
With Project: Tyro, ShopBot
crowdsources the direction of Digital Fabrication
ShopBot opens the development of their next CNC system
Durham, NC (September 21, 2009) – “What would
you want in a small ShopBot?” That’s the question ShopBot is
asking makers, do-it-yourselfers and current ShopBotters in
the company’s pursuit to develop the next powerful,
affordable, small-format digital fabrication tool.
[Download Full News Release, PDF]
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100k Garages offers a new way to get things made |
ShopBot to host Users Group
in San Mateo, CA
Camp
ShopBot Will Take Place One Day Prior to the Fourth-Annual
Bay Area Maker Faire
Durham, NC (April 23, 2009) – For the third
consecutive year, ShopBot Tools, designer/manufacturer of
affordable, high-performance digital fabrication – or CNC –
systems, will be a sponsor and featured exhibitor at the Bay
Area Maker Faire presented by MAKE: magazine, May
30-31 at the San Mateo County Event Center in San Mateo,
California. As in the past, ShopBot will hold an event on
the day prior to Maker Faire. This year's event will be a
Camp ShopBot on May 29 that, like Maker Faire, will
celebrate American talent, creativity and ingenuity. ShopBot
owners and operators are encouraged to show and demonstrate
the projects made possible by their ShopBots, and those who
are not yet ShopBotters are welcome to participate, ask
questions and learn from experienced users.
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ShopBot offers Economic
Stimulus Packages for cabinet makers |
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ShopBot Buddy with
PowerStick selected as Challengers Award finalist at IWF |
To see what the media are saying about our customers, check out ShopBotters in the News.
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Wired
(January 25, 2010) – A garage renaissance is
spilling over into such phenomena as the booming Maker
Faires and local “hackerspaces.” Peer production, open
source, crowdsourcing, user-generated content — all these
digital trends have begun to play out in the world of atoms,
too. The Web was just the proof of concept. Now the
revolution hits the real world. |
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Machine Design
(January 13, 2010) – Mixing social networking with
digital fabrication provides a recipe for rapid mass
customization. New approaches to rapid manufacturing
let almost anyone inexpensively produce parts, products, and
prototypes. So says Ted Hall, founder of ShopBot Tools in
Durham, NC... |
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Springwise
(January 5, 2010) – A partnership between New
Zealand-based Ponoko
and North Carolina-based ShopBot Tools,
100kGarages is a
community of workshops distributed around the world that are
equipped with the digital fabrication tools needed to
precisely cut, machine, drill or sculpt the components of
virtually any creative project. The network allows designers
or consumers turn their ideas into physical products, and
creates new business for small workshops. |
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Woodshop News
(November 2009) – ShopBot and Ponoko have combined on
joint venture to bring together small shops with local CNC
machinery operators. The September launch of
100kGarages.com
began a new concept of custom fabrication... |
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AWFS Fair Show Daily published by Wood Digest
(July 17, 2009) |
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Cabinetmaker Online
(July 15, 2009) |
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ISW Online (July 15, 2009) – LAS VEGAS - ShopBot
Tools introduced its automatic tool changer (ATC) this
morning at the AWFS Vegas Fair. The company also
announced a new partnership with Thermwood, which will allow
ShopBot users to take advantage of Thermwood's e-Cabinet
software to design and nest parts for cabinets and
furniture. |
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Woodworker's Journal (July 15, 2009) |
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Wood & Wood Products (February 2009) – Increased versatility and lower price points are pushing the spread of CNC machines beyond just the large woodworking companies and into the smaller and mid-sized manufacturing operations. [View Full Article Online] |
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Today's Industrial Products & Solutions (December 2008) – ShopBot Tools is the number-one producer of affordable CNCs. ShopBot's Personal Robotic Systems (PRS) are CNC routers designed for robust, industrial production in a host of manufacturing settings. [View Full Article, PDF] |
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Design World (October 2008) – ShopBot, a leading manufacturer of CNC routing machines, selected a Bishop-Wisecarver linear motion device for the PowerStick feature of its second-generation "Buddy." [View Full Article, PDF] |
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Popular Woodworking Online (Tuesday, November 18, 2008) – OK, you have a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. Your challenge is to design a house or structure using 4x8 sheets of plywood without driving a nail or screw. Oh, yeah, did I mention no glue either? [View Full Article Online] |
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Woodshop News (November 2008) – ShopBot recently launched its newly designed compact and mobile CNC, the Buddy, which can handle larger pieces of sheet goods than its predecessor, the ShopBot BenchTop. The Buddy models come in either 32 or 48 PRSalpha or PRSstandard versions, depending on motor and drive system. [View Full Article, PDF] |
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American Woodworker (September 2008) – Computer
Numerically |
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Wood (Dec 2007) – "Wood magazine editors traveled the globe this past year looking for new tools, accessories and supplies designed to make the most of your time in the shop. Here's the best of what we found." |
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Woodworker's Journal (Sep 2007) – "Remember those clever all-in-one tools like the Shopsmith? The idea was to have one machine that took up limited space but could do almost every woodworking task. Well, say hello to ShopBot, the modern answer to that age-old problem..." |
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Woodshop News (Sep 2007) – "ShopBot Tools introduced a benchtop CNC machine, suitable for a small shop or job site. It's a scaled-down version of the company's Personal Robotic System line..."
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Woodshop News (July 2007) – Video blog and web article from the 2007 Association of Woodworking and Furnishing Suppliers Fair in Las Vegas, Nevada
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CabinetMaker (July 2007) – CabinetMaker Digest "The sixth annual ShopBot Jamboree took place May 16-18 in San Mateo and Foster City, California..."
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Boatbuilder (May/June 2007) – "ShopBot Tools has launched a new line of CNC routers for serious do-it-yourselfers. The new Personal Robotic Systems (PRSstandard) are automated cutting, routing, carving and drilling tools offering many of the features and capabilities of larger, more expensive CNC machines."
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Woodshop News (April 2007) – "In about three months CNC manufacturers will descend on Las Vegas for the AWFS Fair, choosing the year's biggest woodworking show to unveil their new products. Call us impatient but we wanted to know now, so we proudly present a sampling of the latest CNC machinery available for the small shop..."
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News Archives
SignBuilder Illustrated (December, 2005) - “The key to machining any material with CNC is matching the appropriate cutter with the right feed rates and spindle speeds,” says Ted Hall, president of CNC router manufacturer and tool provider ShopBot Tools, Inc., of Durham, North Carolina. The company states that there are almost 4,000 three-dimensional capable ShopBot CNC tools in the field, many of them being used by sign makers. “Our ShopBot CNC routers are being used around the world to produce commercial, residential, two-dimensional, three-dimensional, plastic, wood, and aluminum signs,” says Hall. “Signs with carved features made from foam and wood are becoming increasingly popular ..."
WoodShop News (November, 2005) - "The affordability of CNC machinery for the small and medium shop becomes more attractive with each passing year. CNC, which stands for computer-numerically-controlled, allows a shop to perform repetitive jobs with precision while cutting production time and employee workload -- resulting in a higher profit margin. "
Tomorrow's woodworking today with CNC
routers
WOOD Magazine (October, 2005) - How many times have we seen a high-tech product start out high- priced, and then watch it inch down in cost, becoming affordable for a broader audience? Computers, DVD players, and digital cameras have all traveled that highway. And now, in woodworking, CNC (computer numerically controlled) cutting machines have joined the parade. ShopBot Tools, Inc, located in Durham, North Carolina, has figured a way to produce quality, production-oriented CNCs from $6,995 to $10,995. That’s about one-fifth the cost of industrial models found in factories that mass-produce plastic and wood parts.
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AWFS® New Products Volume 26, Number 5 (September 29, 2005) - ShopBot Tools Inc., a manufacturer of CNC tools, offers the fastest CNC routers in its class. The new line of CNCs feature the industry’s first closed-loop stepper motors that give ShopBot’s tools performance speeds of up to 1,800 inches per minute for transit and 600 inches per minute for cutting. Now, almost a year after their introduction, these PRTalpha tools are believed to be the fastest selling CNC ever with more than 400 sold in the inaugural year. “We have always aimed at being the industry leader in affordable, performance CNC,” said Ted Hall, president of ShopBot Tools Inc. “We credit the success of the PRTalpha to its ability to give our customers the maximum production possible at the most affordable price-point on the market.” The ShopBot PRTalpha is the only CNC available with the closed-loop, “alphaStep” motors and drivers. These motors combine the best features of servo and stepper motors – offering exceptionally fast and smooth cutting motion with no “tuning” or “hunting” problems. The PRTalpha technology remains very affordable. A complete 4’ x 8’ ShopBot CNC tool with a 5HP Columbo spindle and CAD CAM software starts for less than $14,500. |
DURHAM, NC (July 26, 2005) - ShopBot Tools Inc., the leading manufacturer of affordable CNC routers, announced the release of the new ShopBot Air Drill Attachment at its annual Jamboree in April 2005. The attachment allows ShopBot CNCs to drill holes without changing bits. The Air Drill Attachment is great for cabinet and furniture makers who desire new capabilities for their ShopBot CNC. The attachment fits next to the cutter head on the Y carriage. “We are very excited about the new ShopBot Air Drill Attachment,” said Ted Hall, president of ShopBot Tools Inc. “It is just another step in our commitment to offer our customers the most affordable, competitive advantages possible for their ShopBot CNCs.”
DURHAM, NC (July 10, 2005) - ShopBot Tools Inc., the leading manufacturer of affordable CNC routers, is proud to announce the release of the ShopBot Cabinet System. This all-inclusive system combines the ShopBot Cabinet Machine with industry-leading KCDw and ArtCAM Cabinetmaker software for easy design and fabrication of cabinet components.
“We are very excited to offer cabinet makers the most affordable nested-based cabinet package on the market,” said Ted Hall, president of ShopBot Tools Inc. “This all started two years ago when we developed a tool with increased speed and accuracy. When the ShopBot PRTalpha was introduced last year, we immediately began work on putting together a complete system for cabinet shops. The ShopBot Cabinet System is a great package that is complete, effective and priced for less than what most Cabinetmakers would pay for just a CNC tool.
”The system comes with a ShopBot PRTalpha96
featuring alphaStep closed-loop motors for transit speeds of 1,800
inches per
minute and cutting speeds up to 600 inches per minute. The Machine is
fitted with the new ShopBot Air Drill Head allowing cabinet makers to
drill holes without expensive tool changers. The software includes
industry leading KCDw and ArtCAM Cabinetmaker for streamlined design and
fabrication of cabinet components. The ShopBot Cabinet System also
includes a 5 horsepower Colombo Spindle and 15 horsepower vacuum pump.
DURHAM, NC (March 22, 2005) - A ShopBot PRT 96, a computer numerically controlled (CNC) cutting machine produced by ShopBot Tools of Durham, N.C., appeared on the hit show “New Yankee Workshop” on PBS on March 26, 2005. The show highlighted a variety of sign making techniques at the Lincoln Sign Company in Lincoln, NH, the place where the original “New Yankee Workshop” sign was crafted.
“The show has always wanted to pay [the Lincoln Sign Company] a visit and to find out how professionals create these masterpieces,” officials from the “New Yankee Workshop” stated on their website. “In this program, Norm [Abram] does just that and finds out how a router, a sand blaster, a hand chisel and a sophisticated computerized machine can be used to carve out modern signs. Then he learns how the professionals design, hand letter, paint and gild these beauties.”
The ShopBot was used in J.D. Iles’ workshop where, during the shoot, the tool is V-carving a sign. Also, the benefits of using a CNC machine are discussed.
“J.D., his family and crew were great,” said Gordon
Bergfors, ShopBot technical assistant on the set. “They were very
friendly and excited about the event. J.D. is very enthusiastic
about his ShopBot and how it is helping his company grow and produce
some of the most amazing signs. It was also exciting to meet Norm
and to talk to him about woodworking.”
DURHAM,
NC (February 23, 2005) - Ty Pennington went to the hospital with
appendicitis, and it was a ShopBot CNC that helped keep his “secret
room” project on “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” on schedule.
A ShopBot CNC router, manufactured by ShopBot Tools Inc. of Durham, N.C., made another television appearance on “Extreme Makeover Home Edition – How’d They Do That?” in February. The episode featured a segment on how CNC routers are used in furniture making. The ShopBot CNC was used to cut key parts of a piece of furniture for Pennington’s “secret room” – a ribbed bench called “the sternum.”
“We are very proud of our product,” said Ted Hall, president and owner of ShopBot Tools Inc. “We believe the high profile attention it receives is a direct result of the performance of our tools and the quality of support we provide.”
The ShopBot woodworking machine is not an official
product of the ABC show, but is owned by Pennington who purchased it in
the fall of 2003. Rob Williams, Pennington’s shop manager, operated the
ShopBot on the episode when the filming took place in his workshop in
Atlanta, Ga. earlier in February.
About ShopBot Tools, Inc:
ShopBot Tools, based in Durham, N.C.,
designs and manufactures low-cost, high-value Computer Numerically
Controlled (CNC) cutting systems. ShopBot was founded by CEO Ted
Hall, Ph.D., a Duke University professor of neuroscience, who developed
the tool while building plywood boats as a hobby. After several
years of development, the company began shipping tools in 1996.
With 6,000 ShopBots in 54 countries, ShopBot is one of the largest
producers of CNC systems for woodworking and plastics in North America.
The company employs 25 people in the Durham, N.C. area. For more
information, visit
www.shopbottools.com.
