VUILD is ShopBot's official partner in Japan; during a recent Camp ShopBot, their engineering team showed off the work they've been doing to integrate an aggregate milling head into a ShopBot PRSalpha ATC. ShopBot has also been experimenting with this add-on and hopes to offer aggregate heads as a supported option on our CNC machines in the near future. If this type of accessory is something that you're interested in for your ShopBot, please let us know and we can keep you up to date on our progress!

View the event recap article created by VUILD - HERE!

Translation below:

The second ever Camp ShopBot in Japan was recently held at KOKKOK, Inc. This was the first time it was held under the owner of the installation site, and it was a great success. The theme of this event was "Hack and Customize the ShopBot". To let those of you who were unable to attend know how exciting it was onsite, we're reporting on the details here!

KOKKOK is a workshop located in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture (next to Tokyo), that manufactures custom-made furniture, store fixtures, and sells wooden products. The owner, Mr. Tanaka, a furniture craftsman, is in charge of all production almost all by himself. He uses ShopBot CNC in his daily work, has an insatiable curiosity for making things, and was the organizer of this Camp ShopBot.

He originally had the opportunity to work with VUILD for assembly and finishing of work pieces, but had never touched the ShopBot himself at the time. He bought a ShopBot and said, "I wanted the machine to do the work for me. Store fixtures made by 3D machining, which is difficult to do by hand alone and only possible with a CNC router. " He also introduced us to the story behind the production and the difficulties involved.

Next, a video message from Brian and his "stamp" were introduced.

Brian, CCO of ShopBot Tools, sent us a message about the ShopBot Camp and a video report of his recent work. He actually contacted us online to participate, but his schedule conflicted with his honeymoon, so he prepared a video letter for us instead.

Original napkins for the wedding

Illustrations were hand-drawn, using Vectric VCarve's image tracing (bitmap tracing feature). Linoleum was cut, the stamping surface was produced, and the napkins were stamped with fabric ink. These napkins are also souvenirs for wedding attendees and are used to see them off at the ceremony.

Next, we introduced customization and artwork by users.

This time, we asked the participating users in advance in a survey what they have modified, hacked and used around the ShopBot, and what they think is unique to the ShopBot.

Since the theme of this year's event was "Customs and hacks," it was interesting to see ideas such as "I improved the vacuum table," "I made a sign with a pen attached," and "I made consumable parts" and more from our customers.

Next, we got the Aggregate Head running on the ShopBot!

This is a VUILD project and presented by Asako, a field engineer who calls herself a "ShopBot geek".

We started by saying, "we want to use a circular saw on our ShopBot," and then bought an aggregate head. Then, we came up with the idea of "Why don't we show it off at the Camp?"

An aggregate head is an attachment to a spindle that allows a 3-axis NC router to be used with a multi-axis (5-axis) or circular saw. This time, the blade angle can be manually adjusted.

Vimeo video here - Aggregate Head - Test Cut

We tried our hand at chamfering and routing joinery cavities.

The Aggregate Head is a part that anyone can buy, but after trying it this time, we found some hurdles, such as the need to switch the spindle rotation direction and the difficulty in preparing the data.

Finally, "I made a conventional lathe" by Mr. Tanaka .

The impetus for this project came from watching VUILD members experimenting with aggregate heads and thinking, "If I can mount a lathe on top of a surface plate, we can make a conventional lathe. He decided, "Let's make a lathe, since I have an opportunity to show it off!"

ShopBot also has a rotary indexer option. This is not a high-speed rotary motor like a lathe, but one that can precisely control rotation to cut asymmetrical shapes.

(Vimeo video can be played by clicking on it in the original article)

He thought, "A rotary indexer usually requires a person to be on duty, so it would be nice to automate it, and ShopBot could do something similar without even making a mold!" He thought, "If I can automate the lathe, it would be great." (The cost of materials for this project was about 15,000 yen.)

He drilled dowel holes at 100mm intervals in the surface plate and made a lathe mount stand to fit the holes.

Although some parts were moved for the first time on the day of the event and were set up on the spot, and cutting failed, participants were inspired by Mr. Tanaka's boldness in taking on the challenge!

After the demonstrations, a social event was held.

The participants enjoyed the party with drinks and snacks. Mr. Tanaka's workshop was also filled with prototypes and jigs. The conversation was lively from the user's point of view, talking about tools, jigs, and ideas that they would like to see realized in the aggregate head. Some of the participants were people who were considering purchasing the ShopBot, and they were able to listen to the voices of actual users and exchange opinions.

The environment in which we can stimulate each other's creativity is a great source of inspiration for us to try new things.

We would like to continue to be stimulated by seeing everyone's creations, and to keep challenging ourselves to create new things. "I would like to continue to see your creations and be stimulated, and keep trying new things," concluded Mr. Tanaka.

We hope that the ShopBot Camp will continue to be a place where people related to ShopBot can gather and be stimulated by each other!

We immediately received a request from one of the owners who participated this time to hold the event at their base. We have a feeling that the next one will be held not in the Kanto area, but in western Japan! We look forward to the next Camp ShopBot in Japan!

Article and Photos by: VUILD (VUILDERS Team)

VUILD Original Article