More CADventures

If you don't know, I work as a Tool and Die maker/CNC programmer.  I make the tools that go into the machines that form the parts.  A while back, I made some palm sized versions of the tooling we make for some co-workers to keep on their desks.  Talking to another coworker he said in jest "Make me a Millennium Falcon."  Haha, big funny, everybody laugh.  Then I got to wondering if I actually could.  So I took it as a challenge, partly to make a birthday present for my coworker, but mostly to see if I actually could.

To do any CNC machining, you first need to have a 3D model of the object you want to machine.  While there are many programs that you can use, Solidworks is the industry standard.  Through some very complicated magic, I ended up with a solid model of the Falcon that I could then program.  Here's the model as a work in progress:

With the solid model complete, I programmed and ran the model on the CNC mill.  I cut it out of a synthetic wood material called Renshape, the material we use at work for sample molds.  It cuts almost as easily as air, so it can be machined at incredible speeds and is very easy on the tooling.  I don't have any pictures of the machining in progress, so you'll have to use your imaginations.  More magic was involved.  Here's what I ended up with.  The quarter in the pic is for size reference.

There are some things about it I'm not happy with, but overall it turned out pretty good.  It certainly looks neat sitting on my coworker's desk :)