By Giovanni Dimalanta
Owner
Carpe Diem Art Supplies
Walnut, California


A computer numeric controlled (CNC) router has increased sales at Carpe Diem Art Supplies by 40 percent by allowing the company to produce 3D physical models from digital data. The company started out selling art supplies to architecture students and soon found that it could substantially increase revenues by first renting time and later producing contract architectural models on the CNC machine. Examples of the work done on the machine include architectural models, 3D signs, and movie props for Hollywood. Because the router is programmed from the information in customers' CAD files, Carpe Diem is able to deliver even large models in just a few days. Through only word of mouth and a web site, Carpe Diem is bringing in enough of this work to keep the machine running full-time.

Carpe Diem specializes in architectural modeling supplies. The company's products include scaled model supplies, 3D topography sites, large format prints, basswood sales, and reference books. When Carpe Diem first opened, the focus of the business was selling these supplies to architecture students at the nearby university, Cal Poly Pomona. Soon, however, it was apparent that the students might be interested in more than just supplies. During the course of the academic quarter, architecture students must come up with a design concept, build a physical model of the concept, and present it to the faculty. The students were producing their models by hand out of cardboard, chipboard, and foam and most models took at least a month to complete. Because the process took so long, students were forced to decide on a concept early in the quarter. Another drawback was that they were not able to make changes to the model as the quarter progressed. Carpe Diem management realized that if the company offered model-building capabilities, they would have another source of income.

The key to generating architectural models quickly was to work directly from the students' computer data. After researching the technology that makes this possible, Carpe Diem decided to purchase a CNC router, a computer-controlled machine that derives its cutting instructions from CAD geometry. The company chose a Techno Series III PC-driven CNC wood router from Techno Isel. This machine, which sells for about $18,000, is designed for production routing and drilling on a wide variety of materials including wood, plastic, MDF, solid surfacing materials, and nonferrous metals.

As the Cal Poly students learned of Carpe Diem's model-building service, they began bringing in their projects. Carpe Diem first tried renting the CNC machine to students on an hourly basis. That was successful but it also demonstrated how great the demand was for the machine. Carpe Diem started using the machine to build the models for the students. To produce a model, a Carpe Diem employee imported the CAD data ran a program to generate the toolpath for the Techno machine. After he set up the foam on the machine and attached the appropriate cutter tool, the machine then carved out the model. Carpe Diem's Techno system consists of a 3.5 hp Porter Cable router head, a 5-foot by 10-foot table with a rapid travel rate of 800 inches per minute, and a 5-foot by 8-foot cutting area. It has an 11.5-inch z axis with 0.0005-inch resolution and repeatability. Carpe Diem delivered their models in a matter of days, in large part because the machine is able to cut 3D continuous contours at up to 200 inches per minute, far faster than most machining centers.

The students did not forget about Carpe Diem's model-building service after they graduated. They went to work for architectural firms throughout southern California but came back to Carpe Diem when they needed physical models. Carpe Diem soon found itself doing more of this work for the professional community. In fact, the company has gained a reputation for doing a particularly good job on landscape models, such as golf courses and parks, and has become the main supplier of these models in its area. For example, Perkus Rose Architects of Brea, California hired Carpe Diem to create a model of a skateboard park that the firm had designed for the city of Glendale. The architect provided Carpe Diem with a 3D model of the park in .dxf format. After cutting the model on the Techno machine from Precision Board urethane foam, the Carpe Diem employee covered the foam with fiberglass and then painted it gray to simulate concrete.

As word of Carpe Diem's model-building capability spread, other professionals began calling to see if the company could do jobs that weren't related to architecture. An official from Riverside County, for instance, called to ask if they could produce a prototype of the new county seal for a dedication ceremony. The new design included a raised picture of the Riverside County courthouse in the middle of the crest, and letters with beveled edges spelling out the county's name. There wasn't time to make a preliminary model and have it cast in urethane, so Carpe Diem cut the design out of high-density foam on the Techno machine, coated the foam with primer sealer, and covered that with oil-based paint. The end result looked like it was made of bronze, and no one at the ceremony knew that the seal was actually made out of foam.

As the volume of work for the Techno router has grown, the machine has held up well and maintained its high-precision cutting capability of +/- .1 mm in 300 mm and a machine resolution of 0.0005 inch. This Techno router is built on a ground steel frame and has four ground and hardened steel shafts and eight re-circulating bearings in each axis. This shaft-and-bearing system produces very smooth, play-free motion and an extremely rigid system that produces high-quality cuts. In addition, the machine's use of anti-backlash ball screws ensures play-free motion. These screws have excellent power transmission due to the rolling ball contract between the nut and screws. This type of contact ensures low friction, low wear, and long life.

Carpe Diem has used its CNC machine to make props for a movie. Universal Pictures needed a replica of a government agency seal for use in the Tom Clancy movie, Netforce that appeared on ABC TV. The art director had a 3D model of the seal that had been designed in Alias/Wavefront's Studio software. He took the design to several sign shops but none took the job because it had a very tight deadline. Using the Techno machine, Carpe Diem produced a quarter-scale mockup in three days. The art director liked the mockup and asked the company to produce the full-sized seal in two weeks. Carpe Diem completed it in five days. It took two days to cut the four-foot diameter seal on the router. The rest of the time was spent hand finishing it, applying fiberglass and then painting.

The art director was so happy with the seal that he asked Carpe Diem to create additional props for the movie – 15 small 3D eagles similar to those that are welded to the gate of the White House. He needed the eagles in three days. The art director supplied Carpe Diem with a hand-drawn sketch of an eagle. After creating the toolpath for the router, he cut the first eagle on the Techno machine out of machinable wax. Cutting it took four hours. Knowing that time was tight and that it would be difficult to produce all 15 eagles this way and still make the deadline, Carpe Diem made just the one on the Techno machine. They used the original figure to create a mold and cast the remaining pieces in urethane wax. The company was paid $16,000 for the four-foot seal and the eagles.

From what started out as a service for architecture students, Carpe Diem has built a substantial sideline to its main business. As satisfied customers continue to spread the word of how quickly Carpe Diem can produce models, the Techno machine operates almost non-stop during working hours, adding to the company's bottom line.
For more information contact: Techno, Inc., 2101 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park, NY 11040.
Phone: 516-328-3970 Fax: 516-358-2576 E-mail: TECHNO CNC ROUTER SYSTEMS

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