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CNC Articles Phone: 516-328-3970 www.technocnc.com 117 possibility of losing position in the middle of a part.The LC series includes an aluminum T-slot table that can be converted to a vacuum table by installing the Techno accessory kit. “The Techno LC machine clearly had the capabilities I needed to substantially reduce  the  time  required  to  produce countertops,” Farmer said. “I talked to the people at Techno, explained my situation, and hoped they would make me an offer that I couldn’t refuse. They offered me an LC4896 with a 4-foot by 8-foot table and all the software needed to design and build any wood or solid surface component up to that size for only $18,500. I bought the machine  and  have  never  regretted  my decision.” Substantial Time Savings After purchasing the Techno CNC router, Farmer changed his method of fabricating the counters. Now, he lays out the geometry of the entire kitchen using BobCAD software, generates a toolpath  to  produce  the  design,  then exports the G-Code to the Techno ma- chine. He then mounts the countertop onto the CNC router, selects the pro- gram, turns on the machine and lets it Until recently, Tom Farmer worked for a large corporation.  He spent his evenings, weekends, and days off doing what he loved to do making high-end custom kitchens. His customers loved the solid surface counters and hardwood cabinets he produced.  The word spread around the Rochester, N Y, area and soon Farmer had more business than he could handle for his small shop, Upstate CNC Service. But the question arose: How could he get all that work done? Farmer would clamp the template to the solid surface material and run a hand router around the edges, then fasten the counter in place and cut it to the fi nal shape. It typically took two to three days to fabricate and install the countertop, and the best accuracy that could be achieved with this hand-cutting method was about 1/16 inch. A New Breed of CNC Machine Farmer was aware that CNC machinery  could  automatically produce the complicated shapes needed for countertops in custom kitchens, however, the size of the countertops he built would have required  a  very  large  machine costing anywhere from $50,000 to  more  than  $100,000.  With his  business  still  in  the  early  stage  of development,  Farmer  could  not  even consider spending that much money on equipment. ThenFarmerheardabouttheTechno LC Series CNC routing system, which provides a number of critical features that allow it to deliver accuracy to a level that has previously only been available from machines at a much higher cost. Ball screws are provided on all three axes, offering smooth motion,a high level of accuracy and repeatability, and minimal maintenance. A closed loop servo control system provides constant position feedback, higher power and smooth continuous motion that eliminates the Small Shop’s CNC Router “Like Having a Free Employee” rip. The Techno LC has an accuracy of ±0.002 inch. “The  Techno  machine  makes  it possible to fabricate a countertop from start to finish in only one day, less than half  the  time  that  was  required  in  the past,” Farmer said. “Even better, I can spend the majority of that time working on other projects while the CNC router completes the counter top. It’s like having a free employee here that does the job right every time. I save additional time when I install the countertops because I know they will fi t perfectly.” In addition to the time savings in coun- tertop production, Farmer also achieves greater accuracy in manufacturing wood cabinets.  While  he  still  produces simple  cabinet  components  on dedicated  manual  machines,  the CNC router is often used to pro- duce more complex parts, as well as produce designs that would be impossible or impractical t omake by hand. An example of this is a curved cabinet whose door, box, frame  face,  stiles  and  rails  are all curved. “On  the  average,  the  CNC router has reduced by about 20%, the time required to make cabinets and other wooden parts of a custom kitchen,” Farmer said. “The Techno machine helped me triple the revenues of my busi- ness, Upstate CNC Service, mak- ing it possible for me to quit my day jobandspendeverydaydoingwhatIlove,” Farmer  added.  “The  CNC  router  pro- duces even better looking countertops and cabinets than I was able to produce in the past. Yet I can fabricate and install the countertops in a fraction of the time that was previously required. I also save a signifi cant amount of time in producing wooden cabinetry. And I have the option of producing far more intricate designs than were possible in the past.” “All in all, the Techno LC machine has playedavitalroleinmakingitpossiblefor me to do what I love every day.” For more information about Upstate CNC  Service,  visit  www.upstatecnc. com For Farmer the Techno machine makes it possible to fabricate a countertop from start to fi nish in only one day, less then half the time that was required in the past. As written by and seen in Wood & Wood Products Magazine, June 2006