Studio Tour

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Last Updated: Thursday, 16 November 2017 16:28

“If all you had was academic ability, you wouldn't have been able to get out of bed this morning. In fact, there wouldn't have been a bed to get out of. No one could have made one. You could have written about the possibility of one, but not have actually constructed it.”
Ken Robinson, Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative

So, You Want To Get Started In Design...?

It is a Catch-22 situation. You want to try your hand at design. You might find that you have a talent for it and you certainly have a desire to give it a try. On the one hand you don't want to spend the big dollars required to buy software, or equipment, or attend formal courses, until you know you can do it and that you want to do it. On the other, you won't know whether you can do it or want to do it on an ongoing basis until you've spent a reasonable amount of time doing it.

There is a way out of this situation.

We have the equipment. We have the licensed software. We have the asset libraries. For an hourly fee you can access our studio and use all of our equipment. The only additional cost is the replacement cost of consummables (the material used by the 3D printer, for example).

We'll show you how to use the equipment, we'll get you started with the software, and we'll answer your questions when they arise. We'll act as mentors, but not as teachers.

Our Studio

When we designed our studio we wanted to ensure we could cater for the entire production workflow, from the earliest design stage all the way through to low-volume commercial production. The design and development section of our studio is 48 square meters, our production section is 36 square meters. While they are in the same building they are completely separate. The production section contains everything that produces a mess!

Software

Through our studio you can access:

We have extensive asset libraries available for these applications. We also have training courses available that allow you to learn at your own pace.

3D Printing

3D Systems produce the Projet series of 3D printers. What attracted us to the Projet was the finish quality on the models. It is excellent - smooth where it is supposed to be, sharp where it is supposed to be, never jagged or rough. Layer thickness is 0.004 inches (roughly 0.1mm or 100 microns).

3D Routing

The BilbyCNC 6040W 3D Router has a 1500w spindle. It will take a workpiece up to 450mm x 750mm x 90mm in size. It can be used to mill aluminium as well as wood.

Laser Cutting/Engraving

Laser engravers produce unrivalled accuracy and repeatability in the cutting and engraving of wood and other materials.

Vacuum Chamber

We have a vacuum chamber available for de-gassing. It is perfect for mould-making and casting as it removes gasses from the mix.

Spin Casting

We are looking to acquire spin casting equipment in 2014. At this stage it looks likely to be something from Tekcast in the US.

Photography

We specialise in the art of photographing very small things very well. If you have something that is less than 300mm x 300mm x 3000mm in size then we have the equipment to light and photograph that object.

“Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it's the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves.”
Ken Robinson