Carbide 3D

Here's a quick prook of concept we knocked out, cutting SeaDek foam and applying it to the top of a small cooler.

Seadek is a marine grade EVA foam with an adhesive backing that you can CNC route custom designs into, so it can be both practical and decorative.

This piece was secured to our Shapeoko 5.1 Pro CNC Router on a vacuum fixture (more on that in a future video), and cut out with a thin onion skin. The last millimeter of foam was cut by hand to prevent the adhesive backing from fouling the endmill.

For more details, check out the latest video on our YouTube channel.

How strong is the frame of the Shapeoko 5.1 Pro?
Pretty dang strong.

With thick-walled aluminum cross-members going under our original Hybrid Table, and heavy gauge sheet metal legs, the Shapeoko can support heavy workpiece like wooden slabs without a problem.

And because the legs are powder coated steel, you can drill and bolt on whatever accessories you want to it, like a shelf. Or stick on magnetic hooks or mounts for accessories. It's an incredibly strong and versatile platform for anything you want to make.

A quick test cut of acrylic (PMMA) on our new Nomad 4 desktop CNC mill. Acrylic (specifically cast acrylic, not extruded) cuts extremely cleanly as long as you use good speeds and feeds. Go too slow and you'll melt the material and gum up the endmill.

In this test we used our no. 102 1/8" endmill, no. 501 PCB engraver, and no. 301 90 degree V-bit.

CNC Inlays are a technique people are sleeping on. It's a great way to jazz up any wooden piece, from a humble coaster to a chunky cutting board. And it's easy to do using the version of Carbide Create that comes with every Shapeoko CNC Router.