CAD files for the case of the Neo will be made available

[Shawn Rutledge]

On Jan 14, 2008 12:52 PM, Michael Shiloh <michael at openmoko.org> wrote:
> I personally look forward to non-traditional materials. I have an
> obsession with concrete, which I'm trying to figure out how to apply in
> this situation.

A concrete phone?  You can't make it anywhere near as thin as plastic can you?

I guess you could make a concrete docking station.

> Anyone have access to useful manufacturing tools? I have friends with
> CNC mills and lathes, and one with a water jet cutter. I have indirect
> access to 3D printers. Anything else interesting out there?

I've got a CNC micro-mill (Sherline based) but it's not very
reliable... it's kindof worn (I got it used) and the screws tend to
stick sometimes in some positions, it's slow (more likely to stick if
I get the step rate up too fast), and it's not easy to do any
significant metal cutting.  I run it from a DOS machine because
real-time Linux so far has been more trouble to get going, and
requires a faster machine to get the same results.  I also have it
booting from a CF card for reliability, and it can mount Samba shares,
so it's easy enough to generate files on Linux and then mill them on
DOS.  I was just hoping to mill PC boards, but I mostly have not been
able to get acceptable results; it's so hard to find small-enough
cutters, and the ones that are small enough break too easily.  I got a
simple pyramid-shaped engraving bit, and it tears the edges of the
copper too much, so that fine traces tend not to have continuity when
it's done.  So fine-pitch surface-mount stuff is not an option right
now (but I did make one good board with a 6-pin SOIC on it).  Plus my
wife won't let me use it when she's at home because it's so loud.  All
in all it's much less trouble to just send designs somewhere to be
made (like Olimex if you're not in a hurry - they are cheap).  And
what am I going to spend my spare time on anyway?  My software
projects take a lot of time and aren't getting done fast enough, and I
don't have time to read as many books as I'd like because I'm always
hacking on something.

Also have a decent-sized non-CNC Harbor Freight milling machine.  I
don't have enough experience yet to be any good with either one.
Didn't get around to getting a lathe yet.

Can you generate CAM paths with Blender?