Desktop CNC mills have been around for a bit, giving makers a way to fabricate wooden objects using 3D CAD models. The Pocket NC does existing systems one better by being the first desktop-grade mill to cut along five different axes.
That’s right, 5-axis linear cutting is now available in desktop form, allowing you to fabricate objects faster than conventional 3-axis mills. Not only does it mean faster production for your projects and prototypes, it means less need to reposition your materials during fabrication, leaving room for fewer mistakes and requiring less work on your part.
The Pocket NC can cut along the conventional X, Y, and Z linear axes, along with two rotational axes (one along X and one along Y). Maximum travel speed along the three linear axes is 40 inches per minute, with the A axis (rotational X) going at 20 degrees per second and the B axis (rotational Y) at 40 degrees per second. The hardest material it can cut is aluminum, so wood, plastic, and fabric are all fair game, with the build area able to handle parts measuring 4.5 x 4.8 x 3.45 inches.
Unlike some desktop CNC mills we’ve seen (e.g. the Nomad CNC Mill), the build area is open, so this machine is best kept inside a dirty workshop than the desk at your home office. Unless you like sawdust and shavings littered around your home’s floors, that is.
A Kickstarter campaign is still running for Pocket NC, although all the available units for the run have already been taken. You can hit their website to see if any more units are planned for release.