Matt and Michelle Hertel wanted desktop making capability beyond plastic 3D printing. They wanted to be able to cut organic materials and metals. Making parts with a good surface finish, fine details and several different detail planes was almost impossible. Their solution is Pocket NC, a five axis desktop CNC mill that won a blue ribbon at Maker Faire 2013 and is now running an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign.
Pocket NC can mill in conventional X and Y axes while the cutter runs up and down in the Z axis. Rotation around the X and Y axis allow for the fourth and fifth cutting directions. Max travel speed in the X, Y and Z directions is 40 inches per minute, with 4.5 inch, 4.8 inch and 3.45 inch respective travels. Resolution is specified as 0.000125 inches with 0.003 inches backlash at 100% load.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1090944145/pocket-nc-the-first-5-axis-cnc-mill-for-your-deskt
The A axis can move at 20 degrees per second with a 0.025 degree resolution and 0.05 degree backlash at 100% load. The B axis has 40 degrees per second speed with the same resolution and backlash. The spindle on the machine turns between 65-10,000 rotations per minute with a 0.000078 inch runout and tool change is done with a lever.
A BeagleBone Black machine controller runs Machinekit/Linux CNC and is compatible with Windows, OSx, and Linux. The controller allows spindle override, feed override, stop, start, pause, jog, and 5 axis movement. Fusion 360 is the software that’s been used to develop the 5 axis capability but the machine also accepts straight g codes.
Pocket NC looks like a product that can help thousands of makers create more intricate and detailed parts for their projects. The Pocket NC web presence shows several layers of material testing and part testing to find the best components and controls for their product. Only one hundred machines are being built for this Kickstarter campaign, and around sixty have been spoken for in just the first three days. Kickstarter units are expected to start shipping in December 2015 and continue shipping well into 2016.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1090944145/pocket-nc-the-first-5-axis-cnc-mill-for-your-deskt