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Introducing the Shaper Origin, a Self-Correcting Router

"Handheld CNC"

By Rain Noe - August 25, 2016

in Hand Tools | Digital Fabrication

For shops that need to cut complicated shapes out of wood, there are two popular options: Use a gantry-style CNC mill or a handheld router. The former requires lots of space and can be pricey. The latter is much more affordable, but requires making templates for repeatability.

A company called Shaper has combined the two to provide a third option. Their Origin is a trim router wrapped in a small computer, equipped with a camera and tricked-out with a self-correcting mechanism that precisely places the cutting head, rather like an auto-targeting system; the user need only get it in the general vicinity. Take a look:

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Here's how they envision it being used:

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The technology was developed four years ago at MIT (we covered it here) and is finally being brought to market. When it arrives in September of 2017, it will retail for $2,099. The company is currently taking pre-orders (in limited numbers) at the reduced price of $1,499.

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Muhammad Setiawan

8 years ago

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the engine is cool , eager memlikinya , but I think expensive , it seems I
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Tony franchini

8 years ago

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I love this. I am a Cnc programmer and avid maker. I can see many potential uses for this as I work in the sign industry. Programming with fiducials on pre printed work Is something I regularly do. Incorporating that into a print file would be awesome but shaper would have to open up the possibility of people not being locked into buying tape constantly.
Cutting 3D reliefs seems possible if the z axis goes up and down, but if you have experience doing this work on cncs you know about overlap on your bits , going back and forth with an eighth inch ball nose endmill with a 80 to 90% overlap with my arms does not sound like a selling point so I am not surprised it's not featured. Getting the ability to cut vectors designed in software for this price and repeatability. Come on you can't beat that.
I have read in a few threads people seem to doubt it's ability but when I look at the video I see a tool path with a target circle, which obviously is the range of drift you can do before the z axis pops up so you can't cut outside your vector Genius! As for setting your depth it rides on the surface of your material I'm sure that's just a setting you punch in before you start cutting. Which also keeps material from riding up your bit which can be a real pain on thin material, especially near the edges of vacuum tables on cnc's.
Did anyone else catch that it looked like it had the ability to cut nested parts? Imagine you are small shop using a highly expensive material and you now have the ability to maximize its usage quickly and effectively. I saw you could pause and restart a cut in one of the videos (nice for tired arms). What more can you expect for 1500-2000. Personally, I have managed to make cnc's do things I was told they could not do by being creative and thinking about what the machine knows and what I want it to actually do. I see possibilities way beyond the video. I wish I could try it.

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Horatio Fisk

8 years ago

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its still a router. Calling it a hand held CNC is rather silly. Its nothing of the kind.

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- Douglas Bowker
  
  Horatio Fisk
  
  8 years ago
  
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  No- it IS something of the kind. It fits within the definition of CNC, though it's true that it's not 3-axis.
  CNC: Computer Numeric Control is the automation of machine tools that are operated by precisely programmed commands encoded on a computer command module, (usually located on the device) as opposed to controlled manually by hand wheels or levers, or mechanically automated by cams alone.
  
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Sahra Stolz

8 years ago

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They don't show any real variation in the Z axis - it's just working like a 2D cut-out or pocketing tool. Needs to have the ability to do surfacing to be a true asset in my workshop.

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Aaron Tuck

8 years ago

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This seems like the absolute cat's pyjamas if it does what is shown in the video.

Looking forward to some youtube review vids to see how it really works after the marketing glitz is removed. I'm sure there were moments when they had to edit out something not cutting correctly.

Personally, I'm just not convinced that such a magic box product would work 100% as advertised. I'd love to be wrong, though. I might even have to reconsider my next workshop purchase.

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Tom Luczycki

8 years ago

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Great potential here BUT - Someone please explain to me how the speaker cabinets shown in the design @ 0:14 and in wood @ 1:19 were able to have 90 degree inside corners? That can't happen due to the radius of the tooling. There are ways to make that kind of joint work, but not without "dog-boning" or other techniques that have allowances for the radius.

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- Tom Luczycki
  
  Tom Luczycki
  
  8 years ago
  
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  Never-mind! He is cutting the end of the board not the face. My bad. I'm sold. Carry on.
  
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