Now that the MPCNC is assembled and wired up, it’s time to make something! I decided to start with some simple actions with a pen plotter and vinyl cutter. Pen plotting # For the first action, I went with a simple vector outline of a Gundam head. I found the above image as a black and grayscale png, and used Inkscape to trace the outline into black and white vector shapes.

Soon after finishing the initial build, which was significantly scaled down from my original plans, a garage unit opened up in my apartment. I had been keeping an eye out for this, so I leased one, and moved some things down to set up a small shop. I used this newly acquired space to scale the MPCNC up to it’s intended size; a 2’ x 3’ working area. Fortunately, the most inexpensive parts of the machine are the parts that determine it’s size.

After a few months of going back and forth on this idea, I decided to pull the trigger and build the Mostly Printed CNC (MPCNC). It is a CNC platform that can be assembled out of inexpensive electronics and hardware, EMT conduit, and 3d printed components. Ryan at V1 Engineering sells a kit with all the electronics and hardware, leaving me to source a table, conduit, and print the parts. While waiting for the kit to arrive, I started the long process of printing.