Testing Site

Webcam + CNC robot = high resolution scanner

3D Printing & Imaging Craft & Design Technology
Webcam + CNC robot = high resolution scanner
CNC scanned part.jpg

Tormach wants to sell you an upgrade package for your Mach3-compatible CNC robot that includes a 1.3M USB microscope with 220X optical magnification, a mounting bracket, and all the necessary software to turn your CNC equipment into a scanner. The cool part is they’ve also produced a video showing how to hack together a slightly-less-powerful system using a $20 pen cam and some free software that will let you make 2000 dpi scans. The “killer app” for this equipment is automatic reverse-engineering of parts, but if you had a big enough CNC table, you could probably also use it to scan maps, posters, artwork, or other oversize stuff. Would be interesting to hear from somebody with a ShopBot or similar large-bed CNC router who was messing around with this. [via Hacked Gadgets]

What will the next generation of Make: look like? We’re inviting you to shape the future by investing in Make:. By becoming an investor, you help decide what’s next. The future of Make: is in your hands. Learn More.

Tagged

I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan
Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!

ADVERTISEMENT

FEEDBACK