Goliath is a portable CNC machine tool that mills, cuts and engraves flat surfaces, including sheet metal and aluminum. Its innovation is how it does so, according to Lorenzo Frangi, who began developing the device as a master’s thesis project.
“Goliath overturns the logic of traditional machines because the user can place it directly on the surface to be worked, where it moves autonomously,” he said.
The 15"×15"×12" (381mm × 381mm × 304.8mm), 22-lb. (10kg) robotic device from Springa Srl rides on three omnidirectional wheels and guides itself with a patented sensor system that triangulates its position. Using radio-frequency communication, the sensors continuously update the position of Goliath, relative to the work area, at 100 times a second. The sensor system ensures accuracy of 0.004"(0.1mm) and enables autonomous Z-axis calibration.
EdgeInspect quickly scans an edge of a drill for accurate analysis. Image courtesy of Novacam Technologies.
Frangi said he had been interested in developing a “maker-friendly” desktop CNC mill but was discouraged by the small size of the work envelope on such devices—usually only “as big as an A4 (letter-size) sheet of paper.” By taking a mill out of its cabinet and attachingwheels, so to speak, the work area becomes boundless, limited only by the size of the workpiece material itself.
The omnidirectional, three-module wheel design ensures that two rollers are always in contact with the panel, guaranteeing that Goliath’s movement isn’t affected by grooves or profiles that have already been cut.
With its mobility and sensor system, “Goliath can manage the manufacturing of milling, cutting and engraving with a precision comparable to desktop CNC milling machines,” Frangi said. “The user can design or download designs from online libraries, then send the file [to the machine control] and supervise the work progress by computer, smartphone or tablet.”
While the mill itself is of desktop size and quality, the sensor system and other aspects of Goliath’s design will make it of interest to manufacturers in numerous industries.
Springa Srl is preparing to develop a version for the industrial market that would enable autonomous laser or plasma cutting as well as milling. In the meantime, more than 400 orders for Goliath have been presold by Frangi and his partners (in business as Springa) via Kickstarter.
For more information about Springa Srl, Milan, visit www.goliathcnc.com or email info@springa.tech.
Related Glossary Terms
- calibration
calibration
Checking measuring instruments and devices against a master set to ensure that, over time, they have remained dimensionally stable and nominally accurate.
- computer numerical control ( CNC)
computer numerical control ( CNC)
Microprocessor-based controller dedicated to a machine tool that permits the creation or modification of parts. Programmed numerical control activates the machine’s servos and spindle drives and controls the various machining operations. See DNC, direct numerical control; NC, numerical control.
- flat ( screw flat)
flat ( screw flat)
Flat surface machined into the shank of a cutting tool for enhanced holding of the tool.
- gang cutting ( milling)
gang cutting ( milling)
Machining with several cutters mounted on a single arbor, generally for simultaneous cutting.
- milling
milling
Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.
- milling machine ( mill)
milling machine ( mill)
Runs endmills and arbor-mounted milling cutters. Features include a head with a spindle that drives the cutters; a column, knee and table that provide motion in the three Cartesian axes; and a base that supports the components and houses the cutting-fluid pump and reservoir. The work is mounted on the table and fed into the rotating cutter or endmill to accomplish the milling steps; vertical milling machines also feed endmills into the work by means of a spindle-mounted quill. Models range from small manual machines to big bed-type and duplex mills. All take one of three basic forms: vertical, horizontal or convertible horizontal/vertical. Vertical machines may be knee-type (the table is mounted on a knee that can be elevated) or bed-type (the table is securely supported and only moves horizontally). In general, horizontal machines are bigger and more powerful, while vertical machines are lighter but more versatile and easier to set up and operate.
- work envelope
work envelope
Cube, sphere, cylinder or other physical space within which the cutting tool is capable of reaching.
Author
Michael Anderson, former senior editor at Cutting Tool Engineering magazine, holds a master's degree in written communication from Eastern Michigan University. He has been professionally writing about manufacturing technology since 1998, including more than 10 years at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
