Three TU Graz students have developed a desktop milling machine which makes three-dimensional components directly from CAD files, thus vastly accelerating prototype manufacture.
It all began in the student hall of residence as TU Graz students Jakob Neuhauser, Thomas Schiefermair and Martin Viereckl were fiddling around on a 3D printer to be able to produce components themselves easily and fast. “We weren’t happy with just printing plastic parts, we wanted to process other materials, such as circuit boards and wood,” remembers Thomas Schiefermair. The idea of a CNC milling machine for DIY use was born, and after two years of development the students founded their own start-up, named qBot Gmbh, in January 2017, through which they brought the MINImill onto the market.
“The MINImill Is a fully automatic CNC desktop milling machine which allows users without any previous technical knowledge to mill two and three-dimensional prototypes out of various materials. These range from wood and plastic as well as Plexiglas and foam rubber, and include circuit boards and metals such as aluminium,” explains electrical engineering student Jakob Neuhauser, who is responsible for the electrical wiring and control system of the MINImill.
“The software automatically chooses the required milling parameters for the users. This means they don’t have to know about the intricacies of the milling process as they do with conventional milling machines. Due to this, production and calibration costs for the milling process are significantly reduced and development times sharply accelerated,” adds computer science student Martin Viereckl. This has been made possible through the control software that he developed and the innovative CAD-CAM interface, which can convert CAD data into machine code. The third associate, Thomas Schiefermair, is not only the managing director of qBot GmbH, he is also responsible for the design of the mill and its commercial implementation.
An Austrian patent application has been filed, and the first MINImills have already been sold. The international market will be developed shortly. “We’re introducing the MINImill at the next Maker Faire in Berlin, and want to get a toe-hold in Italy soon,” says Thomas Schiefermair, with an eye on the near future
Information
The MINImill can be used by students of TU Graz in the electronics laboratory E-Lab. Here is a video of the MINImill in action.
Contact
Thomas SCHIEFERMAIR Florianer Straße 16 4501 Neuhofen Phone: +43 677 624 013 82 office@minimill.at www.minimill.at
We use cookies in order to be able to provide you with the best possible service in the future. In the privacy policy you will find further information as well as the possibility of withdrawal.
