Roman Soldier Knife Block: Design to Cut to Build
It has been a while since I posted something on CNCROi.com focused on model making so it’s a good time to review a recent project I did for sister site, CNCKing.com a Roman Soldier Knife Block. It’s essentially the same “steps” to custom design and build everything from Corporate Awards to Tradeshow Displays… or anything else we custom build here in the shop.
Step 1: Concept to 3D model
The very first step once a concept is established is to build a 3D model of the project at hand. This is important for two reasons, the first, it allows the client to see what the finished piece will look like (and approve it for production) and secondly, allows us to do all the prototyping virtually without wasting laser or shop time. The goal here is to get the project all sorted out so everybody knows exactly what the expectations are for the finished model.
Once the 3D model is approved, we generally produce a 3D animation (budget depending) showing how all the pieces come together along with a spin around so again, the client knows how we are going about building the model, the piece count and can sign-off onto the next step. At this time, we finalize our production schedule with timelines for delivery.
Step 2: Material selection & Cutting
Now we have generated our cutting files, in this case, this project is to be cut using our Austrian Trotec Speedy 400 flexx CNC laser. Generally, the 3D model is designed and shown to the client using a variety of materials, from acrylic to wood (in this case). We can generate the same files to be cut out of marble using a CNC water jet or solid steel for a KW CNC laser, that’s how flexible we are as a custom CNC production shop!
As you saw in the above video, the cutting and building process went exactly as predicted! We are an incredibly efficient shop because all our “testing” is done virtually in 3D which means our first cut is as perfect as our thousandth. This is a massive advantage as there is no prototyping required and our client knows exactly what they are getting at each step of the way!
Step 3: Delivery
After a model is cut and assembled, it’s time to ship it out to the client! Depending on the project scope, we can either build it in-house or the client can assemble it themselves.
That was easy!
Why does all this look so easy? Because it is! We’ve designed hundreds of models like this, shipped to all four corners of the world and with our 3D process, little time is wasted from concept to finished and delivered goods. That’s the CNCROi.com difference!
The most obvious question to ask next is how much is this? Well, it depends on the scope of the project, we work on a per-project basis, not hourly. Unit volume, materials, ETA, complexity and end-use all have their say towards establishing budgets for this type of work.
The easiest way for you to get the ball rolling with us is to give us your concept and project scope, from there, we’ll be able to define materials, timelines and ultimately, budget. Generally speaking, we have payments set-up as the project goals are met with an initial deposit.