Success! ShopBot’s First Open House

On Saturday, August 24th, ShopBot Tools held their first Open House in Durham, NC. The event was free and open to the public, but because it was our first time holding one we weren’t sure what to expect. Little did we know, we would have over 200 people come see us during the 4-hour …

Continue reading >>> Success! ShopBot’s First Open House

Why We Build Our CNC Tools the Way We Build ‘em

At ShopBot, we have been designing and building affordable CNC tools for almost 25 years. ShopBots were the first affordable CNC routers for small manufacturing. Our design choices have been based on our experience manufacturing and using low-cost robotic equipment that is optimized for small and medium production operations. Our leadership and innovation in mechanical …

Continue reading >>> Why We Build Our CNC Tools the Way We Build ‘em

Why We Build Our Tools Ourselves

You may know that ShopBot Tools sells CNC tools, serving small-to-medium sized manufacturing companies. What you may not know is that we build our digital fabrication tools ourselves – using digital fabrication. We design and build our own tools, the electronic controls for the tools, as well as the software that runs the tools, which …

Continue reading >>> Why We Build Our Tools Ourselves

ShopBot Offers Free Training for Imported CNC Routers

Images from a recent webinar on flattening and carving a log slab.

ShopBot Tools is opening its highly-regarded webinar training to owners and operators of imported CNC routers. Whether you bought an imported tool on eBay, or purchased from a US importer of Chinese tools such as Laguna, ShopBot invites you to join us …

Continue reading >>> ShopBot Offers Free Training for Imported CNC Routers

A CNC Tool that Produces Profit for Cabinet Makers

CMA 20th Anniversary Conference March 1-2, 2018 Denver, CO

ShopBot recently attended the CMA’s 20th Anniversary Conference in Denver, CO. We participated by sponsoring a lunch highlighting our 20+ years supporting small and medium sized cabinet operations with affordable and innovative CNC tools. Many of ShopBot’s first customers were cabinet makers and it …

Continue reading >>> A CNC Tool that Produces Profit for Cabinet Makers

Manufacturing Heroes: Do We Need a New Type?

manufacturing in small shops

If we really want to return manufacturing to our communities, we are going to need to support a new kind of manufacturing hero …

Continue reading >>> Manufacturing Heroes: Do We Need a New Type?

Notes from Fab12 in Shenzhen, China

Friends from 5 Continents sharing one last evening at SZOIL after Fab 12 in Shenzhen.

The Location: This year’s gathering of the International FabLab network took place in early August in Shenzhen, China. About an hour from Hong Kong, Shenzhen is a new city, grown up in the last 25 – 30 years from …

Continue reading >>> Notes from Fab12 in Shenzhen, China

Report on the Digital Fabrication in Education Training, July 14 – 16, 2016

In mid-July, 14 people with an interest in education came to ShopBot for 2 ½ days of training. Unlike most regular trainings offered at ShopBot, we also had two other types of digital fabrication tools that are commonly found in FabLabs and MakerSpaces: an Epilog 60W minihelix laser and a Dremel 3D printer (a HUGE …

Continue reading >>> Report on the Digital Fabrication in Education Training, July 14 – 16, 2016

ShopBot participates in conference on Cultivating an Entrepreneural Culture

What happens when the NACCE (National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship) has their annual conference? Inspired conversation.

Sallye Coyle, Educational Outreach Coordinator for ShopBot Tools, and I held a round table at the NACCE event. Attendees learned about the 100kGarages online network for bringing makers, designers, and fabbers together. …

Continue reading >>> ShopBot participates in conference on Cultivating an Entrepreneural Culture

Another Try at Digital Fab Art

Ted Hall (ShopBot CEO) had a chance to continue his art project that combines CNC carving with an interest in images of shoreline and sky as seen from from the water. It’s been several years since Ted’s last foray into painted carvings of seascapes and time was short, but an opportunity to spend 2 weeks …

Continue reading >>> Another Try at Digital Fab Art