Monthly Archives: October 2012

A Pixel Machined (Halftone) Spray-Paint Stencil

Posted by on October 30, 2012 3 comments

tiger-paw-spray-paint-pixelsAs explained in this post, I’ve been experimenting with a process for converting a pixel-based image into G-code for machining.  The resulting picture is known generally as a halftone print.  Using this process, I was able to produce the stencil for the “painting” seen in the picture to the right.

Read on for a time-lapse video of this stencil being made as well as a few more photos of the process.  Although generally the same as how I “pixel machined” wood, I’m now using a a piece of .005 Duralar left over from this stencil to create a halftone-based stencil.  The video is pretty cool, Read more »

A Workbench Trash Holder and Defense of Plastic Bags

Posted by on October 28, 2012 No comments

workbench-plastic-bag-trashAfter seeing bans in Hawaii and LA, as well as many other places, its evident that plastic bags are under attack.  Bill Hickman from the Surfrider Foundation was quoted here as saying: “Anything, single use, at the end of the day has negative effects on our environment.”  There’s probably some truth to that, but it’s the single use part of the statement that really bothers me.  As seen in my custom-made work stand bag hook seen to the right, these bags can serve many more purposes than just carrying bags home and trashing them.  For example:

  • As a hanging trash can for your pallet workbench
  • As a trash can liner
  • Disposal of dog “stuff”
  • Bringing lunch to work/school
  • Traditional recycling

And certainly as many uses as can be thought of.  Sure, Read more »

The Joby GorillaTorch Light Review

Posted by on October 25, 2012 No comments

joby-gorillatorch-rechargingSo I was given a Joby Gorillatorch Blade Tactical Flashlight (Tactical?) for use in my garage (or wherever), and really think it will be extremely useful.  For under $40 on Amazon, this light comes with a pretty impressive feature set:

  • Rechargable battery with combination USB and wall charger
  • Adjustable focus beam
  • Multiple power settings
  • Removable magnetic tripod stand to attach to your equipment
  • 6.5 hour max battery life
  • 130 max lumens

Seriously, what more could you want?  As seen in the video below, Read more »

A Light Painted Orb – Finally!

Posted by on October 23, 2012 1 comment

If you’ve been reading this site recently, you probably know that I’ve been on a bit of a light-painting or light-graffiti kick.  Well, I finally was able to make a few blue orbs using a similar technique to what I did here, except rotating around while doing it.

For more specifics, Read more »

Halftoning, or “Pixel Machining” with a CNC Router

Posted by on October 21, 2012 12 comments

jcopro-logo-pixel-machiningRecently I got the idea that if you were to take an image made up of pixels, as opposed to one made with vector graphics, it could still be machined (as opposed to converted to a vector for engraving).  The process I was thinking about, similar to a process known as halftone printing, would translate each pixel into a point to be milled.  Dark would be a hole, where light would be no hole.  Possibly there could be some in between shades where the depth is variable, but I haven’t gotten to that yet.

Although similar operations have been done before, I decided to write my own Python script (available here) to translate everything.  The whole thing is done using the Python Image Library.  I actually used parts of this script to do some light paintings with the pyMCU.

That’s the video of the process, but there’s more pictures of the finished product, and some of the images I used below.  The JcoPro logo on top is done using the tiny 1 mm ball nosed end mill from Zen Toolworks.  They carry a lot of little bits for the ZTW router, Read more »