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5-Axis Robot Carves Metal Like Butter

Posted by kdawson on from the measure-your-head-very-carefully dept.

kkleiner sends along an amazing video of what robot-controlled machining is coming to. "Industrial robots are getting precise enough that they're less like dumb machines and more like automated sculptors producing artwork. Case in point: Daishin's Seki 5-axis mill. The Japanese company celebrated its 50th anniversary last year by using this machine to carve ... a full-scale motorcycle helmet out of one piece of aluminum. No breaks, no joints, the 5-Axis mill simply pivots and rotates to carve metal at some absurd angles. Every cut is guided by sophisticated 3-D design software (Openmind’s HyperMill)."

6 of 277 comments (clear)

  1. Craves Metal by Pennidren · · Score: 5, Funny

    I read that as "Craves Metal" and was scared as hell.

    1. Re:Craves Metal by McNally · · Score: 5, Funny

      The idea of wearing a helmet made of a material hard enough to efficiently transmit blows directly to your skull, soft enough to deform under impact, ductile enough to stay deformed, and a sufficiently good conductor of heat to making cutting its deformed remains off of your head without burning you; but before you bleed out, a specialized operation makes me very nervous.

      That's exactly what They want you to think.

      This represents a tremendous step forward in aluminum hat technology.

    2. Re:Craves Metal by DeadCatX2 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Aluminum hat technology...is that an upgrade over tin-foil hats?

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      :(){ :|:& };:
  2. Re:Not to sound overly nationalist by swanzilla · · Score: 5, Funny

    By what set of criteria do you judge software to be less valuable than hardware?

    BitTorrent.

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    0 = 1 + e^(Alt something)
  3. That's all well and good... by nadamucho · · Score: 3, Funny

    but will it blend?

  4. We're safe for now. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I thought it was making a T-800 skull.

    And I almost bought a one-way ticket to Japan to save man kind.