Inside Bantam Tools: Meet Alec and Shaodi
Happy new year! The Bantam Tools team has picked up right where we left off in 2020: Manufacturing our high-performance Bantam Tools Desktop CNC Milling Machine. As more CNC machines ship out from our HQ in Peekskill, NY, our team is very excited to see what users will make. Recently, members of our production team shared their personal take on the new machine. Here’s what they had to say.
Alec, Prototyping Technician
Alec works with our engineering team to prototype and manufacture the parts for the Bantam Tools Desktop CNC Milling Machine.
What are you most excited to see people make with the new Desktop CNC Milling Machine?
I’m excited to see the clever fixturing techniques users come up with, whether it be a way to perform multiple operations on a single part or multiple parts in a single cycle. The Desktop CNC Milling Machine’s ability to manufacture its own fixtures is like 3D printers printing their own upgrades—it’s fascinating.
What’s one feature you’re most excited for people to use on the Desktop CNC Milling Machine?
The software! Every time the software team develops a new feature, I get excited. I’m specifically excited for the automated probing routines, tool touch-off, and conversational CAM. Working on an industrial controller every day and then seeing the Bantam Tools software is a reminder of how comically unintuitive and confusing the interfaces of industrial controllers can be. The Bantam Tools software is going to make CNC machining incredibly approachable and I am most excited about how this will empower a wider range of users who think achieving a machined component is beyond their means.
Shaodi, Manufacturing Assembler
Shaodi works with our production team to assemble and test every Bantam Tools Desktop CNC Milling Machine that ships from our HQ.
In a time where so many companies are outsourcing production, what does it mean to you to be able to develop and manufacture this machine stateside, in Peekskill, NY?
While I don’t think that outsourcing is a bad strategy, being part of a team that keeps manufacturing close to home has been eye-opening for me. Often, I think many of us imagine the products we buy are manufactured entirely by robotic arms, without the help of any humans. But after working on the production team at Bantam Tools, I realize how crucial we are to this process. Even though the majority of our parts are machined by CNC machines, the production team is essential for building these machines, testing them, and having the knowledge to offer support to our customers when they have questions.
In addition to prototyping aluminum parts, what kinds of projects do you foresee people machining?
Art! I think we’re at a point where desktop CNC machines can empower artists—who have no prior CNC machining knowledge—to machine their ideas into physical, tangible things. Maybe these machines make it easier to machine sculptures with complex, organic shapes. Maybe it will be something else. It definitely makes you wonder what the future holds for these desktop CNC machines and what will become more accessible because of them.
Interested in joining the Bantam Tools team? Visit our Careers page to learn more about open positions. We look forward to hearing from you.