Possible online laser-cut facility for skaterdolly?

V

Vincent Rozenberg

New member
Hi there, do you guys and girls know Ponoko? It's an online service for cutting all your designs by laser. I think it's perfect for a skaterdolly. See all the material posibilities here. They even offer engraving and rounded edges and you've just to upload your eps file to them. So what do you think of it? Or does one already tested it for DIY film attributes?

Oh and by the way; They're cheap!
 
a) Did you look at the materials section of the site? They can't cut through plastic or wood > 3/8th of an inch.
b) p+s technik lawyers have shut down anybody trying to sell copies that infringe on all their patents.
 
a. Since a lot of DIY Skater dollies (here and here for example) consists of layered materials, I can imagine you use a couple of thinner plates and glue/cement them together. And after all, it doesn't have to be a very thick one. You can even combine the thick MDF in the middle and thinner acrylic on top and bottom for the looks, then you're almost at an inch. Since they (Ponoko) claim to be precise I can imagine it will fit instantly.

b. Who mentioned selling? This is the DIY section, there are a lot of DIY skater dollies made here, not for sale but for there own projects. I can not imagine that P+S is checking this board and sending legal letters by PM... And by the way, this one is still up and running...
 
Looks ok but they dont cut any decent materials. It would be ideal if you were cutting out acrylic lettering for a shop front or something, but since they dont cut aluminium or steel, and acrylic is quite brittle its quite structurally useless. I found this out the hard way when the prototype mount for my follow focus motor failed. It was made of acrylic and I was following an actor up some stairs in low mode, and he sat up and bashed his head on the motor, the acrylic shattered.

If they could cut aluminum it would be great...
 
hmm, got your point. But see this one here: Link. Down this threat you can find out that the designer uses just 1 cm acrylic for the base. So let ponoko cut two 6 mm or a 9 mm mdf and glue them together?
 
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I think something like that would be cost-prohibitive anyway.

Just cut some decent aluminum with a metal-cutting bandsaw and use a dremel or grinder to round your edges. might not be pretty, but it'll work just as well and be a lot cheaper.
 
utako.o said:
a)

p+s technik lawyers have shut down anybody trying to sell copies that infringe on all their patents.
Click to expand...

Yes??

How you know that?? For now, I didn't found anybody that can 100% say what p + s technik patents cover..

As for 35mm DOF adapters, if that would be a case, there wouldnt be redrockmicro, SGpro, letus and brevis adapters..

Sure, nobody sells 100% copy of skater dolly, but hey: let somebody make something similar just without video head, and sell it like flower-pot dollies..

:evil: :thumbsup:
 
Another online machining facility is emachineshop.com. perhaps someone can design a skater type dolly in the online cad program and then have a group buy?
 
The P+S technic and all 35mm adapter systems are basicaly rip offs of film camera video assist systems. With a ground glass projection screen and a camera. The only thing that our adapters do any differnt is spin or vibrate the glass....
 
I did a trademark search at USPTO.gov and I see no indication of a trademark being granted (or applied for for the term "Skater." I would also find it hard to believe that such a term, which is not only descriptive, but also part of the lexicon, would be granted.

As for the the claim of a patent pending, I also did not find any information when I did a search for the patent number listed on their website.

My search may have been flawed, especially since there can be sever penalites for making a false patent claim as described in the link below.


http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/ipmanual/07ipma.html
 
To get back on topic; I just had a email conversation with Ponoko, the told me the they're gonna offer aluminum in the nearby future. Target is before the end of the year.
 
If you are going for Aluminum you may also want to look at water jet cutters. I have used them to cut all kinds of things from sword and knife blanks from steel to aluminum plates for equipment. Do a search in your area and I am pretty sure you'll find one or two not to far away.
 
Vincent,

We recently acquired a laser cutter that will cut and engrave all of the same materials listed on Ponoko. I have been considering making my own skater and would be willing to work with you on your designs. I'm a cinematographer first and a tinkerer second but I would be happy to spend some down time cutting materials for other DIYers. I have a few little items I'm working on and will continue to post progress on www.caffeinelab.com
 
I'll be posting my China Ball Kit tomorrow, rail mounts shouldn't be a problem. They wont be able to hold the same weight as the aluminum versions offered by many others but they will be easily able to handle lighter loads at significantly lower cost.
 
sorry i meant rail blocks. not mounts.

that's cool. if i supply parts how much is your labor? i desperately need a piece made for my adapter. any chance you could help?
 
I'd be happy to help. I charge $30/hr. for design, fab, and laser time. Something as simple as a shim or block will likely take less than an hour + materials. Can you e-mail me a sketch of what you have in mind and I'll work up an estimate. What adapter are you using?

As for the parts to supply, I unfortunately need to source my own materials to ensure they are safe to use in the laser. Some materials burn extremely toxic and can damage the laser and are very difficult to identify compared to safe materials. Delrin, ABS, acrylic, wood, plywood, mdf, paper, petg, and styrene are all safe materials. For camera parts, Delrin and ABS are my materials of choice.
 
Sure. I don't have an your email address but here's what I'm looking at.
I need a mount for my motor. I looked into this

Dimensions. 1Lx1Hx.75W

http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/11...mera.com/graphics/products/3-59/368460259.jpg


Though I'd like to stay away from metal if all possible. It's my own 35mm adapter. With plastic I can drill the holes wherever I like and not so much with steel.

That's cool you have your own source. I get some of my plastics from http://www.tapplastics.com/

great service and prices. take a look if you don't already have a good vendor.
 
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I did this real quick in Google Sketch. This is exactly what I'm looking to make.

1212743346.jpg

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1212743433.jpg
 
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