CNCKing.com Year End Review 2014: Trotec Laser Purchase!
Quite a few surprises happened this year at CNCKing.com – the biggest is that I’m now back in Canada with a Trotec Speedy 400 flexx running my own custom CNC shop CNCROi.com! Never would I have been able to predict this… life changes fast!
If you haven’t read my past yearly reviews, please do so at the links below, it’s quite fascinating (to me at least).
How many models did I release in 2014? Here’s the run-down.
- 9 CNC laser / router projects
- 3 Plama project
- 0 3D printer projects
I have my 3D printer in storage along with my CNC router at the moment, I just don’t have enough room to put everything and to run it properly at the moment, hence my focus on the laser assembly videos thus far. The 3D Systems Cube is an awesome machine, I can’t wait to get back into it as I still have plenty of fillament to play around with it. Will see what I get done this year… I am very much due for a full-sheet ShopBot though.
CNCKing.com Year End Review 2014: Trotec Laser Purchase!
With all the changes that happened over 2014, I pretty much took a 6 month break from my activities here at CNCKing.com… starting a new business isn’t easy and requires a lot of time to get the ball rolling!
- Get LightningSource issues resolved so libraries, book stores and other book sellers have easy access to copies of my book… still working through the proofs for V4 and it was released a few months back on Amazon.com.
Done and sorted, great to have multiple sources selling my books!
- Get my books in a bunch of schools, colleges and universities… they are already in a few but there is no reason why each school board doesn’t have a copy for their woodworking or technology shop – now you know why I’m putting in the LS direction!
Didn’t get as much headway as I would have liked on this front but I believe my next book is the right book to get the door open for a larger audience.
- Release CNCKing.com Volume 5: Design, Knowledge & ROI
Decided to take it a bit slower to get more content in it and projects, I try to write each of my books as if it was going to be my last so it’s tough to put a cut-off on them. I am excited how it’s coming together and look forward to it being released this year.
- I’ve build-up an impressive catalog teaching myself how to design for all these CNC machines, now it’s time I share that knowledge. I’ll start a design firm shortly – time to go beyond just books and websites for companies and organizations needing unique or custom pieces designed, cut and shipped right to their door.
Did this indirectly, starting CNCROi.com and I’m now helping companies locally and abroad with custom CNC solutions. This wasn’t the way I had originally planned on achieving this goal but it is very much fulfilled!
- I tried in vain to get onto a TEDx talk – will try again for 2014!
With all the work I’ve had over the past year, I didn’t even have a chance to fathom pursuing this. Doubt I’ll be doing this in 2015 with the amount of work I have yet to get done on my plate.
- I would like to attend a few international conferences and start meeting people in person that I’ve only been talking to virtually for the past few years.
I’ll have time to do this year once my 5th volume is released. I have gone to about a dozen shows since returning to Canada but they were focused on getting more customers for CNCROi.com.
- Time to diversify into hardware sales on CNCKing.com.
Didn’t happen and not sure it ever will, it’s a nice idea though.
- Partnering up with a few software offerings is in order.
Don’t want to get stuck doing technical support, I believe you need to support what you sell.
- I’d really like to get a new CNC toy… but now this will be a far bigger jump as I’m done with the “home” models, I got to move towards industrial sized stuff with equivalent requirements.
Got a Trotec Speedy 400 flexx, a wonderful CNC toy and hope to get a few more this year!
Major achievements in 2014
Starting my own custom CNC shop CNCROi.com and getting my own CNC laser.
CNCKing.com Goals for 2015
- Release my 5th volume
- I’d really like to get a full-sheet ShopBot, currently no room in the shop but expanding into furniture is something I really want to do and that, along with my current 400 flexx will make that more than possible.
- It would be fun to get my own CNC plasma cutter, for the same reasons as the ShopBot, it would allow me to expand into new areas here on CNCKing.com and CNCROi.com would benefit from this too! Welding courses would be a must… will see how much things go!
- Unlike my time earlier in 2014, I’m very much spending the majority of my time at with growing the custom CNC shop as it will give me the funds to purchase even more equipment to improve the quality and diversity of projects I have here on CNCKing.com… what’s great is that work on one company very much benefits the customers of the other.