Our press release is up regarding Free Part Day on August 6, 2008.
Some details:
We will have two stock materials/thicknesses available for making your part on Free Part Day: waterjet cut aluminum 6061 1/8 (0.125) inches thick and laser cut clear acrylic plastic, 0.118 inches thick.
There is a limit of one design (DXF/PNG/GIF or Big Blue Saw Designer file) per customer.
Designs are limited in size to 9" x 9".
We reserve the right to reject designs that are too complex or can't be made on the waterjet or the laser. Roughly speaking, parts that will normally cost over about $8 each in quantity 1000 when ordered through the online quoting system are not eligible.
You must pay the packaging and shipping costs.
All orders must be completed through the online ordering process.
Orders must be completed, including payment, on August 6, 2008.
We reserve the right to refuse any free part day order.
Keep in mind that the purpose of Free Part Day is to provide people with an introduction to Big Blue Saw's service. Please don't abuse this by attempting to go against the spirit in which this offer is made.
Start designing your parts now!
Updated 2008-07-23 with final material selection.
Updated 2008-07-28 with further clarifications on part complexity and terms.
I am extremely interested in your free part day and would like to know when I can upload my part to take advantage of this offer. Do I need to wait until the 6th to upload or can I send my dxf file at any time?
Dave Schleede: the Free Part Day offer is only good for orders placed on August 6.
We do encourage everyone to get started on their designs as early as possible, and to become familiar with our online ordering system in order to make sure that things go as smoothly as possible on Free Part Day.
If I want two identical parts that would fit into a 9x9 space, should I make a file with two copies of the item, or just order two of the item on free parts day?
Would a modular trebuchet consisting of multiple parts (all fitting in the 9"x9" footprint) be acceptable or would it fall into the too complicated category?
Dave: I'm guessing it would be OK, but it's hard to say without seeing the design. The main purpose of the rule was to make sure nobody made a 9x9 square of tight zig-zags, tiny holes, etc.
Thanks for this amazing freebie, I just have a few questions first...
Can either machine cut to variable depths? I.E. not all the way through the part?
Is there some sort of set in stone cutoff for "too complex" that we can be forewarned of? Is there any way to check ahead of time?
Thanks again, I'm sure I'll have quite a few more before the big day.
--Andrew
Andrew: we can do etching. E-mail info@bigbluesaw.com if you want to have a piece cut part-way through. Note that etched pieces are not eligible for Free Part Day.
A good rule of thumb to shoot for is if your part would cost above $8 each in quantity 1000, it's too much for us to deal with for Free Part Day. We'll try to come up with a firm limit for everyone.
[Edited 2008-07-28 with updated price. The main article now shows this new price.]
You can determine the shipping and packaging cost by getting a quote on your part using the online quoting system. That's one of the reasons we suggest getting an early start with your design and with our online quoting system.
I really don't want to be "the guy" that asks what about this and that, but here goes: what about a ring? Specifically a Green Lantern ring. Like this:
[img]http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/FMB/ZFLV/NDLET2JXRQI/FMBZFLVNDLET2JXRQI.MEDIUM.jpg[/img]
Currently our online system offers shipping to the USA, the UK, and Canada. We can ship to other countries as a special order. Contact info@bigbluesaw.com for details.
Orders shipped outside of the USA, UK, and Canada are not eligible for Free Part Day.
Hi. I was checking out a GIF that I have that I would like to get made on Free Part Day, and saw that one of the letters isn't showing up...
[... Edited by Administrator]
if i wanted a text graphic (our logo, to be exact), with knock-out elements (like the center of the letter "o"), could you provide them as separate pieces?
well, it wouldn't necessarily be the 'drop' (like a doughnut hole); we're looking for the letterforms to be reversed-out of the sheet, thus the strokes would be cut away and the area around the letters would remain (we'd back this with another sheet of material); this would leave the center of the 'o' disconnected from the rest of the letters. in that case, you would be able to supply it as a separate part without having to cut it again, yes?
exactly! cool, and thanks so much for making this all happen- i've sent info about this to several colleagues.
one other thought- above it is mentioned that 0.1" is the smallest "hole" that can be created- shall i assume that is the minimal stroke width for a reversed-out letter as well?
You're right about the hole width. Under certain conditions, we can do smaller cuts as a special order. E-mail info@bigbluesaw.com if you want more details.
okay, i uploaded my file (PNG) to the estimator, but found it is a few dollars over the per unit cost for 1000 count. i'd make the overall piece smaller to bring the price down (which is what i'd prefer anyway), but this will make it so the letterstrokes are too thin for your cutter (0.10" is what i'm shooting for). so- any thoughts?
I test uploaded my part for the Free Part Day. The estimator figured 40 pieces. The 1000 piece price was $24.10 each. Is this over the limit or do I divide the piece price by the number of parts? Thank you.
I have designed a part to meet your specs but I used solidworks. I can create a gif file from it, but I need to know if you need it fully dimensioned, or how you will be able to determine scale. It is a rectangle with a few things inside it cut out, perhaps just overall dimensions and then you can scale everything else from there?
I have created a dxf file using auto cad that I would like to use for the free part day, but when I upload it the image does not look the same as the dxf. I have taken the kerf for the water jet into consideration in the design. All of the internal curved lines now appear as straight lines.
Hello, I am trying to upload a file of a dxf AutoCAD saved in R12 format and I get nothing but a spinning icon for a while then no file uploaded. Please advise if I am overlooking something. I am pleased to try your free cut day out and I hope the results are what our club is looking for in the future. Thanks for making this happen!
Again, inquiries about why your specific file is not working should be directed to info@bigbluesaw.com after consulting the FAQ section of the website.
Please attach a copy of the file in question when you e-mail for help.
I'm part of a world-wide group of tabletop, model war-gamers who specialize in Lord of the Rings. See our site. Your offer is highly interesting to us, seeing that many of us construct miniature things to scale.
One of the requirements for our models and things that we create that we want attached to our bases is that the bottom slot be 1/16 or .0625 inches thick. See here for a picture of the bases.
Is there any possible way that you could add another stock material that is 1/16 inches thick?
I did up some brackets that I need in CadStd Lite and have to say it was very easy... and I am at the 7.99 Mark now...
[u][i][b] I'm Ready![/b][/i][/u]
Hello,
I am interested in building a faceplate for a specific music interface device. With aluminum the 1000 unit price comes out to around $24, with the clear acrylic it comes out to $10.21. It looks like this is too complex, however I was wondering if instead of getting it free if I could get some type of discount instead as this is really the only item I want at this time.
I've sent an email, but I was hoping that I might get a quicker response through the comments.
I've uploaded a couple of dxf files that I was hoping to get made eventually, but very few of the designs had the .118" Acrylic as an option, I would get them made of aluminum (eventually they'll get painted metallic anyhow), but that takes it over the $8 limit.
