Carbonite is forever.   So, why not mill a version of Han Solo frozen in carbonite as my first 3D creation from ITP’s CNC?

After eight hours in the shop, I came out with a rough version of what I affectionately call Hans Solo but I learned quite a bit about the process of realizing a 3d model from bits-to-atoms in the process.  Among the lessons learned:

• seens obvious but always consider the depth of the Z axis in your model.  Is your stock material deep enough?  Be judicious with depth.
• it seems like a good idea to cut all the way through the stock but this dislodged the object from the CNC bed in my first attempt which prevented me from performing the finishing stage. Also, make sure you object is on a smooth flat surface with suction turned on only where you need it on the bed to ensure a secure fit of your material.
• make sure you have about 2 inches of drill bit your router head will butt up against your material.

With these lessons in hand, I’m going to try another attempt at CNCing a carbonite model.  I want to use the Kinect to get a depth map of my face to create of personalized version of myself “trapped” in carbonite.  Of course, this will fulfill my schoolboy dream of being Han Solo.