Shaper Origin is the world’s first (and only) handheld CNC machine – leveraging sophisticated computer vision, high-speed motion control systems, computational geometry, and powerful purpose-built electronics and mechanics, Origin enables you to actualize digital designs into wood, soft metals, composites, and more using its powerful 720W cutting motor. Origin “autocorrects” for your movements – you follow the gross shape of a digital design using the augmented-reality display interface, and Origin moves the cutter bit (recalculating is position in 3D space thousands of times per second) to ensure you cut your workpiece with machine-level precision and accuracy.
I did not take a rest after releasing the first generation of Shaper Origin in 2017. Between 2017 and 2022, we developed and released multiple additions to the Shaper ecosystem of products – all of them (Workstation, Plate, & Studio) are designed to make it easy to go from idea to design to the real world. We also expanded internationally to Canada and all of Europe. Almost immediately after Origin Gen1 production had been stabilized into series production (first in San Diego, and then in Singapore), I set to work with my team to design Origin Gen2. Redesigned from the ground up, the second generation of Origin was a complete overhaul of the hardware and software, driven by learnings from the first generation of the product. It has substantially more computing power, a larger screen, better/faster camera, etc, etc. I served as engineering lead for the Gen2 program, managing the electrical, mechanical, software, and manufacturing engineering. I personally architected Gen2, designed the “brains”, brought up the Linux OS, and developed much of our manufacturing fixtures and systems. I also handled Origin’s multitude of regulatory and safety certifications. Of course, a product this sophisticated is only possible with an incredible team of people – it was an incredible team effort.
If you wanna see the technical details of some of my work, jump to the 10 minute mark in the below video where I show the guts of Origin Gen 2.
How do you manufacture this bad boy?
Shaper was acquired by TTS in 2019, making Festool our sister company. For the uninitiated, Festool is widely regarded as the the maker of the world’s highest quality, most professional power tools. I worked closely with my colleagues at Festool to design Origin Gen2 for manufacturing compatibility with Festool’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Germany. Gen2 was designed in San Francisco by my team and I, and is produced in Germany, using Shaper-designed calibration and test fixtures. Every Origin undergoes thousands of automated tests and calibrations to ensure it meets our extremely high quality standards. Here’s a video showing the production line:
Wait, how does Origin Work?
Watch this brief explainer! It’s like magic!
What can you make with Origin?
One of the things I’ve loved most about working at Shaper is seeing what our customers build with our products. Origin is a “creativity multiplier” – it enables woodworking hobbyists (like myself) to joinery, inlays, and furntiure work that would normally require a lifetime of training. For our many professional users, it allows them to work faster and to make even more ambitious projects than they previously thought possible. For all our users, it allows them to “bring the CNC” to the workpiece instead of the other way around – this means that previously impossible tasks like inlaying a detailed design into the floor or a room or into existing furniture is now easy. Check out what our customers are sharing:
#shaperorigin tagged projects on Instagram
Do You Build Stuff with Shaper Origin?
I’m no master woodworker, but I’ve built my fair share of things with Shaper Origin. Check out my woodworking portfolio page for some examples.