In the Physics & Astronomy shop, we make, modify, and repair things. When the thing you need just isn’t available off the shelf, it’s our job to make it happen. If at all possible.
(It’s not always possible, but we give it our best. Sometimes we surprise ourselves.)
The end result is a lot of unique, one-off objects built to do very, very specific things. They may be lab or research equipment to our colleagues, but they’re learning experiences for us. You never really know what sort of experience and expertise is going to come in handy down the road. And, yes, we make mistakes along the way.
Our desktop CNC mill makes this process just a little bit easier. We get the sort of repeatability and precision alignment in a fraction of the time it takes on a manual machine, and it can turn out tiny work that our eyes struggle to see without magnification. Recent software updates have given it proper drilling capabilities, letting us use an assortment of very small drill bits to expand the sorts of work we can accomplish. Does a project call for precisely-drilled holes on a very small scale? We can do that.
See above for 0.5mm drilling. Now an option!
Until the bit snaps. Occupational hazard.