Boston BUILD Space: NAPA and PowerMill Collaboration

image source: New American Public Art

I recently received this report from our team at our Boston Technology Center, a.k.a. the Boston BUILD Space.

At the Autodesk Tech Centers, we collaborate with industry, academic, and entrepreneurial communities to validate and test ideas about the future, inform our product and business strategy, and make stories and offer experiences that inspire our community.

This latest project takes two to tango:

• New American Public Art is a multi-disciplinary studio for conceptualizing, designing, fabricating, and installing interactive projects. They are a design-and-build firm at the intersection of public art, architecture, and technology. They develop responsive and interactive installations that investigate the nature of social space in public, private, and online.

• Autodesk PowerMill is an expert high-speed and 5-axis machining software. PowerMill CAM software provides strategies for 3- and 5-axis subtractive and additive manufacturing with tools for making molds, dies, and other highly complex parts.

The Boston BUILD Space has integrated a 7-axis robotic work cell that residents New American Public Art (NAPA) are utilizing for the milling of their project, Kempelen's Owls. Two members of the PowerMill team spent a week in the BUILD Space working with shop staff and NAPA to authorize tooling for the team's milling. The ongoing collaborations with the PowerMill team, BUILD Space shop staff, and resident teams have expedited the product feedback loop.

Look for exciting developments from this project in the future.

Collaborative milling around is alive in the lab.