Congratulations to Francesca Knall, the Model of the Month winner for November! She has created this intricate CNC Router completely designed in Fusion 360 that includes some nice structural elements. Hear more from Francesca, her background, experience using Fusion 360, and what lies ahead.

About me

My name is Francesca Knall. I am 19 years old and am a student in my first year at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, studying Graphic and Fashion Design.

The first time I saw a CNC Router, I was at a friend’s house who is an Architecture student using it to make scale models. I also saw a wooden bracelet on Pinterest and really liked it a lot, so my friend made one for me using his router. At that moment, I realized the endless possibilities of this machine.

About the CNC Router

I created a DIY CNC Router, made out of aluminum t-slotted extrusion and 3 stepper motors for each axis X,Y,Z. This machine is intended to be used by many; from a Graphic Designer who makes commercial designs in 3D, to an Architecture student for his model building, to a jewelry designer who carves in wood or even metal.

CNC (Computer Numerical Control) should be treated like any other skill; one which calls for a combination of special abilities and careful planning, to ensure a successful outcome. As with all trades, a CNC operator has a specific set of practical skills and tools which we, as designers, do not necessarily possess, however, we can benefit from their use.

Wood crafting is perfectly suited for CNC milling. All the features of timber that facilitate wood manipulation with hand tools are exploited by CNC machines. Although the technology has existed for years, innovations have facilitated larger and more powerful machines and thus the common use of CNC wood routing in architecture and design.

Why Fusion 360

As a student of Fashion Design and Graphic Design, I’ve used mostly 2D programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, as well as 3D Autocad, Maya, Sketchup, and also rendering programs such as 3Dmax Studio. I came across Fusion 360 and really wanted to give it a try to see what its possibilities were and what specifically I could do with it. I was really surprised when I started going through the tutorials to see how easy Fusion 360 was to pick up and work with. I managed to create a design which seemed really hard at first sight to build, in fewer steps, and faster than any other software I have used in the past. I recommend this software to every artist among us who wants to try something fast and easy to learn and use.

Future plans

I plan to continue to use Fusion 360 for my career in Fashion Design and Graphic Design. I believe my next project is going to be something more in fashion, perhaps a spinning wheel. Keep an eye out on the Fusion 360 Gallery for my next creation!