mini CNC machine from SYIL
Osarenko came in touch with SYIL and this was a true eye-opener. SYIL convinced him that a mini or personal CNC machine could help him realize his goals. SYIL provided him with a full CNC kit and instruction. "D.O.C.K." uses the SYIL 5 mini CNC machine to produce knives of high quality and with greater speed, reducing the time for production.
Dimitry has discovered that automation with his mini CNC machine from SYIL has made the business significantly more efficient and he is looking to do more. "The way I'm trying to set this up, the only hand work we are going to have is grinding the blades themselves. Virtually everything else is going to be machined. That probably saves me upwards of 70% of my time," he explains. "In my opinion, if you're going to get into this business, you're absolutely crazy not to get a personal CNC kit."
As part of a new generation of knife makers, Osarenko's background using CNC puts him in a rapidly expanding group of artisans mixing old craftsmanship with new technologies. “I think that hand-craftsmanship is absolutely one of those skills that you need to have as a knife maker, but there are real advantages to being able to layout your designs on a computer,” he said. “I think it’s huge to be able to see how parts are going to function and how things are going to work. And, moreover, I think you can make products more accurately and consistently with a CNC. I still do all sorts of things by hand, like the blade grinding, embellishment, and the fit and finish. But if I needed to manually mill the integral frame locks, I’d be there for a week just milling one frame. It’s something I really think the CNC is meant for. It’s a very complicated design and there are a lot of little subtleties that need to be done precisely. This allows me to make my frames correctly and consistently, it’s highly repeatable.”