ShapeXpert
3D machining of the blank, both faces, through to ready to laminate in 5 axes. The main machine of the workshop, for boards up to 4.50 m.
from €15,000 excl. VAT
CE compliant · Designed and built in France · Precision ± 0.1 mm
Survey of your workshop, free of charge, carried out remotely. Reply within 48 h. Machine built to your dimensions.
Which workshop
It is made for you if…
You outsource your machining
And you lose a week and €180 on every board. The ShapeXpert brings the machining down to €20 and the lead time down to the same day.
You still shape everything by hand
The machine does not replace your eye: it removes the material, you keep the finishing and the decisions.
You work in small runs
Prototypes, custom models, re-runs. A change to a file replaces a complete round trip.
Configurations
Which configuration to choose?
All three configurations machine the whole board. What changes is the spindle: in 3 axes it stays vertical, in 4 axes the spindle tilts, in 5 axes it tilts and swivels. The freer it is, the less hand finishing is left after machining.
| Configuration | Rails | Fin boxes and inserts | What is left to finish by hand | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 axes | Machined, but with stepping: the vertical tool approaches the curve in steps. | Vertical pockets. | The stepping along the whole rail. | from €15,000 excl. VAT |
| 4 axes | The spindle tilts and follows the curve: a clean radius along the whole straight length. | Pockets perpendicular to the bottom or deck plane. | The stepping at the nose and the tail, where the outline closes in. | from €20,000 excl. VAT |
| 5 axes | The spindle tilts and swivels: a clean rail from nose to tail. | Same as 4 axes: every orientation is already reachable. | Nothing. Ready to laminate. | from €25,000 excl. VAT |
Machines from 2,000 to 5,000 mm, that is machinable boards from 1,500 to 4,500 mm.
Demonstration
Our machines at work
Technical data
Specifications
- Precision
- ± 0.1 mm
- Motors
- Nema 34 stepper motors
- Spindle
- ER20, air cooled — 24,000 rpm
- Power supply
- 110 / 220 V
- Frame
- 80 × 80 mm aluminium profiles
- Drive
- Rack and pinion on X · ball screws on Y and Z
- Machine length
- 2,000 to 5,000 mm
- Machinable length
- 1,500 to 4,500 mm (machine − 500 mm)
- Machinable width
- Made to measure, to suit your boards
- Height
- 1,650 mm — 2,100 mm minimum ceiling height
- Installation and training
- €1,500 excl. VAT — travel and accommodation not included
- Materials
- PU · EPS · XPS · paulownia · agave
- Blank workholding
- Vacuum pods — 315 m³/h side channel pump
- Weight
- About 200 kg
- Compliance
- CE — designed and built in France
Software
Full compatibility with current software
Compatible with the latest versions of Shape3D and AKU Shaper, and with any G-code file. You keep your shapes, your library and your way of working.
Send us a file, we send back the simulationYour workshop
The space to allow for
Your machine is built to the dimensions of your boards, so its footprint depends on you. Enter your maximum length and the drawing updates. The blank goes in from the side, at the centre of one of the long faces — that is what sets all the clearances.
Top view, to the scale of what you enter. The machine can go right against a wall at one end, and 30 cm is enough at the back. What workshops underestimate is the loading length: because the blank goes in from the side, at the centre of the long face, you need 80 cm of clearance along that whole face — that face can never be against a wall.
The machine is 25 cm (10") longer than the board on each side, across the whole range. A 2 m board needs a 2.50 m machine. Frame height: 1,650 mm, 2,100 mm minimum ceiling height. Area to clear: machine length + 50 cm at one end, machine depth + 110 cm (30 at the back, 80 at the front).
Your dimensions have been carried over into the form below. Fill it in and you will receive the dimensioned layout drawing for your workshop, not a generic one.
Payback
94 boards. That is the payback point.
An outsourced machining job costs €180 and makes you wait a week. The same board, machined in your own workshop, costs €20 and comes out the same day.
94 boards in 3 axes, 125 in 4 axes, 157 in 5 axes. Machining cost excluding the blank and consumables; payback calculated on the machine price, excluding installation and training. And if you prefer to spread the cost, staged payment is possible for workshops based in France.
After the order
Delivery · Installation · Full training
- Survey of your workshop, free of charge. Remotely.
Dimensioned drawing, real footprint, ceiling height, power supply, dust extraction.
- Built in France — 4 to 6 weeks.
Every machine is assembled and set up before shipping.
- Delivery and on-site installation — 7 days.
In France and abroad alike, we come to you: the machine is reassembled, set up and commissioned in your workshop. Outside France it travels in a crate and we meet it on site.
- Training — 7 days.
From your Shape3D or AKU file to your first board, on your own blanks and your own models.
- 6 months support, 2 year warranty.
Phone, WhatsApp and remote access.
Already running
In our own workshop since day one. At Gong since this year.
Our own boards come off this machine, in daily production: this is where it was designed and this is where it is put to the test. The first production machine is installed at Gong Factory. Three more workshops will be equipped with it by the end of the year.
Frequently asked questions
What shapers ask us
How much space do you really need in the workshop?
Less than you think on three sides, more than you think on the fourth. 30 cm between the back of the machine and the wall, 50 cm at one end, zero at the other — it can go right against a wall. But because the blank goes in from the side, you need 80 cm of clearance along the whole loading length. The free workshop survey checks this on your own plan before any order.
Is a particular ceiling height needed?
The machine is 1,650 mm high, whatever its length. You do need height above it to load the blank and work standing up: allow 2.10 m of ceiling height at the minimum. That is the height of a standard door — most workshops clear it without thinking about it, but a mezzanine or a basement can be a problem.
How is the blank held during machining?
By vacuum pods, with a 315 m³/h side channel pump. No screws, no glue, nothing that marks the blank — and turning it over takes a few seconds, with no workholding to strip down.
Do my Shape3D files go through without reworking?
Yes, in the latest versions of Shape3D and of AKU Shaper, as well as any G-code. Send us one of your files: we open it, we generate the toolpaths and we send you back the machining simulation, with the machine time. You check that your shape goes through without having to take our word for it.
How long before I can work on my own?
Training lasts 7 days, in your workshop, on your own blanks and your own models. It ends when you have produced a complete board without us.
And if the machine breaks down?
2 year warranty. For the first 6 months, support by phone and WhatsApp, with remote access to the machine — most hold-ups are sorted out without anyone travelling.
Do I lose control over my shapes?
The machine removes the material; the decisions and the finishing stay yours. And your files never leave your workshop, unlike with outsourcing.
3, 4 or 5 axes: how do I choose?
All three machine the whole board. Only one question matters: where the stepping is left on the rail. In 3 axes, along the whole rail — you remove it by sanding, or you pack the passes closer and pay for it in machine time. In 4 axes, only at the nose and the tail, where the outline closes in. In 5 axes, nowhere: the board comes out ready to laminate. On top of that there is the angle of the fin box pockets, vertical in 3 axes and perpendicular to the plane from 4 axes.
Quote
Let's talk about your workshop
Tell us what you shape and in what space. We come back to you with the right configuration and its price.