Pete Sorenson is a retired technology instructor with 42 years in the classroom. Currently Pete conducts workshops and teacher training for Robert McNeel & Associates and has been using RhinoCAM for over 5 years now.
Here is another one of Pete’s amazing projects. All of the metal parts for the iris were machined with RhinoCAM toolpaths using 2½ Axis Pocketing and Profiling. Where appropriate Bridges & Tabs were applied automatically for the Profiling operations. The wood is a series of pockets at different levels, the final pass being a profile of the outside shape. The gear teeth were cut using a dividing head and a horizontal milling machine. The lever at the top opens and closes the iris. Nice job Pete!
I used an old wood turners trick for the wood, says Pete. The book-matched wood was glued to a larger piece of plywood with a file folder between the wood and the plywood. This kept all clamping devices well away from any tool paths. A wood chisel was then used to separate the plywood from the part.
I also spent some time last week at Fife High School getting them started with RhinoCam. They were producing some 2D toolpaths by the end of the first hour!

The components for the iris mechanism were machined from RhinoCAM toolpaths!