First of all I would like to say that I know not everyone has access to CNC equipment but I purely wanted to demonstrate the ease and convenience of digital fabrication within the maker community :)

This Aeropress Caddy is on my Etsy page if you would like to buy one! (I don't make them with the engraved logo on the front as I do not own the rights! see photos above) https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MakeALittleMore?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Step 1: Tools I Used

For this project I used a few tools:

My CNC Router - A Shapeoko 3 fitted with an upgraded powerful spindle and an aluminium work holding table.

A CNC Laser Engraver - Provided by Gearbest.com for the purposes of this project. I reviewed the machine here briefly: Laser Engraver Review and the machine can be purchased here: Laser Engraver.

Here is a brief video of the laser in action on a different project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TyV0uBWWog

I used Fusion 360 as my CAD and CAM for this project. It is an extremely versatile tool and is completely free!

For finishing I used various grits of sandpaper and a homemade router table.

Step 2: CAD - CAM

I will briefly outline the work I did in Fusion 360 as it was a fairly simple CAD job. Starting with the basic rectangle, extruding it and then cutting out the pockets I measured from the parts of the Aeropress. The CAM was simple too, just three pockets programmed with adaptive clearing (just for fun!) A slotting program for the small slot for the stirring stick and a boring operation for the coffee scoop.

Once this was all programmed I ran a simulation to makes sure it all looked good and I checked machining time to make sure I hadn't made any feeds errors!

Step 3: Machining

Next it was just a matter of finding some stock and chucking it onto the CNC.

10 minutes later and the part was done.

Step 4: Primary Finishing

I started off by putting a large chamfer on the mottom edge to give it a nicer overall look when it is on a table or surface. It raises the whole thing up a little.

Then I just went over it with some 120 grit and then some 240 grit sand paper.

Step 5: Laser Setup

Next I got back onto the computer and into Inkscape to create the logo engraving I found on Pinterest.

I took the SVG file and created paths form the vector image.

Next, using the EleksMaker plugin I created the GCODE as shown in the picture and exported it.

Step 6: Laser Engraving the Logo

I also designed a rectangle exactly the same size as the Aeropress Caddy itself to engrave onto the bed of the Laser engraver to use as an alignment for the work piece. This allowed me to get the logo in exactly the place I wanted it to be.

The engraving took less than a minute and came out nicely as you can see in the images.

Step 7: Finishing

Last thing to do was to apply some glossy finish to protect the wood as it will need to withstand coffee drips and other spills.

Step 8: Final Thoughts

This was a nice simple project that just took me a day to complete thanks to the wonders of personal digital fabrication that exists today. I hope to do more one day projects like this in the future!

In future I won't be able to use logos form the internet as I don't own them. So I created my own makers mark that I will be engraving into the work that I do from now on!