Blackwell Engineering

07/12/2026

Excited to put this 5C collet chuck to work on the Brother! Jake at Forefront Mfg nailed the design and machining.

It’s refreshing to find affordable work holding of this caliber that’s actually made in America. The market is flooded with white-labeled imports that drop the country-of-origin markings and talk about their products as if they designed and built them in-house.

This is the real thing - and I hear that Jake is working on other versions for different collet types. Check out his Instagram Jake

06/13/2026

When “off‑the‑shelf” isn’t even in the conversation…

Can’t wait to see what Horsepower Northwest does with this Charger hood. It’s going to be wild!
̇ni̇ng

06/08/2026

Brother Speedio axis encoder reset procedure for C00/D00

1. Manually position axis to be set to the desired reference position (normally “0”)

2. Press I/O

3. Enter “-9999” press enter

4. Navigate to “additional axis” for A/B/C

5. Ensure reference position field matches the physical position of the axis to be set ( normally “0”)

6. Select or enter option “2” to update encoder to specified defense position.

7. Confirm the data was updated via message.

8. Press “reset” and confirm expected result on the position page.

Video shows D00. C00 is similar.

06/04/2026

I started running spindle gripping automation in my Brother Speedio just over two years ago. Since then, I’ve written dozens of control macros and some stand alone software to make programming quick and intuitive. I’ve also tried a variety of hardware.

If you’re boot strapping or just testing the waters you can get started for less than $2500, there are a variety of pneumatic vises available for direct import. Warwick, Silver CNC or Zero Point Prince all offer vises for $600-$900 landed. And a Schunk gripper and adapter cost around $1400.

If you’re serious about automation and have the budget, don’t hesitate to pick up a Schunk KSP3 pneumatic vise. They have vise for any material@size and the quality and reliability is well worth the money. A KSP3 160 is roughly equivalent to the 100mm Warwick you see here.

For Schunk Grippers, a PHN+ 50,64, or 80 is a good size for most parts and you’ll want to pick up a -IS model (spring open) or -AS (spring close) depending on your application. The Schunk grippers work with air or coolant.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!

05/01/2026

Loving the quality and reliability of the Schunk PGN pneumatic grippers and KSP3 pneumatic vises.

01/24/2026

In machine automation.
Programmed by

11/14/2025

With your machine in manual, and keys in setting and service… pressing the ATC button will retract and orient the spindle. It will then continue to hold the spindle in position while you manually move the machine around during indication. Maybe overkill… but there’s no worry of the spindle rotating slightly and throwing off your readings.

10/20/2025

10/12/2025

Another tricky in-machine automation. This part had some unique challenges for both work holding and automated part handling.

50 pieces of stock per run. ~8 minute cycle time including automated handling. Nearly 7 hrs of lights out manufacturing.

10/09/2025

Meat robot feeding the Tormach Slant15L
#6061