Building Momentum is Solving Today’s Challenges Using the Tools of the Future
In early 2022, the Building Momentum team added four Bantam Tools Desktop CNC Milling Machines to their workspace, in an effort to expand training offerings and add new digital fabrication tools to their R&D department. We first learned about Building Momentum when they were using the Bantam Tools Desktop PCB Milling Machine to teach milling courses with a focus on prototyping circuit boards. As long-time Bantam Tools users, they were excited to hear about the Bantam Tools Desktop CNC Milling Machine’s ability to rapidly machine aluminum, as well as the new layout and features in our intuitive Bantam Tools Milling Machine Software. We caught up with the team to see how they’ve grown and how they’re putting our desktop CNC machines to use alongside other digital fabrication tools.
At a time when technology is constantly — and rapidly — evolving in a fast-moving world, Building Momentum’s goal is to “teach the lessons of today using the tools of the future.” The cost of desktop fabrication tools like the Bantam Tools Desktop CNC Milling Machine has really transformed the accessibility of prototyping for many small businesses, artists, and independent problem solvers. Aside from cost, one quality the Building Momentum team thinks people don’t talk enough about is portability. “Most of the problems we deal with are best solved close to the point of need, sometimes even in disaster areas or other remote places in the world,” explains Emma Quinn, their Manager of Programming & Marketing. “The ability to pick up a desktop machine and immediately use it to solve a problem anywhere is incredibly valuable.”
When we asked the team to tell us more about the digital fabrication tools they have at their HQ, Olivia Anderson, their Senior Associate of Marketing, said, “The real question is what digital fabrication tools don’t we have in our space?” They currently have about 30 3D printers of varying brands and styles, 6 laser cutters, 10 CNC mills/routers, and a bunch of other digital tools, including a CNC plasma table, waterjet cutter, vinyl cutter, and 3D scanners. Building Momentum is always looking for the best solution to each problem they tackle, and having a wide-ranging toolset represents the diversity of the challenges they take on and the training they offer.
With the growing demand for their training, the team puts all of their tools to use. “There’s a hunger to learn the tools and skills behind rapid innovation and we’re excited to continue sharing the magic of prototyping, thinking differently, and creating on-the-spot solutions with a wider audience.” While their trainers are busy sharing technology skills and facilitating team-building exercises, the team is also (among a host of other things) setting up innovation labs at Marine bases and training clients to use their Mobile Innovation Labs.
At Building Momentum, ingenuity and diversity is celebrated and recognized as a strength. Their Design, Research, and Development department is made up of people with diverse backgrounds, which has enabled them to tackle a wide array of challenges and projects. Their clients range from the alternative rock band Ok Go to the Smithsonian Institute to the Department of the Navy, and they’ve created everything from artistic elements to 3D prints of bones to a mechanism to simulate and test 3D printing at sea.
The Building Momentum team certainly finds joy in working on unique, cutting-edge challenges. In doing so, they’re blazing a new frontier. Where does this drive, passion, and innovative spirit come from? “From our ethos,” the team explained. “Our ethos and understanding that human skills like empathy, flexibility, and honesty are the tools which hold the greatest importance.” The team is laser-focused on agility, efficiency, providing rapid, and cost-effective solutions, and their Bantam Tools Milling Machines empower the team to deliver. They’ve used our Bantam Tools Desktop PCB Milling Machine to prototype radio-frequency contact-tracing badges for use in places like schools to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. They also used the PCB mill to prototype and produce low-cost UV-C dosimeters to determine if the UV-C exposure emitted from bulbs was enough to deactivate the COVID-19 virus. Now with the Bantam Tools Desktop CNC Milling Machines at their disposal, they’re able to take on more and larger machining projects as well.
About Building Momentum
Building Momentum is a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) founded by Brad Halsey and Dr. Albert Vega, Ph.D., based in Alexandria, VA. Their HQ “The Garden” functions as both a 200-person event space and a state-of-the-art workshop. There, the team empowers people from all walks of life to think differently and develop critical problem-solving skills through their corporate, military, and youth training programs.
Stay up-to-date on what’s happening at Building Momentum by following along on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube) and by checking their website to see upcoming camps, classes, and community events.
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