At IWF 2022, Shaper Launches Simple Design Software, Universal Template for Its Handheld CNC

San Francisco-based woodworking and robotics company, Shaper Tools (Booth A10630), announced the launch of two new products for the woodworking and fabrication industries: Studio, a simplified design tool for craftspeople and Plate—a universal template and fixture for Shaper Origin.

In 2018, Shaper launched Origin—the world’s first handheld CNC router. Since then, Shaper has been on a mission to make precision cutting easy and accessible to craftspeople everywhere. With the launch of Shaper Plate and Shaper Studio, Shaper is again demonstrating how intuitive digital workflows can integrate with, and aid, traditional workshops.

“One of the biggest challenges for craftspeople looking to work with digital tools like CNC machines, is creating the digital files these tools rely on. What may be a simple sketch of an idea with pencil and paper can require hours or days of work to transfer to a sophisticated CAD (computer aided design) program,” says CEO Joe Hebenstreit.

Shaper Studio is a simplified 2D design tool that aims to focus on the features that matter most to craftspeople, short circuiting the path from idea to production, and omitting the unnecessary and confusing features that have crept into one-size-fits-all design software. Simply put, Studio helps users spend more time making and less time fussing with a computer.

Announced today at the International Woodworking Fair, Shaper Studio will be released mid September to everyone—not just Shaper Origin owners looking for this kind of streamlined design tool. For $99 a year, users get unlimited access to fonts and artwork, plus some really powerful editing features like Studio’s ShapeShifter—an intuitive shape combination tool that further speeds up the design process—along with the ability to save and export an SVG file, sync it directly to Shaper Origin, or use it with other digital fabrication tools like vinyl cutters or laser cutters.

A Lite version of Studio with limited access to fonts and artwork is also available for free, and a 14-day free trial allows one to test out the fully featured product. Studio is web-based, making it easy to produce and edit designs on your phone, tablet, or computer.

To learn more about Studio or start a free trial, visit shapertools.com/studio.

Shaper Plate — a universal template and fixture for Shaper Origin — is Shaper’s latest accessory to effortlessly connect digital designs with physical workpieces. When paired with Origin, Shaper Plate makes installing hardware and other localized precision cutting operations fast and seamless.

Plate takes advantage of Shaper’s Hardware Catalog, a collection of Shaper-vetted digital hardware templates available on ShaperHub. With Shaper Origin and Plate, installing a hinge, door pull, or other hardware is as easy as finding the file on the Hardware Catalog, aligning one of Plate’s four fence systems to a pencil mark, and using Origin to accurately mill the pocket in just the right spot.

Integrated with ShaperTape, Shaper Plate speeds up a huge variety of Origin operations like installing bow ties, corner rounding, machining cable pass throughs, engravings and more.

Shaper Plate will officially go on sale September 14th. In the meantime, attendees at the International Woodworking Fair this week can get a first look and hands-on demo. For those Origin customers eager to own one of the first units, they can sign up to get notified when Shaper Plate goes on sale and be first in line. To learn more about Shaper Plate, visit shapertools.com/plate.

Along with Shaper Workstation, Origin’s vertical and horizontal workholding fixture, Shaper Plate rounds out the Origin Complete System. Shaper is offering a $100 discount on its Plate or Workstation along with the purchase of Origin, or a $150 discount when all three are purchased together.

Shaper Tools is a San Francisco-based woodworking and robotics company making precision cutting easy and accessible to craftspeople around the world. With offices in Stuttgart, Germany, Shaper is part of the family-owned, century-old TTS group, and sits alongside other sister companies Festool, Saw Stop, Tanos and others revolutionizing the power tool industry with products like Studio and Plate. To learn more about Shaper, visit shapertools.com or on Facebook and Instagram @ShaperTools.

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