Windell Oskay Unveils the Bantam Tools ArtFrame "Art Machine System" Plotter Family
Tested for months at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the ArtFrame delivers drawings with traditional tools and materials.
Evil Mad Scientist's Windell Oskay, now in-house as the chief technical officer at Bantam Tools, has unveiled a next-generation XY plotter targeting artists: the Bantam Tools ArtFrame "Art Machine System."
"Bantam Tools proudly announces the launch of the new Bantam Tools ArtFrame Art Machine System — designed for professional artists to create physical art from digital designs with traditional materials," Oskay writes of the new device. "I'm proud of our team's work in developing this new software and hardware platform that will fuel a new generation of computer-controlled art machines."
The ArtFrame is available in two formats, the ArtFrame 1824 with 18×24" travel area and the ArtFrame 2436 with 24×36" travel area. Both, the company claims, are tailor-made for artists with a sound0-damping magnetic work surface, enclosed gantry system, stand-alone operation by loading drawings from microSD Card, and a flexible tool head system that can hold a range of traditional implements —including brushes, charcoal, oil sticks, and pastels, in addition to the usual pens and pencils, with adjustable and "significant pressure" available where required
The ArtFrame represents the latest Evil Mad Scientist plotter design, sold as an in-house Bantam Tools product following the company's acquisition back in January and the subsequent rebranding of its AxiDraw platform as the Bantam Tools NextDraw.
"Bantam Tools and Evil Mad Scientist joined forces this year, and when I saw the Bantam Tools ArtFrame in action at the Whitney Museum of American Art, I knew we were creating something exceptional," says Evil Mad Scientist's Lenore Edman, who now serves as chief operating officer of Bantam Tools. "I'm proud to lead the team manufacturing these machines in Peekskill, New York."
The Bantam Tools ArtFrame is now available to pre-order on the company's website, with production planned for December and January shipping; pricing starts at $2,942 for the ArtFrame 1824 and rises to $3,942 for the larger ArtFrame 2436.