Ideum
Museum Displays and
Full Scale Exhibits with CNC Machinery
Founded in California in 1999, Ideum is an experience design company now based in Corrales, New Mexico. The company develops interactive exhibits and innovative screen-based products that are used by museums, educational institutions, and Fortune 500 companies. The company is best known for their line of touch tables and large-format touch monitors, which they have sold in over 45 countries around the world. Ideum also designs and develops full-scale interactive exhibitions and have worked with some of the most well-known museums, aquariums, and zoos in the country.
Ideum is a small company that does a wide range of exhibit projects and has a unique product line of touch tables and displays. They are known as an “experience design” company, but they have been doing that type of work long before the term was common. One thing that differentiates Ideum from other firms is the breadth of work they do as a small company. Many of their projects are unique and often they are using technology in ways that haven’t been done before.
“Every day is different at Ideum. We take on a variety of projects, each one unique; most are developed for public spaces. We’ve built custom touch tables, and smart furniture, along with a variety of unique exhibits and kiosks. We’ve also built models, replicas of dinosaurs, bespoke exhibit cases, and a wide range of fabricated pieces. About a third of our customers are museums, aquariums, and zoos–the remaining customers are a mix of Fortune 500 companies, government, and educational institutions”.
Ideum currently owns a Techno CNC HDS Series CNC router which plays a crucial role in developing the kiosks, exhibits, parts, replicas, cases, and more. The machine is the heart and soul of the company. “As we continue to develop full-exhibitions and exhibits, smart furniture, and custom touch tables, we decided to upgrade our CNC. As the hub of our collections tools, the CNC is at the heart of many of our custom fabrication projects. Our new CNC has some great new features that allow us to be faster and more efficient. We decided to donate our previous CNC to Quelab, a community makerspace, and to purchase a new Techno CNC router for our Fabrication space. After considering our options, we chose the Techno HDS Series, and so far we are absolutely thrilled with its performance. With an automatic tool changer and multi-zone vacuum table it is easier to set up and run our projects. The fully automated high-speed spindle gives us clean cuts and works easily with soft metals like aluminum and brass; although we will continue to route mostly wood and some solid surface materials for our custom work” said Jim Spadaccini, founder and creative director of Ideum. “We decided to expand our fabrication capabilities a few years ago, with the idea that integrating technology would be an easier task if we were doing the fabrication ourselves. This has led to many exciting developments. We recently finished a project for a multiscreen interactive kiosk we developed for the New Mexico Film Office and the Albuquerque Sunport”.
The multiscreen interactive kiosk houses an immersive 75” display showcasing locations and a 43” Ideum Inline Touch Display that allows visitors to control the experience. LED lights pulse and flow organically to paint the surrounding wall and catch travelers’ eyes. Additional accents include topographic elements that evoke our state’s diverse rolling geography. Ideum’s industrial design team designed the cabinetry, and the exhibit itself was built in our custom fabrication studio with the Techno CNC router.
Read about the Interactive Kiosk Here:
https://ideum.com/portfolio/albuquerque-international-sunport-film-kiosk
Ideum purchased the HDS Series because of all of it’s amazing feature. The machine made up of all steel construction, providing the rigid foundation required for ultra-smooth routing results. The HDS Series from Techno CNC includes a 12 HP HSD automatic tool changer spindle with an 8-position tool rack, and comes standard with a pneumatically operated dust collection hood that concentrates air flow at the cutter, providing optimal dust collection performance. The multi-zone vacuum t-slot table is constructed from very hard Phenolic; an extremely stable material that holds tight tolerances for precision cutting. This CNC machine is connected to a 10HP rotary vane vacuum pump (twin pack optional), for quiet operation. For easy sheet alignment, (3) pop-up pins are included on the HDS Series, and are precisely placed to handle and align various size materials. The HDS Series CNC Machine is powered by brushless AC Servo digital motors and drives, and is powered by an easy-to-use and learn Osai PC based industrial controller.
“The CNC is the tool that is at the heart of many of our custom exhibit and installation projects. We use it with a wide range of materials, including wood, metal, plastic, and foam. The CNC has expanded our company’s capabilities, which has allowed us to take on more varied and interesting projects. It has also allowed us as a small firm to take on bigger projects using the automation that the CNC provides. The Techno CNC recently took on a job and helped us build a detailed, scale model of Ebbets Field for the Jackie Robinson Museum just after we purchased the unit in late 2021. The Techno CNC made it possible for us to create this unique model on a very tight deadline. The Museum opened in the summer of 2022 and we simply wouldn’t have been able to complete it without the use of this machine”.
The model was built in the Ideum Fabrication studio and Ideum’s AV group designed the other elements found in the installation. The model itself has an illuminated scoreboard in the style of the original and several features such as the bullpens, press box, dugouts, and are highlighted and illuminated when visitors select particular stories. Advertisements from the heyday of Ebbets Field were recreated on the outfield fence. In addition, we designed and 3D printed over 30,000 fans that appear in stands.
More recently, the CNC was used to help create a replica of a dinosaur fossil for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science. The original fossil is the most complete T-Rex fossil ever found. We projection-mapped the replica and developed an interactive exhibit in conjunction with the museum. Each exhibit leveraged 3D models for different interpretive purposes, collectively showcasing a contemporary snapshot of the possibilities of 3D digitization presented in exhibitions. 3D models were used for accurately replicating a physical specimen, for animating envisioned paleo-art creations, and for simulating scientific processes that can be manipulated for greater exploration. The result is a deeply digital paleo world in which the scientifically researched details of these creatures and their ancient existence are more alive and accessible than their static, fossilized remains would suggest on their own.