Other Machine Co. announced its rebrand as Bantam Tools in September 2017, introducing a new company name, logo, and website alongside an updated desktop PCB milling machine. The company said the shift reflected its growing focus on professional engineers and educators rather than hobbyists.
What happened to Other Machine Co.?
In September 2017, Other Machine Co. introduced Bantam Tools as its new company identity. The rollout paired the name change with an updated version of its desktop milling product, then called the Bantam Tools Desktop PCB Milling Machine. Business Wire’s announcement, syndicated by MarketScreener, described the product as an evolution of the company’s earlier machine; contemporary WIRED coverage likewise reported that the Othermill Pro had been renamed the Bantam Tools PCB Milling Machine.
The change followed Bre Pettis’s purchase of Other Machine Co. earlier in 2017. At the time of the announcement, Danielle Applestone was the company’s founder and CEO, and contemporary reporting described the rebrand as a joint effort with Pettis. Make’s 2017 coverage provides additional context about the transition.
Why did the company change its name?
Bantam Tools said the rebrand reflected a change in the audience it wanted to serve. Applestone explained in the 2017 announcement: “We originally focused on the hobbyist market, but soon realized that 90 percent of our machines were being purchased by professional engineers and educators.” That 90 percent was the company’s reported customer mix at the time, not an independently audited market statistic or a measure of current sales.
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The company’s rationale was that desktop milling could help engineers and educators make electronics prototypes in-house instead of waiting for outsourced board manufacturing. In a later 2017 Make interview, Applestone described professional engineers as a near-term target, in part because a business could justify the machine through faster in-house iteration. Those were the company’s reasons for pursuing the audience; they do not establish a particular time or cost saving for every buyer. Applestone also characterized the intended audience this way: “This rebrand helps us focus on those professionals and educators, who dramatically accelerate their pace of development and innovation with our machines.”
How did the milling machine change?
The 2017 announcement presented the Bantam Tools Desktop PCB Milling Machine as an evolution of Other Machine Co.’s existing desktop mill. WIRED reported dust collection and saved setup preferences among the additions it described. Make identified the desktop PCB mill as the company’s flagship product. These are historical descriptions of the 2017 product, not confirmation of current specifications or the present product lineup.
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The announcement set a launch price of $3,199 in 2017. That is a historical launch price, not a current quote or evidence that the machine is still available at that price.
Bantam Tools’ Nerd Watch project page describes the desktop PCB milling machine as formerly known as the Othermill and shows an enclosure project made from multiple materials. The page also mentions a Nerd Watch kit; it does not establish whether that kit is currently available.
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Does the 2017 rebrand establish what Bantam Tools sells now?
No. The announcement and contemporary coverage explain the 2017 company and product transition, but they do not verify present-day legal identity, machine availability, specifications, or pricing. A later Discover Peekskill business profile says Bantam Tools moved to Peekskill in 2019; that local profile is not proof of current corporate registration or inventory.
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