The first commercially available 3D CSM was the Ashcroft Makers CSM, designed and made in the UK since February 2020.

The machine was released in response to demand from potential customers and resulted in shipments to customers globally during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ashcroft Makers began in 2019, when we decided that making socks had to be more than just a hobby. We had an idea of making a Circular Sock Machine on our 3D printer. We don't need to tell you what happened next, because everyone in the sock knitting community knows about it already.

We soon realised that there were no 3D printed circular knitting machines commercially available, so as an X Financial Trader/Analyst and an IT Engineer we were determined to solve these problems and so we designed our own machine from First Principles.

In January 2020 a prototype showcasing simulators and our use of 3D printing technology to create products, such as sock machines, was presented at a STEM event held in a school on the North East coast of Scotland.

These STEM events are primarily to assist younge students to choose careers in STEM subjects. STEM Ambassadors travel to these events to highlight and share knowledge about a wide range of STEM careers available. These interactive activities allow engagement with students and their teachers, to encourage them to take up STEM subjects, which lead to well paid and fulfilling careers.

The Ashcroft Makers 3D CSM was launched in February 2020, but we weren't ready for what was about to happen as the machine proved to be extremely popular.

In April 2020 we quickly set about designing and developing knitting patterns for the ©ashcroftmakers CSM, specific to this type of machine, as no other patterns existed. This was confirmed by our existing customers at the time, through an exchange of emails and social media. This included the first 3D CSM Toe Up Sock Pattern of its kind ever published.

One of our very first Ashcroft customers, based in the USA, launched a similar designed machine a year later in early 2021, using their purchased Ashcroft 3D CSM as inspiration for their generation 1 design, without permission from the copyright owner.

Ashcroft Makers have since expanded the business with the introduction of a Hat Machine in February 2023, which is currently undergoing further development.

The Ashcroft 3D CSM is available in a variety of colours with patterns and video tutorials. All new design changes to the Ashcroft CSM are backward compatible with NO tool requirements.