The sleeping beauty

Discussion in 'CNC machining projects' started by TRYPHON974, Jul 23, 2020.

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  1. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    Here's what kept me busy lately: a 60cm x 90cm cnc. I broke the piggy bank nearly four years ago after reading fairly good reviews on cnczone. I then went trough some difficulties and it sat, waiting for some attention. I just managed yesterday to jog the three axis and to run the spindle, it's officially back to life.:)
    In my opinion it's more a kit than a machine, no instruction at all. You've to figure out how to set and configure it by yourself. It's clearly a challenge, nothing impossible but it's time consuming and nerve racking. I had a little wooden cnc made for hobbyists, this one is not in the same league. No cutting yet, but the hardest part is done.
    20200722_105215.jpg
     
    oldironfarmer, Jason, rocco and 2 others like this.
  2. Petee716

    Petee716 Gold Banner Member

    Very nice Tryphon,
    I have to say that you're wooden cnc was memorable. Every time I see your name on a post I think of that machine and how impressed I was that you not only made it, but that it worked as it did!
    You're right though, this is definitely a different league. Congrats on getting it running. Learning how to use it will be an adventure but it will certainly be worth it!

    Pete
     
  3. Zapins

    Zapins Gold

    Link to the wooden cnc?
     
  4. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

  5. Tobho Mott

    Tobho Mott Gold Banner Member

    Cool stuff, and no worries, it's fine to post links to alloyavenue here.

    Jeff
     
  6. rocco

    rocco Silver

    Expanding on that, any relevant, non-spam link is welcome.
     
  7. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    After struggling with the limit switches I ended up reinstalling Mach3 and everything worked fine. Mach3 is surely a great software but I liked Linuxcnc for its simplicity. Now it's time to flatten the bed, so here are its first steps: 1m/min (40"/min) with a 20 mm (3/4") bit.
    20200726_220015.jpg
     
  8. Petee716

    Petee716 Gold Banner Member

    What is the material?
     
  9. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    It looks like PVC to me, cuts easily and makes nice chips. I had to make several passes to get it flat, last pass was at 3m/min. Time to move on to the first real cut.
     
  10. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    20200728_193841-1.jpg
    Prettying up the water cooling system (organizing it at least..). One pump cools the spindle and the other one is for the cutting fluid. I use automotive coolant for the spindle, I've not decided what to use as cutting fluid for now. The cutting fluid is only needed for aluminum so it's not a priority.
     
  11. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    IMG-20200729-WA0003.jpg IMG-20200729-WA0005-1.jpg IMG-20200729-WA0007.jpg So the first project is for the wife, she asked for a geoboard. I didn't know it existed before she showed me one, she planes to use it with her pupils. Basically you make patterns with rubber bands. Perfect project for a CNC. I had to cut rivets by hand though ;)
     
  12. rocco

    rocco Silver

    I made one of those with plywood and finishing nails, I think I was in about grade 5 at the time so, a VERY long time ago.
     
  13. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    She wanted a chest of drawers so I welded some tubes and started the cnc to cut the drawers. The joints of the first drawers were not perfect , I tested some options and after some tuning the quality improved. I used some acrylic clear coat as finish. Happy wife, happy life.
    chest of drawers 2.jpeg.jpg chest of drawers.jpeg
     
    dtsh, Jason, Petee716 and 1 other person like this.
  14. Jason

    Jason Gold

    Nice simple design! I like it!
     
  15. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    Still playing with the cnc, I did some engravings in brass. I ran into some problems with my clamping system, but it worked in the end. I'd like to say I designed the owl, but I didn't. The engraving is 0.002" deep. I sketched a drawing and did some tests with some Dibond laying around, need more experimenting. :)
    20200814_203833.jpg IMG-20200815-WA0001.jpeg
     
  16. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    A friend of mine asked me if I could replicate a gear he can't buy anywhere. At least an excuse to cut some aluminum. As the" template" he gave me was just a sheet of paper with some paint sprayed on, I preferred to make three prototypes with slightly different lengths. First test was made with a 2 flute end mill, it was a bit rough so I switched to a 1/8 one flute router bit. It went better. Pure water was used as a cutting fluid, cheap, practical and easily available . The unknown aluminum alloy didn't stick to the bit, so I'd say it did its job. It's approximately 1,25 " long and 1/8" thick. We'll see if the dimensions are correct...
    20200824_203107.jpg 20200824_212042-1.jpg
     
  17. DavidF

    DavidF Administrator Staff Member Banner Member

    For a window regulator?? Or perhaps a power seat??
     
  18. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    It's a part from a lock for a building mail box, if I understood correctly. He tried to explain how it works but it wasn't very clear ( for me).
     
  19. Petee716

    Petee716 Gold Banner Member

    How are you holding your cutout parts down, tape?
    I haven't had alot of luck cutting grooves into di-bond. My latest attempt was with a 1/4" single flute. I've tried both up cut and down cut but I cant get rid of the burr. Maybe a fine cut 2nd pass would do it, but I'm trying to do production runs an want to keep my time down. I guess an additional pass would be better than all the time I spend deburring with my thumbnail.

    Pete
     
  20. TRYPHON974

    TRYPHON974 Copper

    I screwed the di-bond on some mdf and hold it down with t track clamps, I feared it would slip or bend without the wood . I clamped the aluminum directly on the bed. I hadn't much chance with tape. As for the di-bond, the spindle was running at 10 000 rpm , 32"/min, 0.040" deep. It makes a nice continuous plastic chip. Didn't have the chance to much experiment, these settings are not optimized for production.
     

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