CNC machining is a way of removing material from a piece of stock automatically. The main advantage over manual machining is that it can do complex instructions and moves faster and with much more precision.
A number
Compatible materials:
- Wood.
- Soft plastics.
- Soft metals like aluminium.
- carbon fiber (with ventilation !)
Forbidden materials:
- Hard metals like steel.
- Glass.
- ceramics.
- any material whose dust is toxic.
In doubt, please ask! Attempting to operate the machine with the wrong material can either break the machine and/or emit toxic fumes in the workshop.
Both are not good outcome and can be easily avoided.
Below are different material settings available to configure the CNC.
If one is missing and you would like to add an entry, please let me know (contact)!
Safety precautions for the CNC:
- Always use protective glasses, the cutter can shatter and project small bits of metals in random directions.
- Always stay close to the emergency stop in case something goes wrong.
- Stick to the recommended materials. Some materials can damage the machine or produce toxic dust. (see above for a list of materials to avoid)
To use a CNC router you need tree types of programms.
First a CAD programm to produce the model and the .stl file you want to machine, FreeCad is an opensource alternative to Solidworks, Catia and Fusion360 (although Fusion is sort of free for hobbyists)
Then you need a programm to produce the CAM file. Sometimes it's included in the CAD software, that is, if you have the extentions. But you can use other software to decide what moves you want to make from the CAD files and prewiew the path of the cutter. CamBam is a simple yet powerfull programm that lets you do that easily. You can also make some basic shapes and text directly in it, removing the need for a CAD program. Unfortunately it is not free.
Finally you need to use a programm to give the instructions to the machine. Luckily it usually comes with the computer connected to the CNC, for us its Mach 3. His job is to interpret the G-code and send the instructions to the router motor boards. It's also lets you play with some parameters in real time to test if they work. This is the control station of the router, you can start, pause, stop, rewind and most importantly move the tool with this program.
First, let's take a look at the main interface, as seen below:
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You can see in red annotated the most common tools.
Now that you know how the basic controls work, let's get into the useful details.
What you see in the figure below is the interface for setting up the Laser to do what you want it to do.
IMAGE
In here, you can set different parameters:
Dont touch touch the parameters you dont understand, do some research before tinkering with them!
Doesn't cut, doesn't suck the smoke, cuts badly, flame at cutting point, and (many) many more..
[Coming Soon]