CNC engraver / cutting machine.

[wandgrudd]

Hi I have control of the feed rate speed, the spindle speed, max is 9000 rpm, and the number of passes cutting depth per pass sets that, the best looking one so far on my tests was the 20mm / sec feed rate which was cut with two passes 0.5mm per pass. The next test was going to be a single pass, 1mm cut depth and then play with the feed rate speed and the spindle speed to see if I can improve the edge of the cut. I am sure with a bit more testing I should be able to get it to cut patterns for me cleanly.

Plastics always bait of trial and error, if you have the power one pass will always work best in plastic with slow rpm. not that its much help but i much prefer wood much less messing about.

 

[LGB-Sid]

A Few more test cuts done and ended up at 15 mm/sec roughing cut and then 20 mm/sec finishing cut. depth of cut per pass 0.75 mm total deep 1.5 mm , so that's 2 passes to rough out and two finishing cuts , Now cuts with nice clean edges takes twice as long as last tests, but looks like the machine is a keeper in the test image below, the piece only had a good stiff brush to remove bits from the groves.

 

[PhilP]

Hi Sid,

Is this one of those cases where 'we' have to exaggerate to make it look 'right'?

A 1.5mm deep mortar course, equates to 33.75mm in the prototype..

 

[JimmyB]

Hi Sid,

Is this one of those cases where 'we' have to exaggerate to make it look 'right'?

A 1.5mm deep mortar course, equates to 33.75mm in the prototype..

Phil, had similar thoughts myself, mortar often being 1 - 2 mm deep, would not show particularly well, I assume this works well on the 10 foot viewing rule.

 

[LGB-Sid]

Two reasons for 1.5mm I will probably lose 0 .5mm of the depth when it's painted, and the courses show up well at 10 foot, plus it's a lot easier to paint with my sponge way of painting having the deeper course not everything can be to the correct scale or it won't work

 

[perpetualnewbie]

Ahh, I see the sort of thing you want to do, now. That sort of mill is a pretty good sort of tool for that job of carving a lot of surface texture. The engraving bit looks like it's doing well. I have very low expectation of cutting a 1mm slot with a 1mm endmill, I'm afraid - it seems to me that if a whole 180 degrees of a milling-type cutter is in the material, one side is climb milling while the other is conventional milling, it's hard to clear chips well enough to avoid recutting, and a rough finish is pretty likely to follow. Also, I suspect if you turn the speed down too far the mill won't have much power behind it. I reckon your engraving cuts are a pretty good result. Nice one!