labelling switch caps, silkscreen?

[totoxraymond]

Ok, good to know , i installed it and i might give it a go in the near future.

I found the CAM processor is was talking about. Its name is pycam. And i found the Qcad fonts in their git repository. Here:

https://github.com/SebKuzminsky/pycam/tree/master/share/fonts
But they are in cxf format which seems to be unique to Qcad...

 

[abbey road d enfer]

OK, thanks

 

[totoxraymond]

Hi Everyone,

New day, new tests.

Here's a first tryout using a spare switch:



I like the way it looks, and averall i think i can start making switches.

so...



Which infill colour do you like the most? I think white is easier to read so i might go for white.

Just for those asking here's how i managed to clamp the cap in place:



two failed front panel makes a pretty good vice.


Again, thanks everyone for your help, i'll keep you posted when every caps finished (only 95 Gcode left to generate )

Have a good day!

Thomas

 

[scott2000]

That's amazing! Nice!

White definitely easier to see... Wonder if they were all white it could get distracting...?? Smaller font?

 

[mjrippe]

Looking good! I like the font too.

 

[RonanA]

Just chiming in for future reference, I'm guessing the cap material is PBT, which is also able to be etched in a CO2 laser, which would offer greater precision than a CNC, but you wouldn't get that nice 45 deg angle. Just something to think about if anyone else has a need similar to this.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

View attachment 85344

two failed front panel makes a pretty good vice.

I like your clamps. Where did you get them?
Is the waste board something you made?

 

[totoxraymond]

Just chiming in for future reference, I'm guessing the cap material is PBT, which is also able to be etched in a CO2 laser, which would offer greater precision than a CNC, but you wouldn't get that nice 45 deg angle. Just something to think about if anyone else has a need similar to this.

I looked at PBT and it could very well be that. I was thinking it's something derived from PET (even though i know nothing about polymers)

The difficulty when engraving these is that it will melt and form a little solid blob on the tip of the bit. If you let that happen, it will result in a larger engraving than expected and a not so sharp form.

I dealt whit that by blowing some compressed air to get rid of waste material during engraving. And stoping the CNC and going back from the start each time I saw such a blob forming.

I tried different feeds and cut depth to try and reduce that phenomenon, but nothing worked...

Here's a picture of the work in progress master section

I like your clamps. Where did you get them?
Is the waste board something you made?

These clamps are 3d printed, I found the stl on the same website as i found the design for my CNC: RS-CNC – MakerFr
I can send you the files if you want.
I would recommend using butterfly bolts rather than these 3D printed heads. My fingers hurts when i have a lot of piece change to do.

I made the CNC and the waste board following the RScnc32 design from makefr.com. I used the electronics and motors from my previous CNC though. (smaller NEMA17 and an arduino UNO with CNC shield running Grbl)

I finished assembling this machine last july, and so far, it's proven to be a reliable design. I will probably upgrade the electronics and motors in the future. I would also like to get a better spindle with PWM.

Here's a pic of my machine:

 

[abbey road d enfer]

The difficulty when engraving these is that it will melt and form a little solid blob on the tip of the bit. If you let that happen, it will result in a larger engraving than expected and a not so sharp form.

I dealt whit that by blowing some compressed air to get rid of waste material during engraving. And stoping the CNC and going back from the start each time I saw such a blob forming.

Maybe you could use microlubrication.
I use that,
https://www.cncfraises.fr/microlubrification/249-microlubrification-cncfraises.htmlthat I have modified for pressure operation instead of gravity. I use a simple stepper motor peristaltic pump with a $10 controller.
Actually microlubrication is more about cooling than lubricating. Distilled water is OK for plastic cutting.

These clamps are 3d printed, I found the stl on the same website as i found the design for my CNC: RS-CNC – MakerFr
I can send you the files if you want.

Thank you, it's very nice; however I think they would not be robust enough for the kind of things I do.

I would recommend using butterfly bolts rather than these 3D printed heads. My fingers hurts when i have a lot of piece change to do.

I understand that. I use this
https://fr.rs-online.com/web/p/leviers-de-serrage/0478214

I made the CNC and the waste board following the RScnc32 design from makefr.com.

OK. I'll use that as inspiration.

Here's a pic of my machine:

View attachment 85938

Nice build. Congrats!

 

[thomasdf]

DIY all the way ! Superbe, bravo !

 

[jasonallenh]

I know those little label makers like the Brother p-touch etc... have white on transparent, black on transparent,etc. and some come in laminated which I don't know if that's better..they come in different width tape too..... I do know they usually remove cleanly after a little time but there are also permanent ones.

I've got a pretty old Foote prototype thing that uses these (black on transparent) and it looks like it'll peel off clean...dangit...

I can't rub anything off as far as print but don't feel like proving that theory wrong....

Those label makers are pretty inexpensive?

You can also print reversed text. This means if you use transparent tape, you can stick the label on the inside of the cap, which keeps you from rubbing the sticker off over time. It's worked well for me.

 

[scott2000]

You can also print reversed text. This means if you use transparent tape, you can stick the label on the inside of the cap, which keeps you from rubbing the sticker off over time. It's worked well for me.

Good to know. Thanks.

It's actually surprising how good the labels are. Very tenacious bond until you don't want them.Like a vinyl behavior almost.... And I even tried IPA to rub (aggressively) off some print and nothing happened...

 

[RonanA]

I dealt whit that by blowing some compressed air to get rid of waste material during engraving. And stoping the CNC and going back from the start each time I saw such a blob forming.

Yeah, that is definitely a concern with both lasers and CNC machines - my laser has a air compressor combination on the tip, but without testing it's hard to say if it would be strong enough (it's more for blowing smoke out of the way during wood cuts or engraves).

 

[mjrippe]

Good to know. Thanks.

It's actually surprising how good the labels are. Very tenacious bond until you don't want them.Like a vinyl behavior almost.... And I even tried IPA to rub (aggressively) off some print and nothing happened...

P-Touch, etc. use thermal printing so it should be chemical resistant.

I did buy some printable heatshrink that works in these, but of course you have to be careful when shrinking it or it all turns black!

 

[Slime_Lord]

I’ve been using an Ortur Laser Master 2 and engraving powder coated blanks. I still need to tweak this process and probably need a more powerful laser but I’m able to engrave deep enough into the powder coat to use a lacquer crayon for infill. The end result is kind of lofi and I messed up on the positioning of a few drill holes but it’s usable.

Im wondering if the laser can be leveraged to make a silk screen, instead of using it to directly mark the panel.

 

[totoxraymond]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick update here, i finally finished this build (well at least it's usable, i'm expecting to make lots of improvements in the future). At least it's rests in its place and i'm using it daily.




The switches labelling turned up really well, i'm very pleased with the results, it's easily readable, sharp and feels good.

I'm really pleased with how this build came along, i've been working on this for several years now but it was worth the effort.

I'd like to thank everyone on this forum, I don't i would have gone through without this place.

Cheers,

Thomas

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Congrats! Well done.

 

[TwentyTrees]

Great stuff!

 

[noizetoys]

Are you kidding me? That is awesome. I've always wanted a more useable control surface like that.

What are you using as the processor?
It looks like you have implemented the HUI protocol, is that correct?
Is everything communicating over MIDI or did you write some sort of MIDI over Ethernet interface?
Are the faders motorized?
If a train leaves Paris going 20k/h and a car leaves London going 10 k/h....

So many nerdy question...

Thanks for making me feel even more inadequate and lazy!!!!

If you will excuse me I'm going to go ball up in the corner and try not to cry for too long...

Well done, I look forward to your future progress/updates!!

 

[zamproject]

Yes, very nice build, barvo !
I also see this over midibox (which i'm not that much active recently)

What are you using as the processor?

Midibox system is based on STM32F405

Are the faders motorized?

99% it is (if OP confirm) separate board based on PIC which connect to main CPU board

@totoxraymond
as midibox motor fader board drive 8 fader, did you use a single board for the master or is the master not motorized and just connected to a AIN ?

Best
Zam