My latest CNC DIY - Video Uploaded

[Timothytitus88]

Hi Guys,

I have not had any time to power up my machine since my week of fun, which seems so long ago. Itching to get back to it though.

But I managed to sift through all of the bad footage (I will never underestimate the importance of a tripod again) and put a video together.

Have a look here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0kb0iP5uhc

I think the next job for it will be to cut out the switch and PSU PCB's for my G9's and then finalize and make the front and back panels.

Cheers,

Tim

 

[Slenderchap]

Could you show some more detail about how you are clamping down your panel.... that is the one area where I have most trouble.

Colin
www.audiomaintenance.com

 

[Ptownkid]

From the looks of it...he has attached the panel to a substrate (wood?) with double sided taped and the whole thing is secured to the table using some hold downs that are in slots on the substrate. HTH

 

[Timothytitus88]

Hey Colin,

Yep, Fixturing is an interesting subject, and one that has used up nearly as many brain cells as it took to build the machine in the first place (and I don't have all that many)

Ptown is correct, except it is not wood. I would not use wood because it would swell with the cutting mist fluid. What I am using at the moment is nylon, because I had some hanging around, but I don't really like that because the double sided tape does not stick all that well. I will soon try and get some "corian" offcuts - the composite epoxy stuff that bench tops are made out of. Solid, stable and waterproof, but workable with woodworking tools.

The slots for the hold downs are made all around the block with a biscuit joining tool

The block is cut a little smaller than the final panel and then surfaced with an end mill so that it is flat and the same height all across (this is why i don't want it to swell). After it has been used and abused, Ill just resurface it.

My workspace is big enough that I plan to have these blocks semi permanently set up for common sizes (1u and 2u and 51x) with offsets set up in mach3

Eventually I will have removable stainless steel pins for accurately positioning the panel on the block. (remember the panel overhangs the block)

The double sided tape is the really thin but strong stuff, sold as carpet tape at the hardware. NOT the thick spongy stuff for mounting photos.

I have no footage yet but the whole idea is that an end mill will go around the outside of the panel to clean it up and bring it to perfect size. I use a guillotine (that I am lucky enough to have access to) to cut the parts 1mm over size. But after running around it with the end mill it is so much nicer than a guillotine cut. Ill get some footage of this next time I fire it up.

I think this solution is best for big panels, but i soon hope to come up with a small vacuum set up for 500 size panels and smaller

Cheers,

Tim

 

[Ptownkid]

If you need a good strong double sided tape, look for "turners tape".

 

[RATMNL]

Man I need a Machine like that! I was looking at some other DIY CNC machine, but it couldn't handle 19" plates, only half of it.
I do would like an estimate on costs, since it might be a good investment, don't want to have to order from Schaeffer all the projects i have lying around that still need plating.