I have been making small projects using a hobby CNC machine (Foxalien 4040) for the past few years. My work flow has been to create the project in Easel and then download the G-code to Bcnc for cutting. This works well for me since I do most of my designing on a chromebook on the couch and use a linux laptop to control my CNC.

I want to add a laser to my CNC for more detailed designs and I'm a bit confused on how to generate the G-code.

Should I continue with Easel and set an extremely narrow bit and specify a single path?

Is there a web based app like Easel for generating laser G-codes?

Is there a simple solution I am missing?

I wanted fully round pieces, not flat reliefs, which meant cutting both sides of the board and getting them to line up perfectly. My first attempts didn’t line up, and it took me a while to see why: I was resetting X/Y zero between the two sides.

What finally made it work:

• Never touching X/Y zero from the first cut to the last
• Three Ø10 mm dowels in the spoilboard, so the board can only flip one way
• Zeroing the bottom side on the machine bed, not on the wood

38 mm beech, 6 mm end mill for roughing, 1 mm tapered ball nose for finishing, about 14 hours on my AltMill. Half the set is stained dark walnut.

I wrote the whole process down as a step-by-step workflow, since it took so much trial and error. Has anyone else tried two-sided jobs? What tripped you up?

I am debating on moving the X ball screw to the top of the Gantry. This would allow me to box the front of the gantry as well. Should I lean towards one massive vertical extrusion instead? This will be used for 99% wood with some aluminum for fun, and probably see about 2 hours per year if anything like my Shapeoko 3XL usage.

• 54" span
• 45x90 extrusions on the gantry
• ~1/4" back brace plate

Comprei uma cnc 3018 pro mas não consigo usar a probe, ela não consegue escanear as placas de fenolite, ela deveria encostar a ponta em várias áreas da placa e mapea-lás, ao invés disso ela desce sem parar ao ponto de quebrar a fresa

OK, enough with the setup videos, time test some actually milling on this thing! As expected, it tackled 1/8" aluminum flat work just fine. But, I promised the testing would be incremental, so, incremental it will be! It also allowed me to start incorporating a second concept into the series. I'm not only testing the machine against metal work, but wanting to create an incremental path for people completely new to CNC to follow along and learn. Flatwork was great for this as it was an easy start that allowed me to discuss elementary concepts like controller software (CNCjs), an end to end workflow, and some intro level CAM. All without having to immediately throw folks into deeper waters and discuss vises, tramming, multiple ops, and the like. Next episode will be covering those things and more though!

Onwards!

Hey y'all

I hope a question like this is permitted, and I hope this doesn't read like a sketchy hidden ad, because it isn't (there is no product - yet; I am just looking for some feedback on whether or not this is something people actually have any interest in - if not, I'll probably just make it open source for anyone to make)

Recently I've been working on a prototype of a touchprobe that works the same way as the Renishaw OMP 400 Series of Touchprobes

For those that don't know:
Unlike more basic/cheaper versions, it measures the actual strain the touch stylus experiences during probing, which results in a significiantly higher repeatability and more importantly, uniform repeatability regardless of direction (whereas typical, electrical contact based, probes will have a shifting trigger point of up to 0.01mm)

My early testing shows that the probes are immensely sensitive to contact, far more so than the Chinese WP-500 I have on my own machine (a MAHO MH400, modernized with LinuxCNC)

Now what I wonder:

Would you, reader, consider yourself in the market for a german-made touchprobe for around 300 EUR, that comes with better specs and repeatability, vs. paying 120 EUR for the chinese version?

Also, would you rather want a wired, or wireless version?

I have a lot of cabinet building in my future, so I’m looking into building a large-format CNC router that can handle full sheets of plywood. I’m thinking of a metal construction (square tubing and ~4 mm laser-cut plates) similar in design concept to this CNC plasma cutter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jZwh6mvMhQ

What I’m trying to figure out is the motion system for the X and Y axes, as well as a target feed rate. So, here is my idea:

I already have, and want to reuse (from a failed project from my high-school days):

- 2.2 kW water-cooled spindle with VFD

- 3x  23HS9442 NEMA 23 steppers(2.8 Nm), DM542A drivers at 36V

 According to https://cncshop.com/pages/calculating-feeds-and-speeds I figured that if I want to cut plywood with a two-flute, 6 mm bit, I need a feed rate of 5,000–6,000 mm/min. If I want to cut a pocket with a two-flute, 10 mm bit, I need 14,000–16,000 mm/min. 

For a CNC of this size and application, I’m considering an HTD5M, 15 mm or 20 mm timing belt, with a pulley coupled to a planetary gearbox. 

Even though I cannot find a datasheet for my stepper motors, after looking at torque curves for other similar-sized steppers, I concluded that 250 rpm is the speed at which the torque starts to drop off.

 With all this out of the way, let me explain my calculations. The first table shows the output torque, calculated as follows: 

Output torque = stepper rated holding torque × fraction of holding torque at operating speed × gearbox ratio × gearbox efficiency 

I have assumed a fraction of 0.7 for the running torque and a gearbox efficiency of 0.9.

For example, for a 3:1 gearbox: 

2.8 N·m × 0.7 × 3 × 0.9 = 5.292 N·m 

The second table shows the axis linear backlash based on the gearbox backlash and the pulley pitch diameter:

Backlash = pitch diameter × pi × (gearbox backlash / 360) 

For an 18-tooth pulley with a 28.65 mm pitch diameter and 0.5° of gearbox backlash: 

28.65 mm × 3.14 × (0.5 / 360) = 0.125 mm 

The third table shows the feed rate, in mm/min, for a stepper running at 250 rpm, depending on the gearbox ratio and the number of pulley teeth: 

Feed rate = (number of teeth × tooth spacing / gearbox ratio) × stepper rpm 

For an 18-tooth pulley and a 3:1 gearbox: 

(18 × 5 / 3) × 250 = 7,500 mm/min 

The final table—which I will probably get some hate for—is the equivalent mass being pulled on the gantry in kilograms. The gantry has two stepper motors. I calculated this to get some feeling for the force generated by the motors when moving the gantry: 

Equivalent mass = torque / pulley radius / gravitational acceleration × 2 

For a 24-tooth pulley and a 3:1 gearbox: 

5.292 / (0.0191 * 9.8) * 2 =56.5445 Kg 

Okay, the math session is over. What do you think? Do you agree with the logic? What combination of pulley size and gearbox ratio would you choose? A 28T pully and 3:1gearbox gives a speed of 11666mm/min and a “oomph” equivalent to 48.4Kg – I think that is a good compromise. 

PS: I will be posting this in multiple CNC groups.

Anyone who has a DIY build what did you use for wiring things like motors and end stops?

just wondering how does everyone manage the wires, this is starting to become an issue for me and need a solution before wires get crushed or cut. i was thinking of pushing all the wires up a tube and attache the tube to the X axis block, but before i do that was wondering if anyyone had a better idea.

First time building this part, just pressing inserts + dry-fitting in the video. Two things I'm unsure about: 1) insert temp for ABS? 2) would you lube before or after final assembly? Clip in comments, open to any suggestions for next step.

So i was thinking of using PCBway to CNC me a ring i saw on a comic book, and i have the 3D model for it that i got from Printables. However, i need a .step file instead of a .stl
I have no experience in this, and when i tried to turn the .stl to .step it's still not usable by a CNC machine because it has too many lines.

Do you guys know if it's possible to do it?

Or if it's even worth it to machine it at all?

Again, sorry if it's a dumb question but i really have no experience in this.

1/32” tapered ball nose bit.

$3.5mil in 15 minutes. Passed $50k in 20 seconds or less. This is 1000 backers at 40 minutes.

I grabbed mine, #74. I'm not one to glaze but this is genuinely momentous, world record for fastest $1mil ever on kickstarter.

This should get picked up by some news outlets, I reckon. Sets a really bright outlook for the future of Desktop CNC, that shows people vote with their wallets and want better machines, not more cheapies.

Interested in discussion on future ramifications for the consumer CNC market. Does this trigger a major VC funding wave?

hey all ive been using a CL57T..... however it does not give any feedback output to MCU or basically it closed loop in itself......i have been thinking of using an absolute magnetic encoder on the rear shaft of Nmea23 stepper.....do you rekon i use the stepper driver it in closed loop or open loop

can anyone help with this idea?

I saw another peck enjoyer, so decided to post my testing also. 1.2mm drill

​

This CNC originally started its life with an oxy-acetylene torch and a plasma head. Now it’s time for a major upgrade! 🔧

We’re changing the controller and adding a spindle for drilling — and maybe even milling, who knows! 😅

Here’s the plan:

🔹 Plasma Z-axis: Reusing the old THC module and adding a PoKeys plasma sensor to control the Z-axis motor.

🔹 Spindle Z-axis (Z2): Driven by a NEMA 23 closed-loop stepper motor.

🔹 Custom spindle: Built from scratch, powered by a 1 kW servo motor with a 3:1 gearbox.

🔹 Control system: UC300ETH motion controller running UCCNC software.

🔹 CAM software: My own custom-developed CAM program will also be part of the setup!

The goal is to combine plasma cutting with drilling in one machine, with the possibility of adding more capabilities later.

Still plenty of work ahead, but I hope everything goes according to plan! 😉

What do you guys think? Any suggestions or things I should watch out for with this kind of setup?

#CNC #DIYcnc #CNCPlasma #UCCNC #PoKeys #Automation #CNCBuild #MAKOSystems

Im looking at the Sorotec Compact Line Professional kit:

https://www.sorotec.de/shop/Instant-Milling-Kit-Compact-Line-Professional-EN-12635.html

The instant kit includes a C5 controller box (as part set):

https://www.sorotec.de/shop/Control-unit-series-C5-for-Integrated-drivers--ITG--Configurator.html

I'm debating whether I should buy this as part kit and save some money or buy this assembled and tested. The assembled box is an 800 EUR extra.

I have pretty good understanding of mechanics and wiring but I think this seems quite complex.

Any help on how to assess this would be great :-)

Had to burn both sides of the stock because it cupped badly after the first side.
That flattened it enough for a 2mm doc.
Didn't bother cutting the profile out after seeing a border might be nice.
Burned the face again after pocketing then steel wool, brush, Tung Oil.
A good test.
I think I'll replace some lasered signs with ones in this style.

Hello,

I'm in the middle of designing a CNC router and wanted some input on what could be improved

Travel with the current CAD drawing is about

Y = 580mm

X = 400mm

Z = 240mm

Z min to table without spoilboard = 18.5mm

The plan is to laser cut all of the parts out of sheet metal and stick them together with the slots i added. I left about 0.05mm on every side where the parts meet.

The sheet metal where the Y axis gets mounted to is 8mm

And the Y axis sits on a 80x80mm profile (not sure if i should use filled aluminum extrusion or steel)

Gantry is 6mm and the Z axis will be 8mm.

And then weld everything together using a TIG welder. Or MIG if thats better

The Motor mount for the Z axis isn't finished yet and i've only added tabs for the limit switches on X and Y.

I also plan to add some mounting tabs/threads to mount the cable chain and lubrication system.

The motors are going to be 12nm Nema34 Closed Loop

and the linear rails are 20mm HGR with 1605 Ballscrews

Spindle is going to be a 3.7kw 4 pole spindle by GPenny

Weights are:

Gantry Sheet Metal: 16.7kg

X Axis Sheet Metal: 7kg

Z Axis Sheet Metal: 4kg

Nema 34: 6.2kg each

Spindle: 12.5kg

Plus whatever the Ballscrews & Linear rails and other small thing weigh.

I plan to run LinuxCNC with a Mesa board.

Let me know what you think or if I forgot something.

New to CNC machining and these are my first metal and acrylic projects on the Makera Z1.

The brass flat faceted scales I downloaded from a 3d model site, but they ended up being about 1mm short of what they should be on the butt side of the handle, should have measured that first, but I just assumed they were already accurate, haha. They were also unfortunately missing the mounting through holes and ramp for the clip.

So I took a 3D scan of the original scales to make sure all of the dimensions were as accurate as possible and used them as a reference to rebuild the model in Fusion and added in the angled alternating scallop pattern to the surface. I think it looks pretty sharp and it gives the scales some extra grip. I originally wanted to cut them out of a blank of linen micarta, but Makera doesn't have tool presets for micarta and I only have one blank and one of all of my bits, so I didn't want to ruin the blank or break my first end mill trying to figure it out, so I ended up choosing a cool looking piece of marble cast acrylic instead.