CNC Router
Contents |
History
Inspire
Hi! My name is Nolan Miller and I was the project leader for the CNC project. From an early age I would tinker with things in my garage. My inventions were entertaining to me but never that impressive because I didn’t have the resources to build anything really cool. A couple years ago I designed a CNC router but I wasn’t able to make it because I didn’t have the money, space or tools necessary. I had mostly given up on my goal to make a CNC router when I learned about StudentRND. At the end of my junior year of high school they brought a surface computer they had made into my physics class and talked about what StudentRND was. It sounded like a fantastic organization and I immediately wanted to become involved any way I could. It occurred to me that my CNC router idea might be the sort of project StudentRND would support, so I submitted a project proposal and started planning the project.
My project was accepted and over the summer I worked on it at StudentRND. Besides funding the project, StudentRND provided a space to work and a community of students who were willing and able to help out on the project.
Create
A CNC wood router is a Numerical control tool that creates objects from wood. Parts of a project can be designed in the computer with a CAD/CAM program, and then cut automatically using a router to produce a finished part.
The CNC router works like a printer. Work is composed on a computer and then the design or drawing is sent to the CNC router for the hard copy. This outputs a 3-dimensional copy of the work. The CNC router uses a cutting tool instead of an ink jet. The cutting tool is generally a router but other cutters can be used as well.
The CNC works on the Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, Z) for 3D motion control. CNC stands for computer numerical control. This gives the computer a printer-like ability to drive a CNC machine to make parts.
The CNC Router is great for hobbies, engineering prototyping, product development, art, robotic education, and production work.
Via Wikipedia [1]
Learn
Over the course of the four months it took to complete the project, I gained the technical knowledge to run the CNC as well as the general knowledge to run a project. I learned how to trouble shoot complicated machinery, but more importantly, I learned how to motivate and manage a team.
StudentRND gave me amazing experience working in a real work environment (and gave me something to write about on my college applications). I look forward to working and hopefully running more projects at StudentRND and I am extremely grateful for the opportunities StudentRND has offered me.
Operation
To export an stl from sketchup
select the "export to DXF or STL" option from the "Tools" drop down menu
select "Yes":
select "milimeters":
select "stl":
name you file (make sure the extension is .stl):
Opening an stl in pycam and exporting G-Code
open pycam.exe and select "Open" from the "File" drop down menu navigate to and open your premade .stl
select the following settings appropriate for cutting tool and material
select the following settings appropriate for desired cutting process
generate the g-code with the previously selected settings
eport and save the file created by pycam as a .txt
(this is the file containing the G-code which Mach3 can directly run)
Running g-code with mach3
open the "mymill" mach3.exe shortcut on the desktop
physically flip the switch on the controller box which is to the left of the computer
DO NOT UNPLUG ANY OF THE STEPPER MOTORS NOW WHILE THIS BOX IS ON!!! IT WILL DESTROY THE EXPENSIVE BOARD!!!
press tab to enable joggin of the router
use the arrows on screen to move the router to the bottom left corner of the piece you are trying to cut
Zero the X and Y axis
lower the Z axis to the depth of the part (the height of the model that you are using) and zero the Z axis
manually raise the Z axis to above the level of the block you are cutting
select the import g-code option from the file drop down menu
select your .txt g-code file and open it
make sure all of the cuts are within the bounds of the cutter
make sure the bit is tightly secured in the router chuck
power up the router (by physically turning the switch on the router)
put on ear protection
select cycle start
vacuum excess dust as it collects
when the cycle is done, turn of the router and remove your part you may have to jog the router away so that the part can be removed
turn off the controller box
DONE
