CNC - First Try at Engraving

RE: CNC - First Try at Engraving

clem57 — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 00:36:15 GMT

[mention:dc11ece8204f479e8dce2a47a33b20d3:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05] nice blog. It looks fine to me, but a little buffing may help.

RE: CNC - First Try at Engraving

Fred27 — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 12:44:16 GMT

I hope I'm stating the obvious, but please be really careful adding a laser. Get the correct eye protection, etc. Don't make me show you the hole I burnt in the back of my hand!

RE: CNC - First Try at Engraving

DAB — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 18:54:56 GMT

Not bad for first try.

You can experiment with different fonts.

Some of the softer fonts give you a smoother cut in addition to some of the other bits.

DAB

RE: CNC - First Try at Engraving

14rhb — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 13:30:40 GMT

That is really impressive work Ralph, well done. I'd be keen to make a similar setup.

I've used wood routers before (the 1/4" and 1/2" chuck versions) but never any CNC of wood.

The cut is rough around the edges.

7000rpm is a little on the low side IMO for cleanly cutting timber fibres, although I note you can only get to 9000rpm with your motor. Wood routers cut at up to 24,000rpm

Next try will be to use an endmill instead of the v-bit.

I think the V is the better choice and the endmill would likely splinter the edges even more. Perhaps taking several successively deeper cuts with a V tool would give cleaner edges?

It is strange how the vertical cut for the 'E' is so torn whilst very close by the 'l' is not. I do know that some wood types have great variation in grain direction and consistency. Perhaps Birch is one of those awkward types? Manufacturers probably don't put the best wood into ply either. Lastly you mention the bed flatness but perhaps the grain was raised on the torn area: you could try sanding the surface nice and smooth prior to engraving?

RE: CNC - First Try at Engraving

Fred27 — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 07:30:50 GMT

That looks good for a first attempt. As you've probably guessed, using an endmill prevents the cut width varying with depth. One thing to be careful of is that endmills do not cut well going straight down (like a drill would). You'll probably be ok with soft wood bit not on anything harder. Some CAM program will allow you to ramp down into the material.

Another tip if you're unsure of settings is to do an "air cut" before you cut properly - set your Z zero deliberately too high and watch the toolpath and speed before committing to a proper cut.

RE: CNC - First Try at Engraving

shabaz — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 06:16:11 GMT

Hi Ralph,

That's a great start, it is already looking nice! Looking forward to seeing the enhancements as you progress. It will take time to be familiar with the capabilities and settings with different materials too.

My work is progressing slowly : ( Yesterday I purchased a couple of lasers, a small laser-pointer type module, to use it to see the area where the future tool will do its work, and a basic (cheap) diode laser to maybe try laser engraving first, since I don't have the mechanics for any spindle system experimentation yet. For that initial test I'm trying to keep costs low, so I don't mind if it doesn't perform very well or for very long, just hopefully enough to help me work on the interface board.