CNC machining for miniatures

[mangozac]

[blind pig]

Thanks.

I will have a look at Inkscape when I'm not so bloody tired. This whole work shenannigans is bad news

I bought Corel Draw off eBay for bugger all. So I'm not too worried about it and will stick it on my computer and have a play.

[Lane]

[mangozac]

You know what? I'd have to be a fool to ignore your advice a third time! I just ordered it from - should arrive before I get my machine up and running!

[mangozac]

Woohoo my machine arrived! On first inspection it seems to have survived shipping in one piece. I'll start a new thread and post pics tonight!

[blind pig]

Very good news!

(And it isn't Friday!)

On my front, I have ordered that Laser.
I also bought of eBay a 2000W power converter to take our Australian 220V to 110V USA plug and power ($32 thanks muchly). I also bought of eBay ($6) a fish tank pump with the same rating as the pump that is supplied with the laser cutter. Using a separately powered pump means I don't have to use one of the two USA power points that are on the back of the laser cutter, reducing the Amps that it will draw and hopefully increasing the life of the machine.

I was reading on the CNC Forum that many people have used an airbrush compressor to provide the air assist to blow the scarf away from the laser cutting surface and reduce the risk of fire, as the one provided with the machine is noisy and has a tendency to wear out quickly.

On that note, I must remember to buy a CO2 fire extinguisher.

[mangozac]

I'd be surprised if the fish tank pump drew that much power to warrant replacement, but I suppose it doesn't hurt. All of that fire risk stuff is a bit wild though! Wouldn't blowing air onto it increase the fire risk in some ways (increased oxygen)?

[blind pig]

Dunno.

According to the instruction PDF that comes from their website, they recommend not plugging their own pump into the plugs in the back of their machine, as it draws too much current.

Me buying an Australian pump bypasses all those problems with a simple solution. How to stop stuff from growing in the coolant water between uses will be a hassle. I'll probably have to decant it and leave it in the fridge.

The fire risk is apparently a real one. The air assist only comes on when the laser is in operation and "blows out" any flare-up of flame when it occurs. It also keeps the scarf from hitting the laser lens and dirtying or damaging it

[blind pig]

One thing I will be changing is the addition of a stepper motor to adjust the build platform height.

[mangozac]

[blind pig]

So you can engrave or cut thicker stuff or even lower it all the way down and put in a 4th (rotational)axis for engraving on things like glass.

You also need to focus the laser by raising or lowering the platform a few 1/100th", and there is a wheel underneath to do that. I'd like to be able to put a stepper motor in there and do it with a jog switch.

[mangozac]

Aha ok - I thought that the focusing was built into the gantry.

[mangozac]

Check this out: . The surface finish isn't perfect but it seems to give nice results. A standard CNC router could be converted to do this fairly easily. The only downside is that apparently the UV curing adhesive goo used is fairly expensive...

[amph]

Hey!!!!

Just thinking in buy a cnc machine for my art toys business.

Mangozac, are u using the cnc that u purchased???

I'm really thinking in buy the new Imodela from roland:

http://www.rolanddg.com/news/nr111005_im-01.html

It have an amazing resolution, but the workspace is small.


I want to know if u have been succesful with you machine!

CHEERS FROM SPAIN !!!

[mangozac]

Hi Amph, welcome to RA!

Yes, I have been gradually using my CNC router more and more, however only really for cutting out 2D shapes plastic sheet, as you can see here: . I have done some very limited 3D stuff, but it isn't easy. There's lots of things that can go wrong (especially when using open source tools to generate the toolpath) and it is very slow.

The Roland iModela does indeed seem very impressive, and very well priced! The maximum build size of 86 × 55 × 26 mm certainly isn't very big, but remember you can always break the model up into smaller parts to be glued together if you need to make something bigger. The biggest advantage is that it's a "closed system" - Roland provide all of the software and everything you need to make it work optimally and quickly.

Will you be casting resin copies from parts mastered from the iModela?

For others reading this, check it out: And here's a sample of the kind of level of detail and finish that can be achieved:

If I didn't already have my router I would buy one of these tomorrow! Actually the more I read about it the more I want one to sit on my desk at home (my CNC router is setup in my workshop at work). Seriously Amph, if you can afford it this really seems to be the way to go!

There is a very good discussion of the iM-01