• Home
• Assignments
• Project

14.Wildcard Week:

13-05-2021 | Jai Hanani

1. Objectives:

2. Assignment:

Design and produce something with a digital fabrication process (incorporating computer-aided design and manufacturing) not covered in another assignment, documenting the requirements that your assignment meets, and including everything necessary to reproduce it.

3. Files:

1. DXF
2. Parametric Box Without Lid
3. Parametric Box With Lid

4. Tools

1. Fusion 360 Sheet-Metal
2. Zund

Introduction:

1. I will be designing something using SHEET-METAL tools in Fusion 360, and cut and crease it using ZUND.
2. I am going to make a parametric cardboard box, with lid and without lid. I will use it to carry my PCBs around.

Zund G-3 L-2500:

3. Specifications: Repeatability +/- 0.03 mm, position accuracy +/- 0.1 mm/m, working area 1800 mm x 2500 mm, high speed router 3.6kW 50,000 rpm
4. Applications: A range of modules provide the capability to cut, score, crease and mill. Use cases include origami/kirigami for rapid cutting-and-folding of structures with tunable properties, two sided milling for press fit furniture and cutting of carbon fiber, fabric for composite lay ups.
5. The ZUND is modular cutting system that can be adapted and used to cut, route and draw on a range of materials. With interchangeable modules, tools and blades, the ZUND can be configured to cut vinyl, fabric, leather, cardboard, foam core, rubber and many more!
6. Software Needed: Zund Cut-Center
7. Tools:
   • Cutting:
     • 1. Electric Oscillating Tool – EOT
     • 2. Power Rotary Tool – PRT
     • 3. Electric Oscillating Tool – EOT-250
     • 4. Driven Rotary Tool – DRT
     • 5. Pneumatic Oscillating Tool – POT
     • 6. Wheel Knife Tool – WKT
     • 7. Universal Cutting Tool – UCT
     • 8. Passepartout Tool – PPT
     • 9. Scoring Cutting Tool – SCT
     • 10. Laser Module – LM 100W
     • 11. V-Cut Tool – VCT
   • Kiss-Cutting
     • 1. Kiss-Cut Module – KCM-S
     • 2. Kiss-Cut Tool – KCT
   • Creasing:
     • 1. Creasing Tool Type 1 – CTT1
     • 2. Creasing Tool Type 2 – CTT2
     • 3. Creasing Tool Type 3 – CTT3
   • Perforating:
     • 1. Perforating Tool Type 1 – PTT1
   • Routing & engraving
     • 1. Universal Routing Tool – URT
     • 2. Automatic Router Bit Changer – ARC
   • Punching
     • 1. Punch Modules – PUM
   • Marking & plotting
     • 1. Marker Modules – MAM
     • 2. Universal Drawing Tool – UDT
     • 3. Raster Braille Tool – RBT

8. Controls

   
   

   The console directly controls the cutter without going through the software. The console is used primarily for performing tool changes, turning the machine on/off and switching between online and offline mode. The gantry can be manually controlled by the travel keys and moved rapidly by holding the 'shift' key.

   The Vacuum can be toggled on and off by pressing the 'shift' key and 'VAC' key. Pressing any of the travel keys of 'STOP' during a cutting operation will pause the job and raise the tool until the 'Online' button is pressed, resuming the job.

9. Light Barriers & Emergency Stop

   The Zund has safety features to prevent injury during operation. The main feature is a series of 'light barriers' that are projected from one end of the gantry to the other on the front and back side of the cutter. If these beams are broken by someone reaching into the operating area, or if a piece of stock lifts up unexpectedly, the cutter will immediately stop operation. To continue the operation after everything is cleared from the table, press 'OK' then 'Online' to continue the cut from where it stopped.

   While the light barriers are a soft stop, the red emergency stop buttons are a hard stop. When the emergency stop is pressed the operation immediately stops, cancels the current job and disengages the tools. To continue from an emergency stop the button must be twisted to be released, then follow the instructions on screen. The tools will re-engage and require initialisation and the job will need to be restarted from the PC.

   If something begins to go wrong during the cut, such as the stock moves unexpectedly, the operation can be paused by pressing any of the grey directional buttons on the console or 'online'. The job can then be resumed by pressing 'online' once the issue is resolved.

10. Navigating Cut Center:

    
    
    • Rotate, Scale, Offset and Mirror - allows adjustments to the objects before cutting
    • Interactive Mode - Zund must be 'online' to activate interactive mode. Can control placement of cutters and set reference points from computer.
    • Vacuum Power - Adjusts vacuum strength and can turn vacuum on/off.
    • Simulations - Starts a simulation of job before it cuts/draws. Used to check material placement and ensure tool paths are correct

11. Operation Parameters within Cut Center:

    
    
    • 1. Method: The type of operation to be performed. Each material has a set of available operations depending on its characteristics.
    • 2. Name: What the layer will appear as on the right hand side of the screen.
    Color: The color the layer will render as on the screen.
    • 3. Line type: Whether the operation will perform along a solid, dotted, or dashed line.
    • 4. Cutting mode: Always set to standard.
    • 5. Tool selection: Drop down menu will allow the selection of the tool to be used during the operation, if multiple are allowed.
    • 6. Tool insert selection: Select the tool insert (blade or bit) to be used during the operation.
    • 7. Initialization: Where the tool will register height from. Alway set to base.
    • 8. Clearing distance: How high above the top of the material the tool will retract to travel. Does not need to be adjusted from default.
    • 9. Material thickness: Current thickness of the material. Cannot be altered through this window, needs to be set in the material selection window.
    • 10. Base depth: How deep relative to the table the material will cut. Should never be more than +/-.005. Adjust in small increments (+/-.002) if blade is not cutting all the way through the stock.
    • 11. Multi. pass max. depth: The most stepdown the router will perform on a single layer. Should not exceed .0500in.
    • 12. Multi. pass last depth: The depth of the final routing layer. If using bridges, should be at least .0200in, as bridges are formed from this layer.
    13. Machining depth: The specified depth for engraving operations.
    • 14. Score depth: The specified depth of a score, either in inches or percentage of material thickness.
    • 15. Acceleration, tool lowered: The maximum acceleration the tool will travel while cutting the material, from 1-4.
    Speed, tool lowered: The maximum speed the tool will travel while cutting the material. Slow down for a cleaner cut in most materials.

Design:

I am designing a parametric packaging box made with cardboard. I want to make 2 version, with a top-lid and without a top-lid.

12. Open Sheet-Metal in Fusion 360
13. Click on Modify > Sheet-Metal Rules
14. Create a new rule by clicking on the "add" symbol.
15. K-Factor: Image result for what is the k factor in sheet metal K factor is a ratio between the distance from the neutral bend line to the inside bend radius and the material thickness.
16. Since I am going to crease cardboard, to approximate that, I am going to put k-factor to '0'.
17. Bend Conditions:
18. Bend radius should be close to '0' to approximate cardboard creasing.
19. Corner Conditions:
20. Parameters:
21. Make a rectangle with "length" and "width" parameters.
22. We will be using Create > Flange a lot.
23. Click on Flange, and Click on the rectangle. It will extrude itself.
24. Click on Flange, and Click on two edges, and put-in the Height as "height"
25. Go here. To understand more about 'Height Datum' and 'Bend Position' options.
26. Take the top-edge of one side, and flange it out. Height should be atleast 2 * Thickness.
27. Draw 2 rectangles equidistant from each other with length "length/5" and width "thickness + 0.20". Those rectangles should be in 7.8mm distance from the side[This 7.8mm comes from previous step. ]
28. Extrude those rectangles down.
29. Take the edge shown in the figure, and flange it to the bottom. Do not flange completely to the bottom. We never want to join things in sheet-metal.
30. Flange on of the rectangles like so: Remember to keep 0.20mm offset from either side, for a good fit.
31. Do the same with other rectangle:
32. Mirror everything to the other side.
33. Pick a frontal edge, and flange it to the top:
34. Pick one-side of the previously flanged edge, and pull it inside into the slot. Like so: Do the same to the other side.
35. Mirror all these to the back:
36. Pick the top-edge from the back, and flange it all the way to the front face.
37. Pull-it down, like so:
38. Flange that edge, till the start of the slot:
39. Take that inner edge, and pull it inside the slot:
40. Using unfold pattern, unfold that particular flap. Filled it. Fold it back.
41. Flange that edge down to the bottom.
42. Mirror it.
43. Unfolded. This means, everything's well.
44. Fillet the edges.
45. Make an extrusion there, for good sealing of the box.
46. Flange that edge in.
47. Fillet that face.

Parametricity:

48. • 200 X 200 X 80:
    • 200 X 300 X 60:
    • 390 X 100 X 80:
    • 390 X 200 X 60:
    • 390 X 200 X 80:
    • 400 X 300 X 60:

Parametricity, without Lid:

49. • 200 X 200 X 80:
    • 200 X 300 X 60:
    • 390 X 100 X 80:
    • 390 X 200 X 60:
    • 390 X 200 X 80:
    • 400 X 300 X 60:

50. Final DXF:

    
    
    DXF

51. Fabrication:

    Since, this is a very costly machine. Bulk of this process is done by my instructor. I will write down what I remember.

    • Import the .DXF file 1:1 scale.
    
    • There are two main attributes in my design: Cut and Crease.
    • Select the lines you want to crease. Right click and select change method >> new method and select method attributes, and select crease.
    • Group them.
    • Do the same with lines you want to cut.
    
    • Next, you will have to home positioning. My home is at bottom-right.
    • Hit the send button.
    • Then, you will be redirected to Cut Queue. Choose you file. Then, you will be redirected to Cut Center.
    • You will be prompted to choose the material. My design is based on 3.3mm thick B flute cardboard.
    • For tool selection, I chose "Drag Knife" for cutting, and the tool must be 0.1mm above the bed.
    • For "Creasing", I chose CTT, and the clearing distance is 5mm. Clearing distance is the distance of the crease-wheel's center from the corner. It is set up to reduce unnecessary crease.
    • Similarly, Crease Depth along flute[Parallel to the Zigzag Structure] is given, and also Crease Depth against flute[ Perpendicular to the Zigzag] is given. Here, the depth along flute is lesser than against because, if the depth is high on along flute, it might break the outer layer of the cardboard if it falls on the down part of the flute. And, if the depth against flute is less, then it might be very hard to bend the cardboard after the process is done.
    • Make sure that the operation is in order. First crease and then cut.
    • Set the vaccum pressure for your material. Try to use flat material, without any bulges.
    
    • Set the vaccum pressure equal to the required clamping force. Equate it to 4[General Value] and try to move the material. If it is not easy to move, you are good to go. But if it moves easily, increase the vacuum pressure
    • You can start the simulation process now.

Product:



Putting it to use: