Computer Controlled Machining

This week's focus was on creating a large scale project using the CNC router. Personally, I found the experience intriguing as I had never designed something of this scale before. Additionally, it was interesting to learn about and work with a new machine during this week's activities.

The design

Initially, I was uncertain about what project to pursue. Browsing through Pinterest, I stumbled upon a design resembling a nightstand table, which aligned perfectly with the aesthetic I envisioned. As you can see, it's an assembly, and in this case, it doesn't require any glue or additional fasteners to join the parts together.

Now, for the design itself, it consists of four parts, with the following quantities for each piece, consult the table below. You can find the files of the desings at the end of the page.

After creating the designs, save each of them as DXF files. Then, arrange all the DXF files onto a single sheet. I used a 2.44 m x 1.22 m x 15 mm MDF panel for this purpose, creating a border of this size to accommodate all the designs.

For merge the dxf files there are several ways to accomplish this, but I personally used a software called Deepnest.io, which is a very useful tool for consolidating DXF files onto one sheet. The software is intuitive to use, with clear and concise options accessible from a gear icon in the menu.

Important: If you designed your pieces in SolidWorks, there's an important consideration when exporting DXF files. SolidWorks exports DXF files as open vectors, meaning that the vectors are not joined. This can lead to issues with duplicate vectors in the VCarve software. Therefore, before importing the DXF files into Deepnest, it's crucial to join the vectors to avoid potential problems during the machining process.

Upon selecting the desired settings, you can import your DXF files and specify the quantity of each design, while also viewing their dimensions. Once you have all the necessary pieces arranged, define the sheet dimensions by drawing a rectangle with the desired width and height, then mark it as a sheet.

Finally, click the "start nest" option to see how the software optimally arranges all the designs on the sheet.

When you open VCarve Pro software, you'll encounter a material configuration menu on the left sidebar. In this menu, you can manage various aspects of your job, including selecting the appropriate job type, specifying the dimensions of your material, setting the Z zero position for depth reference, choosing the XY origin position for coordinate reference, adjusting the scale of your design if necessary, defining model resolution, and customizing the appearance of your design within the software interface.

For this particular case, the last three options (model resolution, scaled data, and appearance) are not utilized. The primary focus is on entering the dimensions of the material, which, as previously mentioned, are 2.44 meters x 1.22 meters x 15 millimeters. Once these dimensions are inputted, you can proceed to select the appropriate options as I have done.

From there, import your DXF file using the command CTRL + I. For parts that will be used in an assembly, it's necessary to add dogbones or t-bones to ensure proper fitting once cut. This option is located in the left sidebar menu named "Chamfer." Here, you can select the t-bones and dogbones as needed.

Once you have all the pieces with the necessary t-bones and dogbones, select all the pieces and open the menu on the right side. From this menu, you can give instructions for the machine to understand.

In this case, the main option needed is the "Profile" option, as the pieces required only external cuts. Clicking on the "Profile" option will open a new window where you can select the depth of the cut and specify whether the cut is to be made inside or outside the profile.

Additionally, you can select the type of tool that will be used. In this case, a 1/4-inch tool is selected. It's also important to add tabs to prevent the piece from moving due to vibration, ensuring that the final product turns out as planned.

Now that you have exported the file to the machine you prefer, in my case, the Asia, save it to a USB drive. Then, go to the CNC machine, turn it on, and insert the USB drive into the USB port.

Before starting any machining, ensure that the machine is clean and that the sheet material is correctly positioned and securely clamped with metal clamps. Then, move the machine to the bottom left side of the sheet using the control panel, which controls the x, y, and z-axis movements.

Once you are close enough to the sheet, press 1 on the control panel to make the movement slower. Then, as you approach the sheet, press the shift key to enter a stepping move, allowing for even slower movement. Continue moving downward until the machine barely touches the sheet.

From there, press the red button on the control panel and navigate to the second option to locate your file on the USB drive. Select the file and press okay, then press 3. Press the red button again and select the first option to ensure that the machine runs from the file stored on the machine itself rather than the USB drive. This precaution prevents cutting process failures if the USB drive malfunctions.

With the file selected, press 1 on the control panel and then press the green button to start the cutting process. Initially, keep the machine at 50% speed. Once cutting begins, you can increase the speed to 100%. Finally, wait patiently until the machine completes the cutting process.

Now its time to assembly, once you have all the respective pieces follow this diagram of the piece in a explosion view for reference, and it should turn out like this.

Group assignment

This week's assignment focused on familiarizing ourselves with CNC machines, emphasizing safety requirements, understanding the various types of CNC machines available, and exploring the materials compatible with CNC machining. We learned about the operational principles of CNC machines, ensuring safety protocols are followed during operation. Visit the group assignment page by Clicking here for more details.

Files

• Table parts and dxf