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Plasma cutting

Except from the heat press, the plasma machine was the only machine I haven't experimented with at our FabLab.

I wanted to make metal prints for another rocket engine project logo (pjahead.com) that I am working on. I made a spiral to represent a Galaxy with SolidWorks

I saved a DGW and sent it into Illustrator to couple it with Our logo "AHEAD" designed as a rocket to represent a ship exploring galaxies.

when we took it to Aspiver software to setup for the machine, we found that we didn't make enough room for the machine kerfs

I do my vector designs with Adobe illustrator.

I saved DXF files to import in Aspire software. Aspire is a CAD software that best described to me as to me as V-Carve for plasma machines.

The machine we have has a kerf of 3 milllimiters from test cuts we did on it. So I had t midify my files quite a number of times, to cut out satisfying results of my design.

3-axis milling

Everytime we went to the plasma cutter it bugged, the jet of plasma wouldn't come out. and eventual even the nozzle broke. So, we opted to using the CNC wood cutter, and cut 3D objects with it, which we never did before, and since we had no other machine at our Fab Lab that I had never used.

I took the same design, but this time just the Favicon, and inserted in SolidWorks as a DWG file to create a sketch from it.

Illustrator file Here and DGW file Here

I extruded the A latter and gave it base. Both of them gave fillets to make it a fully 3D shape vs 2.5D.

Then I I exported an STL that I took to VCarve to satrt woking with.

SolidWorks file and STL file

You go into file>Import>import 3D Model

Then I created a tool path to first do the roughing of the design from MDF based on the 6mm End mill we have, and I left on default settings. Then previewed it before saving the toolpath, and it was good.

I ran it and it came out pretty good.

Next was to make a finishing tool path to smoothen its surface. We are using a 90degrees v-bit (you might have a different one). The Final stepover that worked well was 8% and the clearance stepover was 20%.

Then I ran a preview to take look before saving the toolpath file. it was good enough.

I sent to the machine to print (it's a shopbot).

afterwards I made a profile cut out for the piece then removed it. This was also with the 6mm end mill, but with a different cut depth: 18.2mm (my MDF is 18mm). And It came out pretty good.