DIY CNC Cutter

[Foamie Dave]

Just thought I'd share this one with one after creating a bit of interest on another thread

 

Ive been after a little CNC machine for ages but unfortunately could never justify the expence .....I was told  food, warmth and roof over our heads always came first (no fun some people)

Anyway heres the Phlatprinter...the flatpack kit of CNC machines !

 

Designed by Mark and Trish Carew from Philly USA,  its builds in a few days and you have yer own budget 3 axis CNC cutter. It'll cut all types of foam, and with minimal tweakings, balsa, litepy and no-doubt most other lightweight materials.  The cuting head is a Dremel router, and having a roller on one axis makes it compact (no oversize cutting bed) with no limit to the length of cut in that axis.

 

Using Mach 3 software to drive it,  you basically import your drawings (dxf/ dwg / pdf etc) into Google's Freeby  Sketchup program , then using a "Phlatscript"  G-Code plugin,  the output cnc file drives the machine.

 

a few pics here in the album

 

 

Edited By Foamie Dave on 13/04/2009 10:29:27

[Foamie Dave]

[Klippy]

Hi Dave, thanks for saving my rear end, I did kind of highjack Peters thread! Thanks for the PM I've e-mailed Mark with my other questions. Would you like me to forward his answers.

 

Best regards

[Ralph Yeates]

Dave is there a link for this kit and what sort of price?

regards Ralph

[Foamie Dave]

lol...no prob Tony. If you could let me know about the lazer mod that would be great. Either PM me or  stick it on this thread if it makes interesting reading..cheers !!

 

Hi Ralph, I got lucky and managed to get first refusal on a kit that had just been imported  so didnt have pay any import duty or shipping charges. The carriage charge doubles the price of the kit unfortunately but it does weight quite a bit .One box  with the  rollers , worm thread etc etc etc arrives direct from the workshop whilst tyhe cabinet gets shipped from another factory. All arrives within a day or so of each other .

 

The kit is available from http://www.phlatboyz.com or theres a huge thread over on RCGroups with lots more info, just hit this link to RCGroups .

 

I'd be tempted to check the phlatboyz site for the pricing as it can change with the dollar fluctuations etc. Again I saved a bit of money by getting the stepper motors, driver boards and breakout card  from here in the UK , again avoiding carriage and import duty...who me ...cheap ??

 

The build guide is a series of  about forty  5 minute videos, very easy to follow  even if you've absolutely zero knowlenge of electronics or carpentry . I think all I needed was a screwdriver and some PVA glue 

 

[Klippy]

Hi Ralph, currently US$418 plus US$260 shipping, ouch!

 

Best regards

[Tim Mackey]

Hi Dave, thanks for all the info - however the link to UK supplier for bits is broken - was it Farnell or RS perhaps ?

Edited By Timbo - Moderator on 13/04/2009 19:35:59

[Foamie Dave]

ooops well spotted Timbo..a bit hasty with the copy and paste

here we go try this one .

I ended up using "Kit EX23-4  " for the motors , breakout board and stepper drivers   as it worked out cheaper than buying them individually (and came recommended by Si Mills whos' a bit of a wizkid  on these things)

Edited By Foamie Dave on 13/04/2009 20:17:40

[Foamie Dave]

Peter (regarding your Q from the other thread),  a rough guide to the cost is:

 

$468 (£300) for the Phlat-Premium Kit. This  contains everything needed to build the Phlatprinter excluding the electronics (electronics = stepper motors, driver board, parallel cable, and power supply) and the glue

The electronics will set you back another £180-ish if you source from the UK

 

So a very ballpark figure for the cost  is around £500 plus whatever postage or import duty you have to pay on shipping the overseas parts (I reckon this could add another £200)

 

Like you say its not dirt cheap but I still think you'll be hard pressed to make your own for that kind of figure.

[Peter 'Ivanna Crashalot' Savage]

I still think that is a bit much, why not take apart an old printer, either just attach the dremel to that or steal the stepper motors and driver from it and make your own, i think i will pass on this

[Tim Mackey]

Funny that... i was only thinking just last night that maybe an inkjt printer could be utilised if only for its stepper motors and the odd guide rail etc - even new ones are dirt cheap these days !

[Klippy]

Hi Dave, have ordered a Mk 1, lets face it, you can always set the thing running and slope off for a cuppa!

Mark said this;

Is the Mk 2 really $400 better than the Mk 1 for hobby purposes?  Well, the MKII is better in a lot of ways.  As you know, it's quicker, it can cut wider and it is more powerful, etc. and in our opinion, well worth the extra cost.  But, just for a hobbyist, it really depends on what you are after features wise.  The MK II takes it up several notches but the original Phlatprinter is fully capable of the same results at a slower pace.  If you are just wanting to kick around and cut out your own planes once in a while, then the original Phlatprinter would do you just fine.  On average, it gets about 20" per minute.  One thing that we have been noticing on the Phlatforum, is most people once they build their Phlatprinter and start cutting with it, after a while they want more speed and power.  The MKII delivers that speed and power right from the start.

I just love this guys honesty, most sellers would just hype up the more expensive version!

For interest, the Mk 1 answers are as follows

Gape (max thickness of material) 2" (50.8mm)

Maximum depth of cut 1.75" (44.45mm)

Resolution on the coarsest setting 200 steps/rev

I don't know what the pitch of the lead screw is, but I get the feeling that it's a commercial rolled thread of standard pitch, say 12tpi. This means at the coarsest setting, 1 step of the motor = .00042" !! Not enough to matter!

Backlash is compensated for in the software, but Mark doesn't think it's necessary for hobby purposes. My 10c is, if you've got flats on the sides of your circles, look at your backlash settings!

Now I have to wait for mine to arrive, 6 weeks if I'm lucky, thanks to the ultra slow pace of the South African post office!

[Foamie Dave]

Nice one Tony, cheers for posting.

 

Hopefully Im going to spend some time tweaking the settings on mine over weekend but I dont think ill need to much as its already performing way better than I'd hoped.

 

Im on 20ips  which Im more than happy with. By the time I nip off to made a cup of coffee its usually  finished cutting. The quality of the routing using even a basic "chipbreaker" bit  is great  so Im definately a happy bunny

 

Just need to buy some more foam !!

 

[Klippy]

Hi there, purchase confirmed and in the post, these guys are quick! Now the long wait begins! Hopefully my new workshop will be finished before it arrives, I've only been building it for 8 months now!

[Foamie Dave]

Yep , they dont mess about

 

Are you going for lazer or starting with a standard routing bit ??

 

Just got a message from Si that he's been cutting some fiberglass motor mounts on his and theyrve come out really nice . Ill try and get a picture up as soon as I get one

[Klippy]

I'm going to start with the Dremel and work from there. One of the problems is actualy finding an industrial cutting laser to fit. Must admit I haven't tried very hard yet.

[Foamie Dave]

Ive just been browsing through YouTube and theres some nice DIY lazer heads using a DVD burner  if you fancy saving a few bucks. Not shure on how powerful they are in regards cutting balsa and ply but definately has potential.

 

Back to basics, Ive just done the calibration at 25ips and cut the little shockflier stand. Didnt even have time to make a cup of coffee this time .

 

Any ETA on yours Tony..I take it you live in SA ??

 

Edited By Foamie Dave on 18/04/2009 20:35:24

[Klippy]

Hi Dave,  that looks good, did you have to do any fettling?

Yes, live in SA 5000ft above sea level, 20% less dense air does make for some interesting flying sessions. My old Curare doesn't even slow down, it just comes straight in! Better if you mix some flaps in though.

Looking at the results you're getting, I would say that laser is definitely on the back burner

[Foamie Dave]

Very little tweaking needed so far. Just a few calibration runs and thats been it. As the allthread gear beds in you can increase the gantry speed but I'm more than happy as it is for the moment.

 

Dont think yours will be be too long now,  the shipping was  pretty fast but  the UK customs was notoriously slow. Hopefully your guys might shift things a bit quicker.

 

Im just sticking to cutting foam and lite ply for the first few runs but Si ( the chap that milled the micro shocky in the first pictures) is keeping me upto date with his fiberglass cutting.  Ill try and get a pic soon.

[Klippy]

Hi Dave, I see I ducked your question, I'll eat my hat if it arrives inside 4 weeks, it will have to get through 4 different Post offices, all of whom want to see if there's anything worth stealing inside! If it's really desirable they'll send it to the wrong Post office, the nick it when it comes back a month later marked 'not collected'! That's just live in SA, you get used to it! Oops, off topic again! Sorry Timbo.

[Foamie Dave]

LMAO ...sounds like your delvery is coming via UK Royal Mail

[Klippy]

Hi Dave, looked at lasers on You tube, just looks like a lot of idiots playing around with fire if you ask me. Waving a piece of cardboard or plastic around in front of a laser doesn't amount to any kind of test as far as I'm concerned! It seems that DVD lasers are only good for popping balloons and lighting matches, I gave up smoking in 1983 so that's not much use!

There is a company called Dragon Lasers, that do power lasers, but I don't see paying over US$400 for one at this time!

Do you perhaps have a link to anyone selling Dremel bits in bulk? It's a personal thing but I always like to have spares, you never know when you're going to have an accidental 'bump'

[Foamie Dave]

Theres are one or two about,   this one looks the best Ive seen so far but  Im not convinced it has enough power to clean cut  through ply on a single pass. I suppose you could do a multiple pass but things are going to get  a trifle charred and smokey.

 

 It looks like 30w head is about right for a nice hobbyist machine but things start getting a bit pricy like you say.  I think Ill stick the Dremel for the time being but Im sure a swop to a laser gantry is a possible step for the future. In the meantime its a lot of googling and saving up required .

 

The only place ive found  for cheap dremel bits is ebay. The one that comes with it is an 1/8" chipbraker type (looks like a diamond pattern ) with a rounded tip.   Ill see if I can get Si to post a bit more info as he's at least 6 months ahead of me on the learning curve and churning out some very nice bits and peices.

 

I'm about to fit some overtravel switches to mine just in case my first attempts at converting dxfs to g-code try to send the cutting head into outer space

 

 

[Klippy]

Mark is talking about a 1/16" cutter! Packages have already left the USA! And they've given me a temporary password to access the build videos! very nice touch.

Over travel switches are a must, I haven't seen any circuit diagrams yet but if you're clever you should be able to wire them up so you can only jog the right way. In the old days we always had large signs on the axes saying which way was + and which was - . Of course if you're cutting cast iron with 30+hp they don't last long! Ah, happy days!

[Firetrappe]

Hi Guys,

 

Dave asked me to post a few photos of different materials i've cut on my Phlatprinter. Basically, if you can cut the material with a Dremel then the Phlatty will process the material, albeit at slower speeds for denser materials.

 

0.8mm Epoxy Glass Motor Mount

 3mm Depron Micro Shockflyer

1mm HDPE Control Horns

5mm B&Q Foam (Pocketing Test)

Hope the pics give you some idea of what's possible.

 

Cheers,

Si.