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Mach4 General Discussion / Re: New people welcome !! Come in here and introduce your self!
« on: October 07, 2008, 04:53:09 AM »
Hi all,
My name is Barry and I live in Banbury, UK.
I have been lurking in the Mach3 background for some time now and am just about to build a wood framed 3 axis mill.
I have purchased/manufactured all the parts including electronics and all that remains now is to find the time to get down and assemble it!
As a result of reading many CNC forums, I bit the bullet and bought high quality parts as it appears that although many start out with a wooden framed rig they very soon migrate to a sturdy, larger and more practical metal frame. Rather than invest twice, I reckon it best to splash out on good quality kit first time around. This does need a fair amount of research (and dosh!) but that is where the forums come in and I am not afraid of learning from others ... absolutely NO point in re-inventing the wheel is there?
I am still not quite sure which path to take regarding the Achilles heel of a CNC jig - the Z axis - there are a few really nice design ideas about which can be copied or used as a basis for a good working design. Again, it needs thinking about well before committing to cutting metal. One obvious (?) point is to consider exactly how much lift is going to be required in order for the tool tip to clear the work piece which in turn determines the limitations of what exactly you are going to be capable of manufacturing on your rig. Very easy to design yourself a rig with extremely limited capabilities.
With a software, CAD and electronic background this stuff is really fascinating and I can't wait to get up and running.
My projects will be biased towards the modelling world - mainly aeromodelling, but my first "order" is for two engraved brass name plates for my pals 4" Burrel traction engine which is nearing completion so time is pressing to say the least.
On the same subject I just finished a 2 axis foam cutting rig for cutting wings and fuselage parts (1 metre table width) and I am currently on the steep learning curve of mastering GMFC Pro software - THE foam cutter's software, as Mach3 is for CNC work!
Final interesting point - the spell checker in this software does not recognise the term CNC - Brilliant !!
My name is Barry and I live in Banbury, UK.
I have been lurking in the Mach3 background for some time now and am just about to build a wood framed 3 axis mill.
I have purchased/manufactured all the parts including electronics and all that remains now is to find the time to get down and assemble it!
As a result of reading many CNC forums, I bit the bullet and bought high quality parts as it appears that although many start out with a wooden framed rig they very soon migrate to a sturdy, larger and more practical metal frame. Rather than invest twice, I reckon it best to splash out on good quality kit first time around. This does need a fair amount of research (and dosh!) but that is where the forums come in and I am not afraid of learning from others ... absolutely NO point in re-inventing the wheel is there?
I am still not quite sure which path to take regarding the Achilles heel of a CNC jig - the Z axis - there are a few really nice design ideas about which can be copied or used as a basis for a good working design. Again, it needs thinking about well before committing to cutting metal. One obvious (?) point is to consider exactly how much lift is going to be required in order for the tool tip to clear the work piece which in turn determines the limitations of what exactly you are going to be capable of manufacturing on your rig. Very easy to design yourself a rig with extremely limited capabilities.
With a software, CAD and electronic background this stuff is really fascinating and I can't wait to get up and running.
My projects will be biased towards the modelling world - mainly aeromodelling, but my first "order" is for two engraved brass name plates for my pals 4" Burrel traction engine which is nearing completion so time is pressing to say the least.
On the same subject I just finished a 2 axis foam cutting rig for cutting wings and fuselage parts (1 metre table width) and I am currently on the steep learning curve of mastering GMFC Pro software - THE foam cutter's software, as Mach3 is for CNC work!
Final interesting point - the spell checker in this software does not recognise the term CNC - Brilliant !!