Messages

31

General Mach Discussion / Re: 4th Axis on 3040 CNC

« on: February 27, 2014, 10:16:30 PM »

Yep, that's the same controller & rotary as mine.

32

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Combined CNC Engraving Technologies. Spindle + Laser

« on: February 27, 2014, 09:27:56 PM »

Thanks for the compliment and the link,

We used a .032" BEM and it was at a .125" total depth. You said pot, I assume your talking about the US Digital MA3 shaft encoder we are rotating with the 4th axis servo motor. They are very reliable. On the first analog modulated laser engraver we built, there's over 1200 hours on it. We only had to replace the 1/8" wide Kevlar reinforced timing belt on it once. Our servo machine in the video has about 250 hours on the encoder since we built it.

Jeff

33

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Combined CNC Engraving Technologies. Spindle + Laser

« on: February 27, 2014, 11:33:24 AM »

Thanks guys,

I like to have as many options as possible to use my CNC router for. Next!

Jeff

34

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Combined CNC Engraving Technologies. Spindle + Laser

« on: February 27, 2014, 09:35:50 AM »

We were able to 3D spindle engrave a height map image in wood and then laser engrave a photo with shades onto it afterwards with the same machine. It took two different photos and Picengrave Pro 4 + Laser to generate the two different Gcode files. Those two files axis movements were then combined into one file so the laser's focal point would follow the spindle engravings profile up and down to stay in focus on the surface of the wood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUIrS3Ot1I4

Jeff

35

General Mach Discussion / Re: 4th Axis on 3040 CNC

« on: February 24, 2014, 06:19:36 PM »

If it came with a 4th axis rotary, it will have X, Y, Z, A and spindle. The 3 axis machine does not come with the extra 4 pin plug for the rotary.

36

General Mach Discussion / Re: 4th Axis on 3040 CNC

« on: February 24, 2014, 04:59:22 PM »

I have a Chinese 3040 with a 4th axis and maybe I can help you. Do you have the A axis set in Gen. Config. as Linear? I use Linear when engraving on a dia. with the G51 and A axis scale number at the beginning of the file to scale the movements from an engraving code. Example, if your wood is 4" Dia. and you want the image 3/4 the way around it, then multiply 4  X  3.14 = 12.56 X .75= 9.42. Your engraving and Gcode should be generated like it's flat 9.42" the way it will be wrapped. Then you input in the beginning of the file a G51 A 28.662 (270 (3/4 of 360) degrees divided by 9.42), it will then engrave 3/4 of the way around a 4" dia.

Try using the < & > on the keyboard to manually rotate it in both directions instead. If you have the belt drive rotary, and your ratios from the stepper to the chuck are the same as mine, then the steps per. for the A axis should be 20, Velocity 7500 and accel. 250. A axis feedrates need to be set hi in your gcode program, or it will run real slow when rotating. How I keep the other axis's from running real fast also, I set the Velocity max in Motor Tuning for those axis's at the feedrate I want to engrave at. Setup another profile for Mach3, just for doing rotary engraving.

I'm sure there are other ways to do this, but I hope this helps you get started.

Jeff

37

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / Re: Laser Diode Engraving

« on: January 15, 2014, 05:46:43 PM »

Thank you John for your kind words.

If it wasn't for you and your excellent image to g-code program, I sure would not been able to get as far as I have with my experimentation. 

PVC sure was a dead end road for me and no where else to go!

Jeff

38

Tangent Corner / Re: Pyrography.

« on: January 10, 2014, 05:09:12 PM »

Jeff,
I hear you loud and clear. 
John

Haven't I pestered you enough John?

39

Tangent Corner / Re: Pyrography.

« on: January 10, 2014, 08:14:13 AM »

Hi Brett,

The idea of routing a 3D relief then lasering the detail and shading over the top was suggested over 12 months ago but, so far, I have not been able to get it just right.
John’s (PicEngraver) excellent software http://www.machsupport.com/forum/index.php/topic,26003.0.html is well capable of doing the job if only I was more capable at using it. 

Tweakie.

Brett,

not only was it suggested, but done by me 12 months ago using Picengrave Pro 4, but the depth of the relief was limited by my LD's focal point.

http://hobbycncart.com/forum/63-151-15

My limitations on the routing depth of the relief engraving have always been the image to g-code program I use by it not being able to generate a Z axis movement within the same g-code file as the analog modulated laser's power (A axis). If it could, the laser diodes focal point would follow the spindle engravings contours up and down throughout a deeper depth of cut to be able to shade the relief properly.


Jeff

40

Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: The Laser Project.

« on: September 18, 2013, 07:19:45 AM »

Tweakie,

Would it not be easier to use a small engine hour meter?

Like this person did. http://www.fullspectrumengineering.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1441

Those can be picked up fairly cheap!

http://www.amazon.com/Inductive-Meter-Marine-Motorcycle-Waterproof/dp/B00A43PKOE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1379503092&sr=8-5&keywords=small+engine+hour+meter

Jeff