Topics

1

General Mach Discussion / Convert a router bed to a 3D printer?

« on: April 05, 2015, 12:21:46 PM »

I'd like to know if it's possible to convert a CNC router bed to a 3D printer.  I currently have a home-built Kleinbauer 7th Sojourn.  It was a great project to teach me the basics of CNC and GCode.  Now I'm thinking that it would be a good platform to learn 3D printing.

I'm aware that I can buy or build extruder heads and I figured that I already have the basic platform of a 3D printer, I just need to pop some new parts onto the 7th Sojourn base and reconfigure Mach3.  The problem is that I'm not 100% sure that Mach3 can support that tech or that your average 2.5D router bed can support it either. 

So, I'm here doing research and would appreciate any fast-tracking to the appropriate info to give me a head-start or head me off if I'm on a wild goose chase.

My machine is driven from an XP via parallel to a HobbyCNC controller board driving NEMA 23 steppers with Mach3.  The bed is 9" x 14" with a 3" Z range.  Thanks!

2

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / New Wizard Idea

« on: October 08, 2007, 06:25:12 PM »

So I was cutting Shaun Wainford's digitizing probe housing with NFW and was pretty successful cutting the various pockets, grooves, and drill patterns necessary.  I LOVE the wizards btw, the g-code they generate are impressively accurate and efficient and produce really clean results.

However, one wizard I kept wishing for is one that can pocket around a circle.  I.e. - perform a spiral circle pocket as usual but the ability to leave the inside n-inches uncut such that you could leave a raised circle in the middle of a pocketed circle.  I accomplished this with some effort by chaining concentric circular groove cuts with circles 1/8" larger than the last (using a 1/8" mill) until I reached my finished outside diameter.

Any chance of adding a new wizard or modifying the current circle pocket wizard to include a "leave inside n-inches" value?  Thanks.

         - Alex O.

3

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Installing on the D: Drive?

« on: September 25, 2007, 04:21:22 PM »

When I upgraded my Mach3, I went to use the latest installed version of NFW and kept getting an error that a path couldn't be found.  I realized that this was due to the default settings in NFW indicating c:\Mach3\Addons\NewFangled as opposed to my current D: installation.  I fixed it by copying NFW to the default path on Drive C but am hoping that there's a way to configure NFW to work on D.  This worked fine in the prior version of NFW for some reason.  Any insight?  Thanks!

4

Show"N"Tell ( What you have made with your CNC machine.) / My first paying gig

« on: September 18, 2007, 01:28:54 AM »

A guy at work paid me to make a "No Soliciting" sign for the front of his house.  Laid out and POST in ArtCAM.  Cut on my home-built "7th Sojourn" http://www.crankorgan.com/7thsojourn.htm router at 30ipm with Mach3 driving a HobbyCNC controller.  Sign dimensions are 18" x 4".

Pocketing/contour toolpaths cut using 1/8" and 1/16" end mills.  Skull and Crossbones relief (1"x1") cut with a 1/16" ball mill.  Material is 3/8" Komatex.  I'm generally happy with it.  The skull and crossbones came out oddly offset probably due to a misalignment between the end mill contour cut of the relief vector and the ball mill cut of the contour itself.

The customer intends to finish and paint it himself which is just fine with me. 





Edit: I uploaded a video of this project being cut to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISjyHstd6zQ if anybody is interested.

5

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / Purchasing Mach3/NFW bundle

« on: September 04, 2007, 02:33:28 PM »

If I purchase the Mach3/NFW bundle, will Artsoft still provide full support/upgrades for Mach3?  Are the licenses "crippled" in any way?  Thanks.

6

Newfangled Solutions Mach3 Wizards / I can't edit the values in any of the wizards?

« on: April 22, 2006, 01:23:41 PM »

I've got the latest download of Mach3 and it's working great and I can load up the wizards but any attempt to change the values in the wizard (like for setting the radius of the circle cutting wizard) results in the value getting reset back to it's default after I've left the edit field.