Hi,
I am new to the board, but have been playing with a router table that I built last year. My programming has not caught up with my mechanical skills (such as they are...)
Anyway, I have a set up that I could really use some help with. Here is a video of what I have:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pu8RzoEMLY&list=UU_ussNmpn-JU0PWC8ZoBVgwI made an attachment for my z-axis that holds 3 (possibly more) retractable sharpie markers.
I would like to automate the use of the sharpies in my setup. There are a few things I want to modify on the mechanical setup, but generally, I think the concept is sound.
In an ideal scenario, I would like to have a g-code file that contains the triggers that sets the use of the pens in motion. It would work a bit like an automatic tool changer - bit with different colored markers, instead of cutting tools.
So, for example, a situation might look like this:
Setup: I have placed material on the router bed and zero'd the z to the top surface of the material.
The actions I would like to see:
1. a g-code file contains instructions to cut a 4"x6" square with a 1/2" hole in the middle. There will be a marker note in red that indicates the 6" dimension, a note in blue that indicates the 4" direction and a black note that indicates the diameter of the circle.
2. Machine starts out with the router holding a 1/4 dia endmill and the sharpie unit in the up/retracted position.
3. Upon start of the file, the machine goes to the sharpie dock and lowers the pens into the writing position.
4. The machine then goes to the pen selection position and engages the red sharpie.
5 The machine draws the notes for the red
6 The machine returns to the pen selection position for red/disengages pen.
7 The machine goes to the selection position for blue and engages
8 The machine then draws the notes for blue
9 The machine returns to the pen selection position for blue/disengages pen.
10 The machine goes to the selection position for black and engages
11 The machine then draws the notes for Black
12 The machine returns to the pen selection position for black/disengages pen.
13 the machine goes to the sharpie dock and moves the pens into the up/retracted position.
14 The machine then cuts the pattern with the router
So we would have know the following:
locations for the dock.
We would know how much the z-axis needs to move to the change the pen positions from high (not writing) to low (writing).
We would know the relative spacing between the pens and so account for the offsets among them .
We would know position of the nub that will depress the button on the appropriate sharpie.
What do you think? This is a setup that most people can build out of scrap in their shop, and it would provide some interesting features.