DonW
R.I.P.
Here is the machines first real cut that is not just a circle. This is just a 4" keyhole flange piece. The drawing took me a bit of work to educate myself in basic CAD.
Don
Don
CNC for acrylic projects
- Thread starter DonW
- Start date
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les
DIY Freak
Don,
I also have a CNC router but I purchased it. I was wondering, what feed speeds can attain with that machine and how accurate is it at high speed?
I also have a CNC router but I purchased it. I was wondering, what feed speeds can attain with that machine and how accurate is it at high speed?
DonW
R.I.P.
Les that flange was cut at 60ipm. Its within .0001. But its only wood. I dont really care about speed. I bought a expensive shop bot machine and end up getting a refund the thing was terrible. After seeing a few machines and learning there isnt much to them I decided to just make my own.
Don
DonW
R.I.P.
I have to wait for my brother to do the twist locks. I cant figure out how to draw the ramps. I can draw the 3d but they are not smooth around the edges. They have to be done 2d so the bit moves around the piece rather than over and down. He's already done them for me once but I lost the file and of course he didnt keep it.
I need to run and get some cast acrylic scraps tomarrow. But it does cut cast just fine, I made a few small circles in some little scrap I had lying around.
I may need to go spend a weekend with my brother so he can just teach me a few things on the cad program.
Don
DonW
R.I.P.
Here ya go
Scooterman
Well-known member
Ok now the question is with this nice CNC you made will you make custom stuff to sell us or is this just for making everyone drool? 
DonW
R.I.P.
Ok now the question is with this nice CNC you made will you make custom stuff to sell us or is this just for making everyone drool?
I'll have a assortment of flanges, lids and things like that, but probably wont be building anything to sell just pieces and parts. We'll see how it goes.Don
DonW
R.I.P.
Here's the final design. I added the rounded corners and of course cut out the center. What are the OD dimensions of the most popular skimmer necks?
Those look great Don! Your other pseudo-twist-lock flange looks interesting also. It would be good to see how well it works in acrylic on the real deal. How tight could you make it before you exceeded the structural integrity of those threads? Just FYI, I'm asking this out of complete and total ignorance and not because I have an educated guess one way or the other! =)
Josh
Josh
DonW
R.I.P.
The threaded ones should be stronger than you could possibly tighten them by hand. Ive got a schuran ca reactor with small fine threads made from acrylic and there is no way I could break it unless I used a pipe wrench.
The twist locks of course would bottom out before breaking. These flanges are nothing new theyve been used on high end stuff for a long time now.
I'm to cheap to waste acrylic for test cutting but I'll do one in acrylic this week end.
Don
matts125
Well-known member
great Job Don, I will probably be buying some flanges from you in the future to build calc reactors, skimmers ect...
Great work!
Matt
Great work!
Matt
plack
Sea Otter
"great Job Don, I will probably be buying some flanges from you in the future to build calc reactors, skimmers ect...
"
My thoughts exactly I need one soon _
"
My thoughts exactly I need one soon
_That's great Don! It will be great to have more high-end DIY options in the not-so-distant future.
I was also wondering if you would do a cost tally on the project "as-built." I remember at the beginning of the thread it was projected to be around $400-500, but you beefed up a few things and had to buy a cheapo computer, etc. What's the real-world cost (not including labor ) of one of these things?It looks like a fun project way down the road. In the short term, just buying the pieces makes more sense to me, but building on of these would be cool.
And again, great work!
Josh
I was also wondering if you would do a cost tally on the project "as-built." I remember at the beginning of the thread it was projected to be around $400-500, but you beefed up a few things and had to buy a cheapo computer, etc. What's the real-world cost (not including labor
) of one of these things?It looks like a fun project way down the road. In the short term, just buying the pieces makes more sense to me, but building on of these would be cool.And again, great work!
Josh
The threaded ones should be stronger than you could possibly tighten them by hand. Ive got a schuran ca reactor with small fine threads made from acrylic and there is no way I could break it unless I used a pipe wrench.
The twist locks of course would bottom out before breaking. These flanges are nothing new theyve been used on high end stuff for a long time now.
I'm to cheap to waste acrylic for test cutting but I'll do one in acrylic this week end.
Don
DonW
R.I.P.
That's great Don! It will be great to have more high-end DIY options in the not-so-distant future.
I was also wondering if you would do a cost tally on the project "as-built." I remember at the beginning of the thread it was projected to be around $400-500, but you beefed up a few things and had to buy a cheapo computer, etc. What's the real-world cost (not including labor
And again, great work!
Josh
$100 Motors (all)
$150 Stepper drive
$50 Power supply with fan
$100 Machine itself
$400 Total
Computer was $200 but here is the ringer. The cad/cam program to draw the flanges goes for about $1500. Add another $150 for the control software, you can get it for free but it will only hold 1000 lines of g code. In order to make a keyhole flange in acrylic there are over 2000 so you have to actually buy a registered copy. This is part that hurts, not the machine and of course many many hours of research attempting to learn how to do it without going back to school or having some around to step you through it. You can also buy the education from the cam manufacturers but it will cost you a arm and a leg.
Add some endmills that average $60 each 1/8 3/16 and 1/4. Almost forgot the router for $100 The project mounded into a expensive venture. But if you had the knowlege and software $500 would do it.
All in all it is a fun project if you want to get into it. I didnt think it would be near as expensive as it ended up being. This is about as cheap as it gets, only goes up from there.
Don
I don't have a CAD background, but aren't there cheaper CAD programs that would do the job?
It certainly makes the idea of a template library more tempting. Also, once a part has been drawn up, how hard are they to modify? For instance, once someone has drawn a keyhole flange, how hard is it to modify for another size tube?
Josh
DonW
R.I.P.
I don't have a CAD background, but aren't there cheaper CAD programs that would do the job?
It certainly makes the idea of a template library more tempting. Also, once a part has been drawn up, how hard are they to modify? For instance, once someone has drawn a keyhole flange, how hard is it to modify for another size tube?
Josh
The cad is the "easy part" sort of. Then it gets moved to the cam. Now this is where things get complicated. You can buy a cad program but its worthless as far as cnc goes without the cam application. Cad draws the basic picture then the cam draws the "contours" and toolpaths. After that it creates the gcode for the cnc software to run. When you add the cam then you add the big money. Also you need to spend some time learning to understand the gcode that is being produced. Youll have to go into the code files and make changes that the cam didnt account for.
Each and every design and size of that design has to be drawn then put through the cam application. Thats why its taking me so long to get all these ready to go. On the bright side once its done its done and can be used again again.
I think thats one big reason you dont see people just passing out the gcode.
Don
That makes sense, but it certainly changes the equation doesn't it! At $500-600 this seemed like a good addition to a shop, but with the software kicking it up over $2000 that's another story. Oh well, I like the idea of buying flanges locally anyway so that's fine. I just liked the idea of dinking around with it myself. Not in the short-term, anyway!
Josh
Josh
Scooterman
Well-known member
Well, I have a few programs I design in, CAM, Mechanical Desktop, Pro-E & several others, it takes learning to really get good at them & then it takes experience which is continual usage of these programs to really know what your doing LOL but the outcome is only limited by your imagination, sure wish I had some Imagination I suk in that department but you tell me what you want I then that is another story. I don't have all of these at home, that is my limiting factor, otherwise I would offer my services.
I suk in that department but you tell me what you want I then that is another story. I don't have all of these at home, that is my limiting factor, otherwise I would offer my services. Similar threads
