I want to make a CNC head for my Delta printer using a Dremel flex shaft. Nothing fancy, just for soft materials. I have a RAMPS 1.4 with the latest Marlin. What I’m clueless about is the software part.
How would you calibrate it ?
How to generate subtractive gcode ?
Thanks.
I have heard good things about this 2.5D version
you may be able to scrape together something useful.
Here is a link to software that is normal for a 2.5D mill
http://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/Software
there is this for making G-code
http://www.shapeoko.com/wiki/index.php/G-Code
It is allot less complex then 3d printing, but allot more manual
What kind of soft materials are you talking about? Foam and maybe wax? A delta bot isn’t going to cut much else. Wax may even be pushing it.
Eventually when I have a garage I am getting a shapeoko, it is too noisy and messy for a living space.
@Shachar_Weis Skeinforge has CNC settings. It’s a do it all gcode generator
With the right bits and slow enough speeds you should be able to cut wax keep us posted. One of these days I’ll add a laser mood to one of mine
I want to do a laser too. Ive been wanting to do a diode on my router for years now. Just never pulled the trigger.
yeah been there too, the thing is all those repraps firmware are made for additive machines , not extrusive , you’d basically need to do the invert function of all the gcodes
How do you mean? Gcode is Gcode. If I give a machine a g1 x5 f100 its going to go 5 units at 100units/time whether its a 3D printer or not. The MCodes that marlin has setup are 3D printing specific but the standard Mcodes for spindle on/off, coolant etc are all there and work. You would need to use a cam software that is build for a subtractive process, routing, milling, laser (not sure what extrusive is…) but other then that it should work out of the box.
Your main issue is ridgidity. Repraps dont have any tool pressure to deal with, so they are built to be strong enough to deal with the inertia of their own movements but nothing else. Routers and mills use strong column sections and box sections to deal with tool pressures. A delta in particular doesn’t have any of the support to deal with it. They are built to be light fast and awesome at what they do (which btw @Shachar_Weis your machine is awesome)
think about it , making a pvc ring by adding pvc or making a wood ring from a wood block , are your gcodes the same ? in the first your head is going to follow the ring , in the other going to remove everything BUT the ring , the Gcode stream needs to be “negated”
Dude, let me start by saying Im coming at this as a CNC programmer. This has been my job for 9 years, not my hobby for the last couple.
Your right in saying that the methods are different. BUT the CODES themselves and the FIRMWARE (marlin, sprinter, repetier, whatever, the stuff you burn to the arduino from the arduino IDE) is the same.
You need to use a CNC oriented CAM software (the one that makes your tool path) not a slicing software that generates a build path for your printer.
I think you just have your terminology messed up which is easy to do.
@Joe_Spanier I think there is a bit of a diference in the homing process that one should be careful with (correct me if i am wrong)
most CAM processors treat the top of the work piece as 0 and use plunge depths for controlling the Z access.
Because this is a deltabot, it should set Z-0 at base of the platform. So if you use a CAM processor and just pass the G-code. you would cut up the bed.
That is all defined in your cam software. If you have a known bed or fixture height with a known (or slightly known) work piece hieght you can set your fixture/worktable as z0 and then your work-piece would be z20 say for a piece of plywood. The code is then written from there. Cut2D or VCarve are great examples where this is clearly defined in the work-piece setup.
@Joe_Spanier , Thanks for the info, my experience with CNC has been more “over the shoulder” then hands on.
CNC has been my job and hobby for as long as I can remember so I love sharing the fun!
Ask me anything. If I cant answer it I can probably at least point you in the right direction.
How much do Gcodes for FDM differ from Gcodes for routers? I’m thinking: do a difference between your work piece and model and have it sliced from the top going down. Single perimeter and solid “fill”. Supports, overhang and so on would of course be totally different but to just get going with relatively simple geometries…
The world of printing and cutting is so different they really cant be compared. The only similarity is the language that directs the machines. It really stops there.
Thanks all, this makes a lot of sense. It would probably be a better idea to make a laser cutter, but I’m too attached to my retinas to be playing around with lasers.
Retinas are over rated and lasers are awesome do it!