techshop cnc techno router instruction by carol c

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Safety and Basic Use

COURSE #CNC-101

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CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router Safety & Basic Use

This manual is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. The content of this manual is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by TechShop Inc. Except as permitted by such license, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of TechShop Inc.

TechShop and the TechShop logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of TechShop Inc in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft

Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Apple, Mac and Macintosh are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Snagit is either registered trademarks or trademarks of TechSmith Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. AD other registered trademarks or trademarks are the property of the respective owners.

These class materials are the copyrighted property of TechShop and are intended for use in an instructional setting. Successful completion of SBU's are REQUIRED for many of the products at TechShop, an instructor must sign off on this requirement. It is NOT enough to just read and follow these materials.

Colophon These materials were created electronically using Microsoft Word®. Art was produced using Adobe Illustrator®, Adobe PhotoShop® and Snagit® for screen captures. The Arial® family of typefaces is used throughout these materials. These materials were written by Randal Milota, Carson Hoyt, Matt Borgatti, and Lynne Angeloro.

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CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router Safety & Basic Use

Course Synopsis In this Safety and Basic Use class (SBU), you will learn to fabricate objects, parts, and/or art with the CNC Techno Desktop Router. This is a powerful tool. Even a small tabletop router can produce complex organic shapes and surfaces. You will learn how to operate the CNC Desktop Router safely and efficiently. We will discuss Stock Setup Methods, and how your CAD files can become CAM files, which in turn become toolpaths for the Techno Desktop Router.

Time Required: 2 Hours Tools Required □ Safety Glasses □

Ear Protection

□ D □ □

Endmills with 1/8", 1/4" shank (provided) Calipers and tape measure (provided) Small Piece of Thin Paper (provided) Collet Wrenches (provided)

Materials Required □ 4" by 7" by V£" polycarbonate sheet

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CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router Safety & Basic Use

SAFETY General Safety 0

Eye protection is required in all Mill, Machining and Hot Shops. Street glasses are not considered eye protection

Closed-toe shoes must be worn at all times

Be sure to remove all dangly jewelry and wear a short sleeved shirt while operating any Milling equipment

Shop Etiquette

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Never talk to anyone while they are working on a piece of equipment Leave the area you are working in cleaner than when you arrived Never leave a machine running and unattended Begin final clean-up and store your project no later than 11:30 pm

Equipment Specific Safety 0

Never wear gloves! The rotating parts of the machine can snag the tough glove material and pull your hand and arm into the machinery

If you have long hair, you must tie it back so that is not hanging from your head. This includes facial hair. Hair nets are available in the TechShop store. Remove loose clothing and jewelry. We suggest that you remove rings and watches too since they can become snagged by machinery Chips can be hot, so be careful when you are cutting. Never leave the mill unattended while it is running! It is tempting to let the

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program run while you can go do something else, but please resist!

IMPORTANT: Carefully review the tool paths displayed in the Techno software to make sure they will not crash into the table or fixtures during the milling operation.

Take small cuts, and take them slowly. Cutting too much metal away at a time can break the cutting tool or cause your work to become dislodged or unbalanced, and can produce a poor surface on your part. Know how to turn off the mill quickly if there is a problem or emergency situation.

As you cut, you will see chips and ribbons come off your work piece. Avoid the urge to brush or poke these chips and ribbons while you are making your cut...just leave them alone. You should never grab these ribbons and chips, even when the machine is turned off. Knock them off with a brush the edges are very sharp and can slice right through your fingers and hand.

Always make sure you have the tool rotating in the right direction. The teeth of the end mill should be cutting into the work, not glancing off. Make sure that the stock and any part to be cut free are properly secured before

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CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router Safety & Basic Use

cutting. Be sure to put something behind the stock if you are cutting through the stock so that you don't cut into the table below.

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Make sure the cutting tool is securely fastened into the spindle collet During operation use the Plexiglas shield to surround the mill. Do not reach inside the shield unless the milling operation is paused or completed and the spindle is stopped.

In a public workshop like TechShop, you MUST assume responsibility for ensuring that the machine you are going to work on and the surrounding area is safe and configured in a manner you expect and are familiar with.

Because these machines are shared by beginners to experts, you can not

assume anything. You will need to become aware of the "typical" look and feel of the machine and the work area, and train yourself to notice changes since your last use. If changes are noticed, the must be understood and accounted for before beginning or continuing your work at the machine or workstation.

Never leave a machine running and unattended. Some CNC operations may take literally hours to complete. YES, you do need to stay by the

machine and monitor the operation while it is cutting for the entire time. If you need to leave the work area briefly, be sure to pause the machine and find someone to monitor the area in your absence. 0

It is important to understand that a CNC Machine may begin movement at any time and in unexpected directions. This may be due to incorrect programming or perhaps a machine or software failure. You MUST always remain aware of this possibility and be prepared for it. Know the location

of the Emergency Stop switch(es), also called estop or epo switches. Also know the location to cut the power entirely off to the machine. 0

When operating CNC machinery, you do not have the tactile or kinesthetic feedback inherent in manually operated tool use. You must therefore rely on your other senses to keep you aware of the conditions of the operation. Sight and sound, as well as smell and even taste, may bring important information to you about the work and safety of what you are doing.

Be aware that some smells and tastes could signal potentially toxic

chemicals or gas release. If it sounds or looks wrong, it probably is! Continually update your experience to include the ever-growing sensory awareness you gain as

you use a given tool. Switch off the spindle, or place the spindle control in a safe state when changing spindle tooling, especially if a part of your body is within the machine's working area.

Ensure that the spindle collet is in good condition and properly installed. Be sure the cutter is secured but not overly tight. It should be neither to far out, decreasing cutter stiffness, nor too far in, providing a path for chips into the spindle and collet recesses.

If something "bad" does happen, and the machine is either working incorrectly or you make a mistake that creates a problem, please inform a TechShop staff member of the situation as soon as possible. The goal is

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CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router Safety & Basic Use

not to be punitive, but to understand the problem or mistake made and repair it quickly and effectively.

Make sure that the stock and any part to be cut free are properly secured before cutting. Be sure to put something behind the stock if you are cutting through the stock so that you don't cut into the table below.

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CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router Safely & Basic Use

CNC Techno Desktop Router

A router is used to machine surfaces so they are flat and are precise dimensions, cut slots and voids, and even drill holes to precise depths. When you use a router for general operations, you clamp your work piece

securely to the table with the machinist's vise or special clamps, and as the end mill is moved relative to your work piece, the end mill is being spun by the router's spindle motor and cuts your piece as directed by the Toolpaths generated by your drawing.

Equipment Controls

The primary controls you will use on the CNC Techno Desktop Router are: Mach3 Control Software Jog Controls: X left and right

Y back and forth Z up and down

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BASIC OPERATION The CNC process for drawing in a drawing/drafting program thru cutting it into steel, aluminum, stainless steel, or any other product is a fairly straightforward process:

1. CAD -» Drawing (SketchUp, AutoCAD, CorelDraw, Solidworks, Adobe Illustrator, etc., saved or exported to a .dxf file for Autocad R9.) 2. CAM -> ToolPath (Cut 2D, Cut 3D, LazyCam, VisualMill, SheetCam, etc.) 3. CUT -> Motors (Mach 3, FlashCut, EMC, etc.) Requirements for CNC Routing: Secure Stock Fixtures Maximum bed size is 12Bx18"x3" Endmills with 1/8", 1/4" shank

Observance of Safety Precautions and Responsible use of CNC Desktop Routers

NON-FEROUS STOCK MATERIALS ONLY: plastics copper

brass wood aluminum delrin

Supported File Formats: Input to Cut2D:

Drawing file - .eps, .ai, .pdf (.dxf files have scaling issues, so, best not to use them)

Photo VCarve - .pvc Cut3D - .v3d VA3D Machinist - .v3m

Output from Cut2D to Techno: .ncd file (Technojsel Arc ATC (inch) (*.ncd))

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CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router Safety & Basic Use

PROJECT DESCRIPTION For this class, you will be given 4" by 7" by %" polycarbonate sheet, and you will perform a rough surfacing operation: cutting a wingspar into the surface of the plastic. The same processes would be followed for different materials, like aluminum or delrin, but, you would need to calculate the feeds and speeds based on the material and the Endmill being used, or establish these options in your CAM software.

If you have ANY questions about any operation or task, be sure to ask your instructor or another TechShop staff member before proceeding.

Preparing for this Project 1. Check out the Techno tooling box from the front desk. There is also a small box of various Endmills available from the front desk. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you purchase and maintain your own set

of Endmills so that you know the condition of and care that has been taken with them. There is a list of vendors available from the front desk, as well as a list of online vendors at the end of this handout for quality endmills. 2.

Check your environment.

Getting Started When you first walk up to the Techno Desktop Router, be sure the configuration is what you expect. Inspect everything before you begin your work:

Walk around the table to be sure there is nothing in the way of your feet.

Check that the floor around the Techno is clean and clear of debris.

Check to see if anyone else is working in the area. Are they being safe? Will they impede you or your work on the Techno?

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Check your Endmills, are they chipped or cracked? Replace any that are. Make sure the collet and Endmill are free of debris.

There are several things you will need to do to get started cutting your part on the Techno: •

Attach your work piece securely in the machine (Work Holding)

• •

Zero the X, Y, and Z axes Locate the edges of your work piece

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CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router Safety & Basic Use

Launching the Software 1. Launch the Techno software from the desktop. Load your g-code file from your thumb drive: 2. From the File menu, choose Open. 3. Navigate to your thumb drive, select the .nod file you wish to open and click Open.

Mounting Stock Pieces We will be covering this exclusively as a subject in another class, as all stock pieces require both improvisational and improvised methods to secure, there is no one way to secure stock. Though there are a few general rules to mounting stock:

1. Mark an origin point on your stock; if the piece is not square, add an arrow on one of the edges with a label noting which axis it should be pointing at, such as "+x" for x-axis positive direction. 2. Square your piece to the table

3. Clamp all loose pieces using the t-nuts and hold downs from the Techno box.

4. If you are cutting thru a piece, BE SURE to place a sacrificial piece below your piece to avoid damaging the table top of the Techno router. There is also a box of tie downs on the table next to the Techno Desktop Router. You may also wish to purchase or make your own set of tie downs if you use this machine more than infrequently: (http://www.Qienaravers.eom/Site/toolinq/Entries/2008/6/11 TSlot Clamping files/T-Slot%20Clamps.pdO. The T-Slot Table Clamps set from Q1 Engravers is a good starter set for the Techno Desktop Router (Be sure to specify the Techno to get the correct size t-nuts for our table). In the Advanced CNC Milling classes, we will cover operational methods to cut all the way through stock pieces, drilling operations, dual sided organic shapes, and CAD to CAM Stock Importation.

Setting up to Cut your Piece 1. Move the Endmill to the back left corner of the piece using the arrow keys on the keyboard. 2. Clear the X and Y axes by clicking the Zero X button and Zero Y button. 3.

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This is why this is labeled BETA handout. The final copy of this document will be available at http-y/www.TechShop.ws/docs/pdf/techshop_cnc_techno_desktop_router_sbu_v 1_O.pdf

Air Cut your Piece FIRST

1. Change the Z axis by adding 2" to the value for Z. 2. Click the Start button on the screen.

3. Watch your job as it moves through the whole cut, ensuring that it will clear all work holders when you actually cut the piece.

Cutting your Piece 1.

Last Step: Cleanup -

Don't forget to completely clean up the area when you are finished working, including vacuuming or sweeping the floor around the machine you are working on.

The broom and dustpan are located on the back wall of the vehicle bay. There is usually a vacuum near the Router tables, otherwise, there is one

Trash is placed in any trash receptacle. Large trash items can be placed

in the Tool Room.

outside the back door in the dumpsters. Recyclable items are placed in

the recycling cans in the Hot Shop. We recycle Aluminum, Steel, and Stainless Steel.

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CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router Safety & Basic Use

COOL LINKS

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Downloadable User's Manuals and Demo Programs are available at http://www.mecsoft.com

WHAT'S NEXT? After completing this CNC Machining Level 3: Techno Desktop Router SBU course you may be interesting in taking these other courses:

How To Machine Aluminum on the Large Bridgeport Milling Machine (Milling

Machine SBU),

CNC Machining Level 1: Concepts of CNC CNC Machining Level 2: Cut2D/Cut3D, CNC Machining Level 3: ShopBot SBU Introduction to SolidWorks

OTHER LEARNING RESOURCES Wikipedia has a number of articles concerning CNC Milling, metal forming, and is a good starting point to begin your research.

SUPPLIES Dan-Mar Tool & Supply Co. is a great local place to get End Mills, Center Drills,

taps and dies.

HartLauer Bits: http://www.hartlauer-bits.com/

Quality One Engravers: http.7/www.a1 enqravers.com/

Be sure to pick up a copy of the TechShop Vendors List for Stock Suppliers from the front desk. A limited supply of end mills is available in the TechShop MAKER Shed store.

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