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Router Build
- Thread starter jbolt
- Start date
It's great to see you be successful. I can't wait to see it make chips.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,849
Went and got a piece of MDF this morning and installed it on the table. Added some threaded inserts to the MDF for clamping light material or material that will not be heavily cut. I don't think these type of inserts will handle much more but I had a box of them so I will give then a try.
Went to do the first test run and wouldn't you know it, the UC100 wouldn't connect to Mach3. worked fine last night and now nothing. Uninstalled, reinstalled, rebooted, blah blah balh but no go. One of those moments I wanted to break things but kept my cool and went about searching for a solution. After several attempted fixes I dug out an old laptop and set it up with Mach3 and a copy of the Mach3 XML profile for the router. Low and behold it worked fine with the laptop.
During the install uf the UC100 plugin and USB drivers it prompted me that the firmware version was different and updated. After running a test program with the laptop I plugged the UC100 back into the PC and fired up Mach3. I got the same firmware message and let it update or change versions, not sure what it did but it now works again on the PC.
Here is the first test run. The VFD is slow to accelerate so the spindle was not up to speed when it started cutting. I need to figure that one out. I tried setting a 10 second pause at spindle startup on the spindle settings tab but it does not make a difference.
Went to do the first test run and wouldn't you know it, the UC100 wouldn't connect to Mach3. worked fine last night and now nothing. Uninstalled, reinstalled, rebooted, blah blah balh but no go. One of those moments I wanted to break things but kept my cool and went about searching for a solution. After several attempted fixes I dug out an old laptop and set it up with Mach3 and a copy of the Mach3 XML profile for the router. Low and behold it worked fine with the laptop.
During the install uf the UC100 plugin and USB drivers it prompted me that the firmware version was different and updated. After running a test program with the laptop I plugged the UC100 back into the PC and fired up Mach3. I got the same firmware message and let it update or change versions, not sure what it did but it now works again on the PC.
Here is the first test run. The VFD is slow to accelerate so the spindle was not up to speed when it started cutting. I need to figure that one out. I tried setting a 10 second pause at spindle startup on the spindle settings tab but it does not make a difference.
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2014
- Messages
- 929
Looks good for your first run. I can't wait to see some projects once you get everything dialed in. I wired up my power supplies today along with two circuit breakers. Getting close to being finished with the control box wiring. Thanks for sharing, it is motivating me to finish my router.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,849
Here is a machine relief of a photo done in ArtCam Express. Roughing was done with a 1/4" ball nose end mill and the finish pass was done with a 1/8" ball nose end mill. I ran it slow to make sure everything moved in the right direction, which I pleased to say it did. At 25 ipm it took an hour to do both rough and finish passes.
My machine is maxing out at 100 ipm. I need to figure out if that is the max I can go or if I'm missing a setting somewhere. I expected to be able to move faster.
Jay
My machine is maxing out at 100 ipm. I need to figure out if that is the max I can go or if I'm missing a setting somewhere. I expected to be able to move faster.
Jay
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,849
Here is some of my daughters line art converted to vectors in ArtCam Express. Lots to learn with this program. I wish I could justify their Insignia version but at $2500 for hobby use its just too much.
Routing was done with a 90 deg drill mill at 24K RPM/50 IPM. I need to get some different engraving tools to play with.
Jay
Routing was done with a 90 deg drill mill at 24K RPM/50 IPM. I need to get some different engraving tools to play with.
Jay
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,849
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,849
I got a dust collection system installed. The collector is a bucket lid shop vac that draws through a cyclonic separator which is supposed to let the particles drop out of the air stream before they get to the main vac tank (that's the theory anyway). I got the idea for the separator whist cruising the web. Fits perfectly under the machine.
The dust hood is a work in progress. This is the first iteration using material I had on hand. The sweep is made from some scrap 1/8" Burna rubber sheet I had left over from the mill way covers. The sweep attaches with rare earth magnets and a couple of small dowel pins to keep from being dragged off.
I don't like not being able to see he cutter so I picked up some 1/2 clear cast acrylic to make a longer hood to move the intake elbow a little further away from the spindle and hopefully offer a view of the cutting bit.
The white poly and particle board parts were designed in SolidWorks, exported as dxf files and imported into VCarve Desktop 8.0 to to the tool paths and then cut on the router. I have HSM Express in SolidWorks for CAM but it does not do tabs easily. VCarve does a nice job and is very easy to use. So far I am liking VCarve better than ArtCam Express.
The dust hood is a work in progress. This is the first iteration using material I had on hand. The sweep is made from some scrap 1/8" Burna rubber sheet I had left over from the mill way covers. The sweep attaches with rare earth magnets and a couple of small dowel pins to keep from being dragged off.
I don't like not being able to see he cutter so I picked up some 1/2 clear cast acrylic to make a longer hood to move the intake elbow a little further away from the spindle and hopefully offer a view of the cutting bit.
The white poly and particle board parts were designed in SolidWorks, exported as dxf files and imported into VCarve Desktop 8.0 to to the tool paths and then cut on the router. I have HSM Express in SolidWorks for CAM but it does not do tabs easily. VCarve does a nice job and is very easy to use. So far I am liking VCarve better than ArtCam Express.
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2013
- Messages
- 1,849
I played around with the vcarve software and made a simple address sign out of some scrap rustic cherry flooring glued together. I need to work on the feeds and speeds. The texture had a lot of tear out. Could just be the softness of the cherry and/or the v-bit needs a better edge.
The tool path for the texture is just crazy at how much time it wastes making big moves across the part. Makes no sense to me. I got so frustrated watching it I had to walk away from the machine. I couldn't find a way to optimize the tool path in the program. I have a question posted about it in the software manufacturers forum.
Overall not bad for a first go. The vacuum system works great as is so I think I will leave it alone for now. Also the single cooling fan/radiator for the spindle works like a champ. The spindle never gets more than a few degrees over ambient temp.
The tool path for the texture is just crazy at how much time it wastes making big moves across the part. Makes no sense to me. I got so frustrated watching it I had to walk away from the machine. I couldn't find a way to optimize the tool path in the program. I have a question posted about it in the software manufacturers forum.
Overall not bad for a first go. The vacuum system works great as is so I think I will leave it alone for now. Also the single cooling fan/radiator for the spindle works like a champ. The spindle never gets more than a few degrees over ambient temp.
