LYNX-T1 - my first design

[rakus]

Hi everyone,

I'm hot wire plotters (cutters) CNC constructor and software programmer. I live in Warsaw /Poland / Europe. For our market I have designed a line of hot wire plotters (foam cutters) for styrofoam, Styrodur, XPS, EPP etc. cutting. In this thread I present my first one.

I have finish the design 6 months ago. The first one styrofoam cutter of mine was a plotter of the expected field work 1200x600x300 mm. Please take a look first on the construction schedule. The two main frames are made from a reinforced aluminum 40x40 mm. "Legs" made of standard aluminum profiles 40x40x2 twisted through angle connectors and powder-painted. Table is made of laminated plywood plate.

As the rail-guides are used cutouts in the profiles. Polyacetal rollers has double ball-bearings. The machine is driven by two stepper motors (one per axis). Steerage (driver) is SLIM-3 (www.mixpol.pl) controller - version produced specially for me. Wire temperature control is constant by potentiometer (knob). Wire tensioner is made by spring.

I designed also a special set of software for it: eduCAD 2.7 TERM + STEP2TERM (as below). EduCAD 2.7 TERM is vector drawing program (similar to CorelDraw). For my hot wire plotters has several new options. I will mention them in brief:

1. Creating a whole subtitles from TTF fonts (max 60 characters each line).
2. Combining several objects into one, so that it is "single-string-drawing" object.
3. Improved data import from DXF v.10 and v.12 from DXF.
4. Full (improved) cooperation with STEP2TERM steerage software.


Screenshot of the eduCAD vector drawing program.

Machine is controlled by the LPT port - it deals with my new and specially prepared version STEP2CNC (similar to Mach 2) software called STEP2TERM. New options such as counting time of wire, the dimensions of the loaded labor administration, and independent of user control including wire and continue working after the wire break-off.

So - thanks to such a set of software - from idea to the industry passing only a few moments.


Screenshot of the STEP2TERM steerage program via LPT port.

And here on Youtube you will find several our movies:

"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg8c1LS7d_U"]YouTube - Hot Wire Foam Cutting CNC Plotter LYNX-T1

"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL-pFBjBvok"]YouTube - PLOTER TERMICZNY LYNX-T1 WYCINA KOLUMNĘ

I enter my plotter with software on the European market under the name of the LYNX-T1. Initially it was shown at the fair "Euroreklama" in Poznan (Poland) on 21-24 April 2009. Below you can find pictures of my LYNX-T1 machine (with and without a table) and samples.


LYNX-T1 - final design.


Machine without a table and cable guides.


Moving gate (gantry) traction solution


During the cutting ...


"Easy-man" - a new product logo


Example of CocaCola logo cut.

Please visit my newest website concerning my machines at: www.foamplotter.eu

All questions, inquirys and comments are very welcome.

Regards, Piotr Rakowski (rakus)