How can I get more speed for lithophane routing?


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Thread: How can I get more speed for lithophane routing?

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    Default How can I get more speed for lithophane routing?

    I am so frustrated on my CNC speed, I don't know what to change. Here is the data:
    SSD, CPU D525, 32Bit, 1.8GHz, 2GB of RAM, set 4 max program performance, WinXP, no other programs loaded. A 7x7 inch corian lithophane simulates at 8.5 hrs. in Mach3. Keiling stepper motors KL23H286-20-8B, Drivers KL 4030, Pwr Supply KL-350-36 (36 volts), Breakout Board KL-C10. My office computer is a 3.4GHz 64Bit Win7 16GB of RAM & estimates the job at 3 hrs. in Mach3. I tried to increase FRO %, but the override bar flashed red & it doesn't seem to go any faster even at 250%. I checked override setting in Settings tab.

    Questions:
    1. Can I get extra speed by switching to LinuxCNC? (I finally know Mach3 pretty well!)
    2. Will RAM make that much difference without faster processor?
    3. Can I mimic XP with a faster machine with some special software?
    4. Should I build/buy a faster SSD 32Bit computer?
    Thanks for any ideas you may have.

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    The computer and drive motor are important, but not the only item at work on this. What type of drive (screw, pulley reduction, etc) do you have. Essentially, what is your linear movement per step, assuming 200 full steps per motor rotation ?

    Do you happen to know the inductance of that stepper motor off hand ?



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    your code is going to be composed of short line segments , so it's important that your accel decel is set to the max while still keeping the machine stable enough not to loose steps over a long period of cutting time . otherwise your machine will never come close to the chosen feed because it is always accelerating and decelerating between points .

    A poet knows no boundary yet he is bound to the boundaries of ones own mind !! ........


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    What is your step over how deep are you cutting it I have a cnc that can cut at 600 IPM but it would some of my lithos take 6 plus hours for 6x8



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    It is a 1/2 inch 10TPI screw thread (5 start)
    The stepper motor is 4.1mH
    I will check out the accel/decel settings & adjust.
    I am using a .0625 ball nose bit with 10% stepover and 300 IPM feed and 50 IPM plunge - but both computers are using the same gcode & I don't really want to increase the stepover if I don't have to. I was really hoping to speed up the cnc computer as compared to my desktop. I am off to adjust the accel/decel curve.



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    I got it down to 3hr 45min by tweaking the motor tuner settings. I guess I never pushed the speeds as fast as I dare! It is running as I type this! Thanks for all your help.



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    For reference, I cut this 4.5" x 5.5" lithophane under 2 hrs with Linux CNC using 2 passes. Could the software used in generating the code make a difference? My max feed was only 40 ipm using a .0469 ballnose. How can I get more speed for lithophane routing?-img_0595-jpg



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    Quote Originally Posted by dertsap View Post
    your code is going to be composed of short line segments , so it's important that your accel decel is set to the max while still keeping the machine stable enough not to loose steps over a long period of cutting time . otherwise your machine will never come close to the chosen feed because it is always accelerating and decelerating between points .
    I agree with this 100%. I would try tweaking the accel/decel and gauge perrformance.

    Also, while you're in the General Config page, take a look at the LookAhead setting. For some reason Mach3 defaults to 10 (lines) though the max number is 1000. I set mine to 200 and it greatly inproved the speed and smoothness of my machine when cutting 3D. Related to this, take a look at the CV settings. If you are in ExactStop mode, you might want to switch to CV.



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    Quote Originally Posted by louieatienza View Post
    I agree with this 100%. I would try tweaking the accel/decel and gauge perrformance.

    Also, while you're in the General Config page, take a look at the LookAhead setting. For some reason Mach3 defaults to 10 (lines) though the max number is 1000. I set mine to 200 and it greatly inproved the speed and smoothness of my machine when cutting 3D. Related to this, take a look at the CV settings. If you are in ExactStop mode, you might want to switch to CV.
    if backlash comp is enabled , then setting the shuttle accel also helps .
    My router was never much of a problem for speed, and a 6x6 carving with a .015 step over took roughly 20 minutes .
    But my mills on the other hand had been a problem when cutting 3d , and all of the above settings have made a huge difference .

    A poet knows no boundary yet he is bound to the boundaries of ones own mind !! ........


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How can I get more speed for lithophane routing?

How can I get more speed for lithophane routing?