Can you sand with your CNC?

[mgeller]

Is it possible and does anyone make a good bit to sand stuff with a CNC? Or is the high speed of the router just make it impractical?

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[slowlearner]

We use rotary sanders in our manual mills and drill presses.
They work fine up to around 3500-4000 rpm. I wouldnt attempt to use anything like this at hi speed though unless it is balanced first.

[neilw20]

I use mine to sand, surface grind, sharpen cutters, and even used it as a paint mixer this morning.
CNC breakpress/bender for tiny parts
Only limited imagination will limit the jobs that can be done.

[fizzissist]

Put a dough hook in it and make pizza dough.
Or use it to mix LN ice cream.

Put a spring loaded pen in the spindle and use it to print out your homework if your regular printer is broken.

Put it in MDI and use the jog wheel to make it a giant etch-a-sketch.

Use a swivel rotary cutter to cut vinyl signs.
Best idea ever? Lay your clothes out on the table, put a big stiff sponge in the spindle, and use a peck cycle without the spindle rotating with a step and repeat pattern to wash your clothes. (replace the coolant with soapy water... )

I'm still working on a program that uses hair clippers in the spindle to trim my dog mounted on the 4th axis.....

[neilw20]

Oh, and I forgot. I use mine for milling and drilling too.

[mgeller]

I use mine to sand, surface grind, sharpen cutters, and even used it as a paint mixer this morning.
CNC breakpress/bender for tiny parts
Only limited imagination will limit the jobs that can be done.

What bit/speed are you doing the sanding at?

[mgeller]

What about making some seriously decorated holiday cookies?

Actually the case I am thinking about would be to sand something that isn't well suited for a drum sander (to thin or small) or something that is too large for your drum capacity.

Put a dough hook in it and make pizza dough.
Or use it to mix LN ice cream.

Put a spring loaded pen in the spindle and use it to print out your homework if your regular printer is broken.

Put it in MDI and use the jog wheel to make it a giant etch-a-sketch.

Use a swivel rotary cutter to cut vinyl signs.
Best idea ever? Lay your clothes out on the table, put a big stiff sponge in the spindle, and use a peck cycle without the spindle rotating with a step and repeat pattern to wash your clothes. (replace the coolant with soapy water... )

I'm still working on a program that uses hair clippers in the spindle to trim my dog mounted on the 4th axis.....

[neilw20]

If you go the wood gets black.
A bit slower a nice sealed dark look
Slower again nice wood color preserved.
Depends on the diameter of sanding gadget and the abrasive used.
Wheels for angle grinder mounted on a bolt give instant results.
DO wear leather gloves.
On 2" try 3000 RPM. Just start somewhere and experiment. We all did.

[fizzissist]

What about making some seriously decorated holiday cookies?

Actually the case I am thinking about would be to sand something that isn't well suited for a drum sander (to thin or small) or something that is too large for your drum capacity.

Seriously..... I wish I could tell you about what is probably the GOOFIEST idea you've ever heard, that I'm going to do with a CNC mill and a sophisticated CAD/CAM program. It's a product that will produce something that you would think completely idiotic.... And it will sell. Not a lot, but it will be fun, and it will sell!!

After it's made and producing, I'll post it here.

[neilw20]

Bought my machine to do some prototype stuff.
Ended up one job I made 89000 of the same item.
What a nice little job for the SX3.
About 100 pieces per hour with all the other preparations and testing each part.
Yes I will try anything with it.

[jm82792]

I have been tempted to bake a cake then mill 3d profiles out of it then frost it.
That or mill a gingerbread house.

[Christian Knüll]

Hi,

if you use sanding bits you get abrasive dust. This and usual cnc machines are usually a bad combination if the stuff finds its way into guides and spindles (and it does unless it is hermetically sealed).

I did it once and had to disassemle, clean and grease the whole thing afterwards to get it running smoot again...

Christian

[shujaa]

hi,
how can i remove scallop marks of ball end mill left from a finishing pass on a mdf fuselage plug ??
any one ??
It will be nice to finf a sanding head. the plug is made is on a 4th axis rotary.

[ger21]

Smaller stepover, and/or larger tool diameter.

[shujaa]

[shujaa]

[shujaa]

Hi Gerry,

Can i use rotary burrs and repeat the finishing pass