What do you make or plan to make with your cnc router?

[piratecnc]

Hi, I was thinking it would be interesting to trade ideas on what people are making with their CNC routers. I would love to see photographs of machines in action, and final parts and products.

I don't want this to become a thread on actually building the routers themselves, but rather what kinds of products people are using their machines to manufacture.

Note to moderator: If I've posted this thread in the wrong place, will you please correct the problem?

[pencilneck]

So far I've made sawdust more than anything. Add to that 2 destroyed router bits as well. But I got this to show for it:



I'm still very new to all this so anything I do is more about learning something (opps.... well, lets not do that again) rather than making something useful.

[jsheerin]

I originally built my router to make speakers:





I've also made some tools and parts for my motorcycle. Alternator holder:


Battery bracket:


Currently I'm working on an amplifier case (cutting the aluminum front panel and engraving text).

[LeeWay]

http://www.leestyron.com/HD/heavyduty1.jpg

http://www.leestyron.com/cover/psi/whale_shark_06.jpg

http://www.leestyron.com/cover/excal/excal5.jpg

http://www.leestyron.com/crman/crman2.jpg

http://www.leestyron.com/images/aushark1.jpg

[tskguy]

I built my router to make Microphone capsules for large diaphram microphones.
Like this.
So far its only made parts for itself though
Not as easy as I thought thats for sure!!

[Propaganda]

Amazing work on those speakers!

I made my machine originally to engrave clear plastics...




I since moved on and starting doing artwork I sell my local art gallery. =)

[Patternboy]

Hi propaganda,
nice work, I would like to know what cutter you used to do the engraving, what is your cutting speed, feed, RPM, and do you use lubricant, I'm having a hard time cutting ether plexiglass or lexan (polycarbonate)
Thanks

[Propaganda]

The robot was milled onto polycarbonate (I am not 100% on this) and I used a 1/8" upspiral endmill new out the box @ .050" DOC, 30 IPM. A bit slow, but this was my first try.

The lower one is extruded Plexiglas (brand name) at .220" thick. The bit was a upspiral ball nose 1/4" dia/shank from american-carbide.com @ 13K RPM, 100 IPM throttled down to 67% in MACH3 and the DOC was .110". (single pass) *edit* No lubrication, no air assist. This was milled in my back pouch where the temperature was about 90F.

Here's the milling shot to try to show the size of the chips...




And the channels are nice and clean with less than 1% welded on chips however you can see chatter lines which in my case is OK for now to have.




Here is a video, also in that same channel are a few vids of 2.5D milling extruded plexi. BTW, the chips left around the edges of the channels quickly crumpled away with a light rub of the thumb.

[Patternboy]

Thanks propaganda,
I will try it when my CNC router will be installed in our new building. I did some in the pass with polycarbonate, and I use a .25" flat endmill solid carbide, I was doing a contour toolpath, and the polycarbonate was melting, I don't remember what was my setup, I know I was doing stepdown of .0625", my piece was .5"th.

[piratecnc]

Great posts here folks. Please lets keep them coming!

[LeeWay]

The guards I make are polycarbonate. It is a Thermoplastic of course, but rather on the soft side. Not as hard as acrylic. I use bits just for this from Onsrud. Solid carbide two flute. Straight flutes by the way. I have use spiral bits with good results too.

As for the chatter when using a ball end mill.
You may be able to eliminate or camouflage most of it by using a clean up pass or finish pass.
Looks great guys. Keep up the cool stuff.

[bobsch]

Lee,

That's quite a menagerie of Shark Guards you've developed.

I love mine.