grade 10 teacher needs easy plans for cnc router

[scottinwind]

Hello, I am working on a grade 10 lesson plan for about 3 weeks worth of work. My goal is to spark interest into the students in the cnc field, by building a small
2-d cnc router and controls. I want them to be able to engrave a small name tag when we are finished. If anyone can help with any of this I would appreciate it. My background is a plastic injection mold maker, mold designer, and 3d cad modeler. I am now a teacher in Ontario. Any assistance would be great, If I could offer anything as a bonus I may be
up for doing some small 3d surfacing. I will check this post for replies

[jhowelb]

As far as simple, easy and cheep as they come. Try this one.
http://rockcliffmachine.com/
Intended to be built with hand tools and maybe a table saw!
Take a shortcut on the electronics, too many things to go wrong. I would recommend Gecko G203V just because they are "kill proof". Probably a necessity in a school class!

[MrWild]

IMHO it'd be best to have the unit built and working for the class. Was that your plan? To have a working example for teaching purposes, or to build one in class?

[scottinwind]

The plan was to build one in class from simple pre-manufactured or engineered parts. So actually I guess you could say the plan is to assemble the machine in class, with a little bit of modifications on the way. I want to divide the class into groups of 4 or 5 kids and give that group a task. One group would be in charge of getting the machine together, one group would be doing the controls aspect of it, another group could start to learn some start up, basic program and shutdown codes.

[rippersoft]

Might I suggest that you look at http://www.crankorgan.com/ and see which plan seems like a classroom project. Several are pretty easy to build and very straight forward.

There are several threads here that speak to plans and hardware store designs.

I am not sure of your budget or your classes electronics skills, however, you may want to include the electronics class if the school has one. A cnc controller could be a real eye opener for that class. See http://www.pminmo.com/ for DIY controllers.

The drafting class (CAD) can create a DXF file and convert it to GCode using ACE and this can be checked for proper operation using a CNC Simulator. CamBam is also free and available. See http://www.brusselsprout.org/CAMBAM/

You can build a machine from simple store bought items and have somrthing that will surely spark the interest of the kids.

RipperSoftware

[jhowelb]

O.K.! Here I come with a bucket of cold water.

My wife is a teacher. For close to thirty tears I've helped her with class project of one kind or other and so I've been "blessed" with a little insight into the ups and downs.

Save yourself a lot of expense and head ache. Have some one do the electronics or at least do it your self if you have enough electronics "savy". Your class will only burn it up or possibly electrocute themselves. Take complete charge of the controller and keep it!

If you make (or purchase) the kit you could have a class participation project on the assembly. Good luck!

Start up and shut down is as simple as turn on the computer, load the soft ware and then conversely, shut down the computer.

A more practical approach would be for you to first buy, build and operate a small machine. This would give you the intimate knowledge you need to teach the class. It is not quite like baking a batch of cookies. In addition cookies never flashed, burned, electrocuted, sliced, diced, tore out huge chunks of flesh, amputated digits, or self destructed. This kind of machinery has done all the above and more.

Neat idea, great subject! IMHO, wrong approach for teaching.

[DocTanner]

Maybe not quite what you had in mind, but this could get your point across.
www.taomc.com/bits2bots/index.htm

[rippersoft]

If you just want to get the point across with a minimum of outlay and reduce the loss of fingers, toes, eyes, etc., the an automated Etch O Sketch might fill the bill.

http://axis.unpy.net/etchcnc

A computer with parallel port, EMC2 with Axis, a program to create some DXF and then convert, the driver, the steppers, and the Etch O Sketch. Pretty simple, but shows that the computer can drive a device that will make something.

RipperSoftware

[birdmun]

I have seen an instructable on building a very simple router:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy...lling-Machine/
He also has an instructable to build a fairly simple controller board for it:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy...and-Driver-ci/

[High Seas]

I was fascinated by the possibilities - I had to do a bit of searching and -- AND SO what about LEGO Mindstorms as a source:

"CNC PROGRAMMING: While the NXT isn't going to give the designer a complete education in CNC, it can come close to providing the basic understanding of plotting. CNC stands for Computer-Numerical-Control (there are variations). Have you ever seen those machines that cut into metal using lasers or water-jets or simple drilling and follow a programmed shape on a computer screen? That's a version of CNC. In college, we used CNC to cut out parts from aluminum and steel. We designed the part using software first - we had to know trig, geometry, algebra, and other stuff to properly draw something as simple as a 1/4-inch hole in the material. Programming a robot to follow a path or to perform a certain movement has characteristics of CNC."

http://thenxtstep.blogspot.com/2006/...n-my-ipaq.html

Seems like it could be 90% solution and about 250 USD.

By grade 10 I had already scratch built and launched rockets, made a wind tunnel, a lotta smoke and noise and a science fair winning rocket motor test stand. Mind you - we weren't so PC in the early 60s so a kid and teacher had a bit more latitude.
Best of luck and Jim

Maybe an off-site field trip to a machine shop could be a neat eye opener for the kids too.

[epineh]

Originally Posted by jhowelb In addition cookies never flashed, burned, electrocuted, sliced, diced, tore out huge chunks of flesh, amputated digits, or self destructed.

You have obviously never tried my wifes cookies

[jhowelb]

Originally Posted by epineh You have obviously never tried my wifes cookies

I suspect that if she gets wind of that comment, you will likely be bleeding from numerous places and be nursing knuckle bump on your head!