CNC Mill + Printer?

[scruffyjones48]

I have been browsing throughout this site for sometime now and I have my idea for my first CNC Mill.

I have been getting into electronic circuit design and I have wanted to be able to make my own boards. So I wanted to build a small CNC to cut out and drill my custom boards...then I saw a thread on here where a gentleman modified an old printer to print the design directly onto the board. And most of you know how it goes, the mind starts to wonder and the ideas pour in. Seeing how my skills are average in the workshop, and my attempt for a decent looking project never turn out so decent looking, I am now wanting a small cnc machine / printer that I can print a design on and cut it out.

But, the design I was hoping to go with won't work with my new intensions. I was in hopes to also use this concept to cut out and label holes on thin sheet metal or plastic to use for control panels, ect.

I have a small hand dremel from harbor freight that i was opting to use, but I dont think it will work for my design, the same one as in the instructables video made from 1/2" pipe fittings.

Any suggestions as to whether this is a concept to follow through on, or on what hardware i should use for my design? and for such a small machine 12" x 14" ideally, would 8020 be overkill?

[scruffyjones48]

Okay, Let me first apologize for my previous post in which I did not describe my project or concept in detail…I was falling asleep ay the keyboard! Lol. I have thought about my design more, and have come up with some more details I’d like to get suggestions or opinions about.

I have spent a lot of time sifting through other peoples designs to see what options are available to me based upon what tools I have and my skills or lack there of to use them to any degree of satisfaction. That’s why I am excited to build a CNC Router to help aid me with my quest to build things with some quality and precision with a hint of professionalism. As I read through the trails and errors of others, my understanding and the complexity of my design gets more difficult.

I’m fascinated by the 8020 concept because of its wide variety of uses and its ability to allow the CNC parts and tools to be interchangeable and upgradeable, so I would like to use this as my frame and whatnot. The big downfall I see with using 8020 is the price, but in the end I know it will be worth it. Id like the cutting bed dimensions to be around 5 feet long x 3 feet wide x 1 foot height. This way I’m not limited by to small a machine for some of my future projects/upgrades.

Since my hobby ranges from mostly electronics to stupid little gadgets, I want a machine that can cut out holes and shapes in thin metal/plastic/wood as well as drill holes and etch PCBs, so I will need a powerful router that can be gentle with certain materials.

But to the feature Id like to add the most would be some sort of printer head, that once I cut out some metal say for a controller or panel, after I wipe it down and clean the surface, I can then go back over it and print switch labels or signs, Ect. Ect. This I haven’t started to research yet, I figured I would ask for opinions or suggestion to if this is possible, and how hard it’s going to be to get it to be a clean print. Maybe mount it on the gantry under the routers Y-axis linear support beam with its own z axis bearings to bring it up to the top when it’s not used, and lower it down to the surface when I want it to print on. This way it’s on the same gantry, and I can put a cover over the heads to prevent dust build up.

I’m open to any suggestion you might have and I appreciate you taking your time to read and assist. Meanwhile, I have a lot of questions that I need answers to, so I will start combing through threads once again. Happy CNCing!