New to CNC and I have A few questions.

[onem]

Hi THis is my first post. So I hope its not inapropriet. I dident know where to post this. I am 23, Not well educated. But I do know AutoCad. And I am an inventor. Well I have Ideas. I then take what I can in the real world like cardboard, paper, bateries and other materials I can find, Realy basic stuff. To try and make PRototypes.

Well as you can guess My protos are quite crude. They work, But only on a minumal scale. So now I am looking into makeing Wooden models of my desighns. I Was Hopeing to buy a 12"x - 12"y - 6"z cutter. That makes three dimentional objects.

I have absolutly no knowlage in CNC. But I learnt AutoCad in two months and Im proficient in it. So I might not be able to spell proporly. But I can desighn things with pure phisics. SO dont think Im taking this lightly. I am only good at desighning stuff. And working out kinks in other peoples desighns.

I am dedicated to This path in life. SO I am wondering if you guys could point me in the right direction. Like what type of machine I will need. What programs I will need to run it. Educational material to teach me these programs
Would be welcome. Like tutorials on the web. Books I can get in the lybrarie.
Becuse I am on a low budget.

I can save up for the materials and the machinery. That is no problem. But Books you only read once. I canot afford. I have a method of learning where I condence what I have learnt. And write it down into A binder. FOr refrence. So the books would be a waste of money after I have read them.

My first Proto made out of wood. WIll be A yoyo. That spins longer then the COld FUsion. Wich is a world record holder. I have a design That works. I have tested it with BAsic materials. I would realy like to test it to its fullest though. JUst to let you know about what I will be working on.

I will also be working on Airsoft accesories. Basicly Add ons for BB guns. But my add ons will go on the inside. And save the PLayers money with a new fule sorce. More efficient then there current Fule. WIch is Toy rechargable batteries. Mostly used for RC cars. I have also tested this desighn. And on a minamal scale it works. But I need to refine it. SO that means stronger materials.

Any help is welcome. Thank you for your time.

[pen25]

i think the best thing to do is read. read read read.. i am still reading from page 58 i think to about page 30 and im still reading. dont forget to start reading about the softare side of things as well..

[buscht]

onem, download the free design plans on this site and built your first machine like that. You will get enough experience from that to be able to accomplish your goals. It seems to be a very well thought out machine.

[ToyMaker]

Onem:
You are on the right path. Browse the threads on this site. Take notes - lots of notes! When you have made a dent in the available material here you will know what kind of machine and in what size you will need to accomplish your prototypes. Then refine your knowledge by building.
Taking what you have and making what you want is called "engineering".

robotic regards,

Tom
= = = = =
“You can commit a crime that's not an impeachable offense, and you can commit an impeachable offense that's not a crime.”
- - Jeff Greenfield, American political analyst

[ViperTX]

The other thing to consider is the accuracy you require....did you want to build your own CNC router or buy one.

[onem]

I have no Exp. In building CNC. I know I will not be able to build one my self unless all the parts are pre made and I only have to assemble them. I have no resorces at hand other then money (If I work at getting some) and my computer. And out sorceing it will only jack up the price im guessing.

So I am looking at buying one. But I cannot pay 7 grand for one. I looked at the build it your self desighn. And the price tag of $500. THat is reasonable for the scale I will be working at (Small parts for toys).

I am looking for a versitile cutting tool. I will be makeing parts that varry from 10 inches long by 3 inches high cylinders. To engravings on parts ( Like my logo and part numbers).

Also I just created a new desighn requiering metal work with aluminium ( For high pressure CO2 Storage). So I need to know if I can aquier a home machine thats small. That will cut both wood and metal now. I know this is a big venture. but MY desighns are quiet usefull.

And I know that alot of Hobbiests will benifit from them. Also I know that high pressure gasses are dangerus. But I made my desighn able to hold twice of what I will be filling it with. So it has Super safty there. Right now I am novice. But my desighns are advanced. I have out desighed many desighners in the past.

Like I saw a show on the Army trying to make a hoveriing disk shaped craft. THey put a hurculese engine in the center of this disk with the pilots seats on the outside edges. it wouldent fly more then a foot off the ground. After that it would wobble till it crashed. I was like 8 years old. And I desighned a disk shaped craft with multiple engines going around the craft. Each one with thrust vectoring (Even though I dident know the name or desighn of thrust vectoring back then).

My craft had air vents wich the multiple engins could pump large quantities of air through to manuver the craft. Also the pilot was in the center of the craft making it stable. I also HAd air turbins (electical generators ) In the flow path, so that they can use the air thrusting to generate some electrical energy for the craft. Like the alternator on the car. The desighn kicked the crapo out of the Military desighn. And I created it in minutes. Just day dreaming about the laws of phisics I had to manipulate. And what type of controlls are needed. also the added features like air turbines.

Then when I was around fourteen. I saw a guy actualy build a desigh simuler to mine (That I built when I was 8) The only diference was he used heavyer materials then I was going to use. And he dident have the air turbines. So Ive been desighning things like that since I was a small kid. ITs been my gift. And now I need to actualy make My desighns reality. THeres just so many of them And there so cool.

Sorry for my long windedness. I tend to talk about things trying to show people a little bit about me. THat migh show them who I am and what I can do. SO I dont get Critisised for ambitius thinking as if I was a child. I do know my capabuilities And resorces. in this world. I just can enter my imagination as if it was walking into a room. And manipulat things as if I wor tuching them and molding them with my bare hands.

So I need a machine that can do this for me in real life. I have my desighns made. i just dont have wood trade skills to hand carve them out. or metal working trade skills aswell. I am going to read this sit over. I talked to a collage near me called geroge brown. And they dont have any corses where I can import autocad desighns and plot a cut. They just have autoshop CNC.

The teacher even said that I couldent cut a piece smaller then 2x4. SO I walk out of there knowing I have seen some one cut peny sized holes useing A CNC. On the discovery network. SO this Site is my only resorce for CNC. And Education pertaining too.

Thanks for the replies. I will look more into building my own machine. but I will need more clerity on the desighn. So I will wait untill I have done more research untill I ask questions on it. TO make it less anoying to others (I have been flamed and insulted many times on forums before. SO I am trying to be cautius now).

If you can tell me of places in Toronto. That I can go to to ask in depth questions about machines and there capabuilities. That is most Welcome.

[pen25]

if you look at the plans youll see others are using thier machines to cut light alum. as far as your co2 tank. youll want a lathe for that.. one thig to consider is servos and a true mill prebuilt form say enco or harbor frieght

[buscht]

Here's a link to a company in Ajax, Ontario. That's right outside Toronto. He sells CNC kits and it might be a good local resource for you.

If you don't have access to woodworking or metalworking equipment, you'll need to be a great scrounger or good at barter to meet your $500 goal.

http://www.durhamrobotics.com/

[Rance]

Buscht,

Please keep in mind that I'm a noob so I very well could be wrong but the spindly standoffs for the steppers on the durhamrobotics model seem to be a weak spot. If I were going with that machine I'd probably replace those 4 standoffs with two aluminum plates. Your thoughts?

Rance

PS: His prices seem to be a little high too. Maybe I'm expecting too much from a purchased machine.

[buscht]

Rance, I've never bought anything from him. I used a plate to mount my stepper, but I don't really see anything wrong with the standoffs. There isn't enough torque in those little stepper motors to twist the standoffs.

Also, you could piece together the same components cheaper, but if you don't have machining capabilites, it's very expensive to have it done.

I'd say, do it your way. Its your machine. I just wanted to give onem a local contact for professional advice.

[onem]

THank you Buscht. That link apears to be what im looking for, but I just glanced at it.

And I thought I could carve a cylinder one half at a time. Without weakening it? I know it wont be smooth like useing a Spinning lathe (Learnt what that machine was from Tool Time). But it will still have the same structual integrety. I just need some basic testing right now.

With these kits on the site you linked. What program can I use to import a DWT file and plot a cut? Or will I have to redraw the file in the cutting program?

Thanks guys for the help. I realy like the people hear so far. I havent been mentaly asulted once. And that is a rare thing on forums for me.

[buscht]

onem, you are welcome. I am not familar with a DWT file. What CAD program generates it?

If you mean a DWG Autocad file, then alot of CAM programs will work, or a DXF file.

You should not have to redraw the file in a CAM (cutting program). The CAM program should take the geometry from the CAD program and attach the tool paths that you need.

On this forum is a guy who wrote a program that will do this with 2D geometry. http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...ight=dxf+gcode

A step up, might be www.sheetcam.com

For 3D and soon 4D work, MESHCAM http://www.grzsoftware.com/

These programs will create G code files that the machine tool reads and translates into machine motion.

That is another program at the machine tool (a PC usually running, MACH 2 or TurboCNC)