Need some input on a CNC printer

[CNCadmin]

I'd like to make a 24"x48" printable area cnc printing machine. I'd like to use a full color head mounted on my machine to print on material? Is this possible, to cannibalize a plotter and make it work?

[HomeCNC]

What ever happened to that guy who was making a CNC painting machine? Maybe he learned some tips that you can used.

[murphy625]

Originally Posted by CNCadmin I'd like to make a 24"x48" printable area cnc printing machine. I'd like to use a full color head mounted on my machine to print on material? Is this possible, to cannibalize a plotter and make it work?

There are 2 little rovers driving around on a planet 50 million miles away..

What's not possible?

Practical.. Now that's a word...

Murphy

[rgillam]

I'd look for an old large format printer ( I've seen encad 36" on ebay for as low as 100.00 ) Rip it apart and change the drive system. Only realy problem you'll have with printheads is that the majority are thermal ( water based inks ) you can however get pigment mased inks that are water proof. But water based inks will only stick to something that can absorm them. Some of the newer printer use the Epson print heads which are piezo and can there for use solvent based inks that will stck to almost anything.

[ynneb]

What ever happened to that guy who was making a CNC painting machine? Maybe he learned some tips that you can used.

Vacpress? I think he did a runner because he made lots of noise but didnt finish anything. I also make lots of noise and dont finish much either. I just hang around afterwards and look stupid instead.

I guess I am now in the same boat. I just bought a plotter and fistly will make it into a vinyl cutter. This sould be easy. The next task will be to make a detachable head so I can then put a printer head on it.

I dont expect any mechanical problems in doing any of this. The only real dramas I expect are somehow getting a software driver for it. I expect this will mean writing code to drive it. Something I know nothing about. Oh well, here goes another steep learning curve for me, or another red face.

[rgillam]

What brand of plotter? Most will accept HPGL drivers. Except Calcomp.

[skippy]

If you can solve this mystery in an economical manner you will have almost solved another problem. How to direct print PCBs. Even better with PCBs is that it only needs one colour to act as a mask for the etching process.
Reading between the lines, I'd say Paul wants to use this machine to print parts (foam) output from his laser so therefore it will need to be a flat bed style (i.e. gantry based) to give it height as required. I'd imagine HPGL2 or similar to drive it. The idea of canabalising an existing printer or plotter and transfering everything on to a gantry style machine seems like way to go.
"print on material" = material as in cloth OR as in unspecified materials?

[ynneb]

What brand of plotter? Most will accept HPGL drivers. Except Calcomp.

It is a Schlumberger model 1835 S ( sounds like a German hamburger to me)

So far I havnt been able to find drivers for it.
I have googled extensivly too.

I am not that fussed really, since in might just go down the conventional cnc path with it and put a stepper card on it and bypass all the other crap.
All the same if any one does know of where to get drivers for it, I would appreciate that.

I will post a pic of it 2 morrow. Not very exciting to look at though.

[Jan]

ynneb
http://www.winline.com/evalpen.html
http://www.driverzone.com/drivers/schumberger/

[ynneb]

Thanks Jan, I had seen these links b4.
The driverzone link tells me to use HP drivers, but HP no longer has then on the internet.
The wine link is a program that costs more than 300 bucks and It doesnt have a trail version so I dont even know if it will work.

But thanks so much for trying to help me though

[scottsss]

Wasn't their a comercial product that already did this? Or maybe it just printed on wall. See if you can find the web sight and see if they have user forums. Ask a few questions. See what people have to say.

Also the z distance, I see that as the big problem. Any fex or warp in thin material might change the z distance and you might have problems with the image getting fuzzy.

[ynneb]

Wasn't their a comercial product that already did this? Or maybe it just printed on wall. See if you can find the web sight and see if they have user forums. Ask a few questions. See what people have to say. Also the z distance, I see that as the big problem. Any fex or warp in thin material might change the z distance and you might have problems with the image getting fuzzy.

There is quite possibly commercial items to do what we want. But the spirit is doing it yourself, and doing it far cheaper than comercial products.

You will notice that cncadmin mentioned canibalizing a plotter and putting a print head on it, I am just consdiering to put a cutting knife on my conversion. Similar conversions, just different uses.

As far as the material flex you mentined, most plotters have a suction fan that pulls the material flat directly under the printer / plotter/ cutter head. Also the heads themselves are usually spring loaded so as to float across the material, and kept at the exact dristance for doing thier tasks.