HELP Please

Hello to everyone on here. Hope someone can help me please.

I have the 'CNC 3018 Pro', which I bought in October 2019, and as yet, have got nothing from it. I don't know if it is the wood I am using, the router bits, the software or anything else...

I have tried to cut models out of the wood, but when using balsa wood 2mm thick, it will finish the job, but will not cut through the whole thickness of the wood. Also I can only find small sheets of balsa wood (biggest being 150 x 100 mm) in the UK. So, I have tried using plywood sheets sized at 220 x 150 x 3 mm, the machine starts okay for approx. 1 minute then it starts going of course and getting stuck. I have also tried MDF sheets but have the same issues.

Is it the fact I am using incorrect settings in the software?? I have tried looking through the internet but cannot find any help as all videos show every thing perfectly on these machines, straight out of the box!!, I Wish.

What types of wood do other people use and router bits??

Thank you in advance.

Your problems could lie in any one or all of a number of areas.

Mechanical - is everything tight that should be tight? motor couplings especially.
Electrical - are all connections sound?
Software - are your settings correct? Have you calibrated the machine?

We don't have a crystal ball on the forum and you will need to post more information about your software and settings. And Pics, lots of pics (preferably in focus).

Then we will do our thing and get you cutting properly.

Cheers,

Rob

Cropwell is spot on with his reply.

I'll add, though:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Had_Enough!

I have the 'CNC 3018 Pro', which I bought in October 2019, and as yet, have got nothing from it. I don't know if it is the wood I am using, the router bits, the software or anything else...

What types of wood do other people use and router bits??

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The problems you describe arn't due to the wood or bits. It could potentially be your cut settings being wildly over ambitious, but most likely due to one of the things Cropwell listed.

Do the same problems happen when you run the cut in air?

To get a working machine that will produce accurate parts first the machine needs to be set up correctly so for the moment just forget the G-code side and let us make sure the machine is set up correctly.

So we need to know the control software your using and the settings you have entered for starters, there will be other info that will be needed but let's start with this first.

Also just to eliminate any chance of mechanical issues just check it's not falling apart and the Axis move freely when NOT under power. There should be resistance but not really Stiff. There should also be NO or very little movement before the motors or screws turn if you grab the axis and rock it back n forth.

We will get you cutting and there should be no reason why you cannot cut plywood or any wood for that matter to a reasonably good standard even with a cheap machine like this.
But it may take several posts and the more info you can give us the quicker it will be. A good way is to take nice clear pics of the screens or if we ask about electrics do the same.

Also, make sure you're not trying to cut straight through plywood at too fast a speed, milling isn't like 3d printing or laser cutting, you need the right bit, feed-rate and spindle speed.

Once you've got it set up for what you generally work with it's great fun. I have a 3D printer and a laser cutter, and the router is a much more complicated beast.


Cheers, Gary.

Thank you for everyone's help here. the software I am using is GBRL Candle latest version. With regards to the first reply, I actually took the machine apart and rebuilt it to better instructions, as the ones I had received were not very clear. They also made no mention that you had to calibrate the CNC machine.

I believe I may of found an issue with the machine, while calibrating, (which I did via a video on the internet). The x and y axis's both calibrated with 798.xxx which I have updated in the GBRL software. However, the z axis seems to have the issue I think; when I measure the distance from the top to where the spindle part is, I get a measurement of 11.06 mm. I then drop the z axis using the steps like I did for x and y, say 20 mm but the distance is then only 11.06 mm so only gone down 7.35mm. When I have put 30 in the Steps field, it only goes down a distance of 12 mm. I have down these same measurements 5 times and come up with the same results.

Just out of interest, I am considering purchasing a laser for this machine. What is the 'SainSmart 445nm/5.5W Blue Laser Module Kit' like and is it worth £135?

Once again Thank You.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Had_Enough!

Hello to everyone on here. Hope someone can help me please.

I have the 'CNC 3018 Pro', which I bought in October 2019, and as yet, have got nothing from it. I don't know if it is the wood I am using, the router bits, the software or anything else...

I have tried to cut models out of the wood, but when using balsa wood 2mm thick, it will finish the job, but will not cut through the whole thickness of the wood. Also I can only find small sheets of balsa wood (biggest being 150 x 100 mm) in the UK. So, I have tried using plywood sheets sized at 220 x 150 x 3 mm, the machine starts okay for approx. 1 minute then it starts going of course and getting stuck. I have also tried MDF sheets but have the same issues.

Is it the fact I am using incorrect settings in the software?? I have tried looking through the internet but cannot find any help as all videos show every thing perfectly on these machines, straight out of the box!!, I Wish.

What types of wood do other people use and router bits??

Thank you in advance.

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1.If it is okay on 2mm wood sheet,but 3mm height wood sheet is not okay,Check the getting stuck issue reason is that the knife feed depth is too high in programming Gcode process,if it is,adjust it a bit lower value for every depth feed.& adjust the feedrate slower also.
2.After confirm above check and test,if it is also not okay,power off machine,use your hand to rotate the X/Y/Z axis,check it is whether stuck during the X/Y/Z travel,if it is,you need to adjust the round axis or screw to install proper position...
btw,CNC 3018 Pro is like a toy,too weak structure and less precise except magic cheap price....

That laser module is only about 5 watts i think, my laser cutter is the cheap Chinese K40, it runs on about 40 watts and cuts through 5mm acrylic at 5mm per second so a 5 watt laser isn't going to give you much cutting depth so only good for engraving, or it can of course cut more deeply with mutiple passes.

40watts CO2 laser is not good at cut 5mm arylic,it is also not good to slow down the machine feedrate,i suggest that you can use normal feedrate instead of slow feedrate,but repeat this Gcode file more times.