Building My First CNC Router, Looking for Advice & Other Info

**AlexDoran** · 08-08-2017

I agree with you, how did you go about organising the counter boring? Can they also thread the ends of the Extrusion?

For the machines main function (Routing the 1mm Interdens), i will simply use 18mm MR MDF, and use strips of double sided tape to hold the sheet and keep the cutout items in place after they are separated from the main sheet.

I will also drill the MDF and fit a grid of threaded nuts to use standard clamps / buy a machine vise for machining components we hope to make out of aluminium / bakelight / acetel.

Our larger CMS machines use vacuum pods, sometimes these suffer a nasty end if they happen to meet with a cutter :( I have machined them before on the smaller of the machines but i find it difficult to get repeat-ability in the jig i made to machine them. It will be much easier on this machine. The largest of the pods are 80mm Thick Phenolic Plywood so it will be a good challenge, i think i have enough Z Travel.

Here are some pics of the 2 Bigger Machines and an example of the Vacuum Pods. The Larger Through feed machine has a 3200 x 2000mm workable area (depending on which tool your using in the Horizontal / Arbitor A Axis), It has a 16 Space Carousel Tool Changer. It has a "5th Axis" which actually only controls the mobile vacuum pod row.

The smaller machine has 2600 x 1300mm workable area, 1 Horizontal / Arbitor Head - 8 Head Revolver (8 Motors Fitted with Tools, very fast tool change, mass production suited).

Both machines use an OSAI Controller, programs are generated from a CAM Package called DDX PowerCam - I write C Based Programs for Component Files, we use an Access Database where the guys in the office can build different Door Configurations (We make timber fire doors), Access exports a text file of parameters, PowerCam reads the text file and builds the CAM File autonomously, no manual drawing is ever done.