Considering DIY machine build - reality check

[greenz123]

Hi Jazz, thanks for the reply. Do you think I could build a machine capable of cutting very fine details around 0.1-0.2mm widths in 1mm plastic sheets ? Is cutting multiple sheets at once possible ?
I'm just North of the centre of Leeds but my workshops over in Bradford.

[JAZZCNC]

Hi Jazz, thanks for the reply. Do you think I could build a machine capable of cutting very fine details around 0.1-0.2mm widths in 1mm plastic sheets ? Is cutting multiple sheets at once possible ?
I'm just North of the centre of Leeds but my workshops over in Bradford.

Yes to both but positional accurecy mostly comes down to 2 things.? Type of Linear components used and quality of build. If either one are wrong or bad then accurecy suffers. Ballscrews and Profiled linear rails are definate must for higher accurecy.

Cutting multiple sheets is easy enough just a matter of having enough real estate and setting up fixturing or coding to suit.
Setting up fixtures and coding for multiple sheets, known as offsets, is not difficult but it's slightly above entry level G-code so you will probably need some hand holding or do some head scratching for a while until penny drops but easily do-able within short period of time even for someone compleltely new to CNC.

To be honest yours and often most peoples biggest challenges are not working the machine or producing G-code but rather WORK HOLDING and fixing. This becomes even harder with very thin or narrow material and this will by far be your biggest challenge to get on top of with really thin material and engraving.

Fine Engraving needs more than just component accurecy it needs very good level of build quality and high attention to detail.
Also correct selection of materials it will be built from. The stiffness of the machine will need to be high and the bed surface to high precision for engraving fine detail so material selection is very important and areas like the bed and Z axis etc will need machine ground tooling plate not just standard aluminium or steel plates.

When you start upping the accurecy Spec then you really do start taking things to higher price level build wise so with a budget of 2K you can't expect really high accurecy but still 0.1 - 0.2mm isn't a problem.! 0.01 or better at this size machine then you better get your wallet fattened up. . .lol

[JAZZCNC]

Hi Jazz, thanks for the reply. Do you think I could build a machine capable of cutting very fine details around 0.1-0.2mm widths in 1mm plastic sheets ?

Hold on just realised you said widths and not meaning resolution.? . . . . In what way do you mean widths.? Can you give an example of the type thing your trying to achieve.!

[greenz123]

Yes by widths I mean Id like to be able to cut very small details, some as small as 0.1mm.
Im not even sure a 0.1mm bit would do anything other than drill 0.1mm holes though ? I imagine the bit wouldnt have the strength to travel through any material laterally ? The design I have in mind has thousands of holes ranging in size from 3mm to 0.1mm. Is this feasible ? Am I expecting too much ? As I said Id like to be able to drill/cut multiple sheets at a time too.

[JAZZCNC]

Thats just tooling accurecy not positional accurecy. Cutting with 0.1mm tool is easily done with correct tooling and feeds etc.! . . . . . What resolution would you like to work to IE: Smallest movable amount.?

0.1mm is not considered high positional accurecy for CNC work so if your talking this is highest positional resolution you'd like to work with then yes can be achieved and not too much to ask for DIY.