so, my company will be getting one of these for me in my little office. the 75 watt CO2 version can cut through up to a half inch of wood at a time(that was the estimate given to me by the sales rep). it can cut and engrave, basically everything that isn't metal.
what kind of neat ideas can you think of that I might be able to try off the clock, after hours, and with my own material? I'm thinking of things I'd use with my /tg/ friends like props and stuff, also stuff I'd make for the local fetish community, but I'm very unoriginal
that said, WHAT NEAT THINGS HAVE YOU GUYS DONE WITH CNC EQUIPMENT? MILLS, LATHES, LASERS, PRINTERS? WHAT FUN SHENANIGANS HAVE YOU HAD? WHAT KINDS OF ISSUES MIGHT THIS EPILOG SYSTEM GIVE ME?
pmma (acrylic) is really nice to work with and its pretty cheap. i have made a few things out of hours with this for robots and stuff and its great fun. spent entirely too long drawing a penis to raster onto a set of coasters
always manual focus. never use epilog auto focus. one time i tried it out and basically 'sensor' switch that tells the table to stop just slipped to the side because of its ridiculous design. the table crashed into the head and the machine panicked. needed to reboot to manually focus to get the table down but on reboot the head would auto calibrate and when it realised it was stuck it would panic again.
machine was out of service for two hours because nobody had a screwdriver to take the front panel off and manually turn the belt in order to drop the table. fucking pain in the asshole.
why is it possible for the table to crash into the head in the first place anyway?
but yeah great fun.
>>901119
>always manual focus.
noted, for future reference...
>had a screwdriver to take the front panel off and manually turn the belt in order to drop the table.
my supervisor is a tool-whore, glad to say that even if it's got a weird-ass screw head on them panel screws he probably has the driver to screw them properly.
>why is it possible for the table to crash into the head in the first place anyway?
because in applications like this the engineer is too busy thinking "IT NEEDS TO MOVE A LOT AND MORE MOVEMENT RANGES MEANS WE CAN CHARGE MORE MONEEEEYY; SO I WANT IT TO HAVE ALL OF THE MOVEMENT" without thinking about how adding more "range of motion" will result in equipment crashes.
>spent entirely too long drawing a penis to raster onto a set of coasters
no shame man, none at all.
I am certainly gonna try and build a folding, layered yolk(fetish type). if I can get that in acrylics I could probably sell them for loads-a-dosh to the local community.
that and I want to see if I can legibly engrave poems onto things, like a little plastic prayer card with the full text of "If-" or "The Hymn of Breaking Strain" on one side cut deeply into the plastic.
>>901140
>weird-ass screw head
sad to say it was a pozidrive.
there were 3 toolboxes in that room and none of them had anything close. wtf.
i guess it depends on the machine but rastering for engraving can take fucking ages. like a boring amount of time. and then whoever is in charge insists that you have to watch it do its thing for fire safety it gets fucking boring super quick. bring a book. or something to do.
i think it was a 40w, 10mm acrylic took two passes but the thicker you go the more out of focus the beam is by the bottom so you get like a bevelled edge kind of thing. 3mm was fine but cutting bits for a box from 10mm was a disaster because the edges were not perpendicular to the faces. i think you get different focusing lenses so it might not be an issue, we were set up for very very small depth cuts. like under 1mm.
>>901145
>engraving can take fucking ages
as the operator of a Gravograph rotary engraver(model IS400TM), I can say that I doubt it'll be as slow as what I have now.
>like a boring amount of time.
I keep a small array of books in my desk drawer as it is, this isn't so bad to me. paid to sit and read or browse the 4chan.
>because the edges were not perpendicular to the faces.
uh oh...I can hope the extra money we're shelling out for higher wattage can serve as a counter for that...
say, does the machine generate any particular amounts of heat?
my office gets stuffy as-is with the gravograph and the accompanying vacuum chip removal system
>>901158
h&s required us to exhaust outside through a filter.
building wouldn't give us a hole so we had to open the window and dangle the hose outside.
so it was cold if anything.
but i don't know about the machine.
>>901162
>so it was cold if anything.
so you live further north...
I live in south TX where it's 100° F or higher for 6-9 months of the year...
>>901158
>say, does the machine generate any particular amounts of heat?
Laser hobbyist here. Yes. Ours is set up in a small room, probably 80 sq ft.
Machine puts out a decent amount of heat. Enough that we keep the room air conditioned year round. MN by the way. Keep an eye on the heat. Especially in the summer, before we had an a/c unit installed in there, we couldn't fire the laser (heat sensor and alarm) on hot days.
We run an 90w Full Spectrum setup.
>uh oh...I can hope the extra money we're shelling out for higher wattage can serve as a counter for that...
I've cut 1/2" Acrylic in one pass. Two gives better edges though. You can also manually change the focus after the first cut, bringing it down 1/4" to give a better edge.
>>901105
Life is so much bullshit man. Ive been dying for one of thes to cut ply drone frames and this fuckhead has one but doesnt know what to do with it.
>>901487
Do you have a job, anon?
If so, use the money you're paid to buy one.
If not, get one, maybe even one that already has a laser cutter.
>>901490
>maybe even one that already has a laser cutter.
its what happened to me
I'm also the guy in >>890891
workplaces love to buy you things that are cool, so long as you can turn a profit for them with it.
>>901487
>but doesnt know what to do with it.
I need ideas is all. all my workplace is gonna have me doing is lots of marking and customization...what I want is ideas for me.
like, the fetish applications of cut parts. but I can't really discuss that here.
or building terrain for TTRPGs
what else, apart from signage would I do with one of these?
>>901478
>generates heat
>lots of heat...
shit...
the lady getting me the machine may not like that...
>multiple passes gives better edges
noted.
>1/2" acrylic
sales rep said not to do that too often...it's the max thickness we can cut with 75watt
ever cut Lexan, PVC, or Gravotec plastics?
what of WOOD?
>>901490
I cant turn a profit until I get the cutter, you see the predicament I am in.
>>901510
...Kickstarter?...
>>901511
yeah once I have a prototype. For now Ill have to pay through the nose for someone else to laser cut for me.
>>901105
Something to keep in mind is that a laser cutter works by vaporizing the materiel and acrylic vapors are the smell of burning plastic. You need to set up a ventilation system. If you use it often the neighbors will complain because the area around your building will smell like burning plastic. It's a very strong smell that everybody is scared of.
>>902085
building I'm working in is a 150X400 foot fabrication building, and it already smells like welding all the time. whats a little burning plastic?
>>901498
>ever cut Lexan, PVC, or Gravotec plastics?
>what of WOOD?
Sorry, I forgot all about this thread.
Lexan (Polycarbonate) cuts VERY poorly. It absorbs IR, thats why the windows on the laser cutter are made of it.
PVC releases chlorine gas when cut and will kill the laser unless it's setup for it.
GravoTac can be cut I believe, but I've never done it.
I cut solid hardwood in thin sheets. Plywood, and engrave thicker pieces of hardwood.
>>901538
What are you trying to cut? It's often (always) much cheaper to have another hobbyist cut it for you.
>>902960
>VERY poorly. It absorbs IR
surely an ideal medium then?
>kill the laser
not great for humans either
>>902967
not if it transfers that heat away from the focal point with any degree of speed...
>not great for humans either
these machine usually have a vent and vacuum system to pull the hazardous gasses away...
>>902960
>cuts VERY poorly.
is there a good way to cut the stuff with a 75 watt laser like the one I'm getting?
super slow or super fast passes?
laser power output setting?
say a 1/4" or 3/8" thick piece of lexan
>>902971
you have to trial and error, depends on the lens and age of the tube, sealed tube loses power over time.
if you run it too slow or too powerful to cut deep it can burn, melt and deform depending on material
3/8 i would say give it a few passes, let it cool down in between
>>902967
>surely an ideal medium then?
Nope, it tends to burn rather than vaporize
>>902970
>these machine usually have a vent and vacuum system to pull the hazardous gasses away...
Most lower level ones just have a simple fan for venting. They're far from air tight.
>>902971
>is there a good way to cut the stuff with a 75 watt laser like the one I'm getting?
Not very. It will cut, just not well. Acrylic cuts like butter with a sexy flame polished edge. Polycarbonate cuts very poorly, and gets yellowed on the edges. You can cut it but you'll be going full power with low speed and might need multiple passes. You need to watch it like a hawk because it likes to start on fire.
>>901145
pozidriv is a glorified philips head. you didnt have a philips head screwdriver?
>>902976
>Polycarbonate cuts very poorly, and gets yellowed on the edges.
I may just have to give up on making S&M paddles with my machine in the off hours then...
still I can work with acrylic...
anyone know the name for the kind of hinge where you stack plates of material in offsets that mesh with another part with similar offsets(hinge is then pinned)? I can't find a picture or I'd show you.
AR lowers
1911 frames
>>903169
no guns on location, company policy.
>>903170
80% lowers aren't guns.
>>903167
>anyone know the name for the kind of hinge where you stack plates of material in offsets that mesh with another part with similar offsets(hinge is then pinned)
Like a pantograph?
>>903249
no, like...fuck I hate communication problems
okay, take a circle, drill it out the center so it's only got an inch of material all the way round
now cut it in half.
now take several copies of the pieces you now have
take the first piece and set it down
take the next piece and set it on top of the first piece, but offset it (like you'd rotated the 'circle' 20 or 25 degrees)
take the third piece and set it atop the first two lined up perfectly with the first piece
piece number 4 aligns with piece 2 and lays atop piece 3
make of these assemblies, the ends of the semicircles should meet and mesh like a carpenters joint. drill a hole through one of these joints and pin it.
if that made sense, good, that's the kind of hinge I want to try and produce using layers of acrylic (more complicated shape than a circle, but a circle worked for the explanation I hope). if not I'll have to find something to post and I've already been driving myself up the wall trying to figure out WTF that sort of hinge or joint is called.
>>903285
>>903249
kind of like pic related, but instead of open space between the layers there's an offset layer
>>901158
Why don't you do what you're paid to do?
You are a self proclaimed shit tier employee.
>paid to sit and read or browse 4chan
>>904388
engraving is what I'm paid to do. that takes large amounts of time where I can't leave the machine unattended.
when there are other things to do I do those things instead. like long distance driving or high-voltage high-temp electrode manufacturing, or flare-stack repair/refurbish, or electronic wire-line truck loading, or HAZMAT recycling.
but on days I sit and engrave I tend to have to spend most of the day sitting and doing very little else than watching the machine go.
Exactly the thread I was looking for.
My collage just got a nice little CNC, it's blowing my mind how well it cuts.
Also looking for ideas; there are disturbingly few images in this thread.
I feel like engraving EVERYTHING, but putting my laptop under a 130W laser just seems a little dangerous to me.
>>905820
>laptop
You know what you have to do.
>>901105
>the guy actually making something by hand and selling them gets his thread deleted
>meanwhile OP asks what he should make with a store bought CNC
Fuck /diy/s mods. This thread is shit.
>>905839
Perfect, I'll engrave that then put a sticker over it.
If anyone steals it they'll never be able to sell it.
Fuck, I should also do mein kamp and some swastikas
>>901105
Ever heard of metal engraving spray/paint?
Cermark is the only one I have dealt with. The electrical shop I work in has a guy making panel labels, custom electrical plates and the like full time, using a laser.
The Cermark material is a kind of paint that you spray or spread onto your metal surface and then lase, with speed/power settings according to directions, etc, etc. Then you wash off the water-soluble paint to reveal the indelibly printed text/design/mark
It's not true engraving for metal but it's a great effect.
>>906014
oh, and if you'd not heard of it before, this would be a good thing to tell a boss about and get the company to order for their own metal marking. It ain't cheap material, better you only need to use a dab of theirs instead of buying cans.
>>905820
>130W
dude, acrylic or wood plates/boards 3/4" thick(using the epilog laser numbers quoted at me) or more in a single pass, get some programmers(every college has them) to run you up an alternate OS for it to vary the output for DEEP bas-relief sculptures.
or cut out game tokens for the local board and tabletop RP gaming communities. it will make you many friends.
try to make interlocking parts to build little houses as architectural models and shit like that...
>>905852
>selling them
thats the issue.
it sucks, but it's how it is.
>>905938
totally...
also, do some test cuts first in case 1.) the laptop contains a chloride based plastic and 2.) to figure a good cutting output power for that given plastic.
>>906014
yeah, thats the only way I can mark metal with what I'm getting. don't know what brand I'll be using, but I may end up printing all our HSE pipe inspection rings if it works too well.
>>906015
I do some of the metal marking on a seldom and sporadic basis as is. it's usually covered by a small team of dudes with a high speed reciprocating impact machine(we have to inspect and re-band our pipe after every or every other job for safety reasons. means lots of unique inspection tags)
>>906014
>The electrical shop I work in has a guy making panel labels, custom electrical plates and the like full time, using a laser.
This is funny because my dad is an electrician and has asked me to cut some panel signs since they are currently sending away for them.
They actually bought a second hand engraving machine to do it but no one in the shop can get the thing working and they're too cheap to get someone in to do it.
>>906102
have you tried reading the manual?
and don't give me the shitty excuse that "there isn't one" you have an internet connection, I can smell it on you.
>75 watt
>half inch of wood
>sales rep
With perfect settings, lens and mirrors, power supply in good working order and dry wood, you'll get a 1/4" cut, but probably still charred. 1/8" will work nicely but also require getting settings just right.
When I had access to 100W epilog, I made lots of wild speaker enclosures from 1/8" wood. Enjoy, anon.
>>901105
play a joke:
bring a couple pieces of toast to work and lay them in the bottom slot
when someone walks in, pull them out of the slot and make a sammich with them
just to this ONE time, so that ONE person sees it
don't explain it to them, never speak of it to anyone else, and don't ever do it again
I'll (hopefully) finally get some time on a laser cutter tomorrow, Imma keep this thread alive a little longer.
>>907004
this is a wonderful idea...
that and I kinda want to see if it will engrave words on toast...
"what are you doing?"
"eating the names of my enemies to gain power over them"
>>906102
>have you tried reading the manual?
My folks live 500 miles away and I've never seen the machine and know nothing about it other than "Al bought some second hand engraving machine but he doesn't know how to get it to work or if it's all there."
Not to mention I'm not going to go get it working for free.
>>907004
I basically did this once. We were laser engraving steaks with the logo of a local company for a photoshoot.
>>901140
>"IT NEEDS TO MOVE A LOT AND MORE MOVEMENT RANGES MEANS WE CAN CHARGE MORE MONEEEEYY; SO I WANT IT TO HAVE ALL OF THE MOVEMENT"
It has to do with the acceleration of the head. You can see this very clearly when engraving; the head "overshoots" a lot but this is to ensure that engraving is always done at the same passing speed
>>908386
Got it.
Here's a little box I designed in inkscape.
I'm happy with it, I used some scrap material so the edges are all 1mm thicker than designed for.
>>909777
Also made this 1mm grid so I can make cases for things. Ima make wooden box for all my stuff.
>>909550
I was actually talking about the vertical movement of the work table...some dumb engineer is thinking {if I increase the functional volume of the engraver we can sell it for more money!}
>pic source
http://www.burnindesigns.net/p/catalog.html
a use for a laser cutter I can reason with...gonna probably steal that guy's ideas because I can...
>>909786
Sorry, you're probably thinking about someone else.
I'm just some shitposter from /g/. I hardly get to making things, just the occasional circuit board or arduino fuckaround.
It would be very nice to just have a couple threads dedicated to people kinda "Show and tell"ing their work.
I might scrounge around all my projects and put something up.
Actually, that's not a bad idea for a site, not hackaday which reports news, not instructables where it's tutorials, a social site where people can post their finished projects, a basic guide and the required files.
It'd let you follow or subscribe to the people you like so you can always see what they're up to.
Throw in build logs as a secondary thing, write them up as you're going and publish when you're done, or publish everything as an "Abandoned project"
Well I know what I'm gonna be doing in my holidays.
Would be a giggle to have the first project on the site be the site itself.
How bad of an idea would it be to try and make a cnc laser cutter for like $60. I just want to etch pcb's
>>910304
good idea, but i swear there is something similar out there
Anyone know a good place to get supplies a good price?
I mean typical department store is fine to start, but as it gets used more MDF, Acrylic, glass, and thin woods may be needed in a larger supply that isn't going to break the bank.
>>906014
This sounds very interesting. I'm going to keep this in mind. Such a long wait until mine arrives sadly.
>>901105
Engrave your phone is a fun one. Maybe start with the case though if the settings are complicated on your device.
Since its a cnc thread
My parents found what they think is "easy" job as being programmer/operator(they have no idea which one but said "i just need to press some buttons on the computer").Is it really this easy(we will have 1 month training )but im afraid it might be harder than it looks.
>>910726
From what I understand, it's best to see it as a halfway house between manual labor and office work:
you won't have to do any heavy lifting/be physically fit but you get more exercise than a desk job.
pushing buttons is a massive understatement, they already tried to automate your job and found it couldn't be done fully, so you have to engage your brain at least a bit.
you're generally responsible for machine fuckups unless there's a machine fault (this varies massively between sectors)
generally though, it's a pretty good job, especially if there's a chance of promotion, and the job security is better than you would expect
>>910736
I really dont expect it to be piss easy and i will study it more than its needed if i even go there but i cant really see myself working there more than 1-2 years.My biggest fear is fucking up something because they seems to be too expensive.
perhaps useful yes?
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:728579/#files
On a somewhat related note, how far could one of these lasers effectively burn from using proper lenses? I'm thinking of an anti-drone laser turret
One of these lasers?
A CNC machine?
So go look up high power laser tubes and optics.
Look into x-ray lasers.
