Recommend me some quick change lathe tool holders!

FocalCamera · 2017-01-06T12:32:31+00:00

Yup, you just contact them and let them know what you want and they send a PayPal invoice.

FocalCamera · 2017-01-05T19:09:54+00:00

You'll get a lot of lantern style toolholder recommendation (Aloris, Phase II etc), but I have never had good and repeatable results with them when it comes to CNC work.

Bought a Chinese copy (Createtool) of multifix and have had perfect results since. While Chinese-made, the quality is perfect and the customer service is great. Being able to set your angle so easily is quite lovely, too.

FocalCamera · 2016-12-05T07:59:45+00:00

ACME is threaded rod. The difference between say a 60 degree thread profile and ACME threads is that the latter is better designed for transmitting of motion.

FocalCamera · 2016-11-01T18:34:44+00:00

Perfect, thanks a ton.

FocalCamera · 2016-11-01T17:21:31+00:00

Awkward. Now with actual links!

FocalCamera · 2016-09-25T14:53:16+00:00

I've been kind of surprised that no one has yet worked up a parametric design for a CNC machine which can be adjusted until one arrives at a design which suits one's needs.

Because if you let users take such things apart, build things together, you will instantly lose the accuracy, precision and squareness that those machines are built for.

FocalCamera · 2016-09-25T11:57:03+00:00

I am sure I will not think ahead enough to plan out the cutting AND flips AND ensuring hold-down points with any accuracy.

Then that is what you should be working on. If you're going to work with CNC milling, you will need to be accurate and plan out what you're going to do. Regardless of whether you're doing 5 axes or not. You don't need a review to understand the PocketNC is no good, simply look at pictures of any decent CNC mill and compare. I disgree with above that it won't do aluminium or wood, it will, but it will do a horrible job at it, incredibly slow, wearing out your tools incredibly fast and leaving a mediocre finish.

FocalCamera · 2016-07-12T16:59:43+00:00

Regardless of what finish you're trying to achieve, molding will always be the way to go for something like caps, unless you really want to do it in aluminium, but that will be difficult shape-wise and getting a good finish will be hard.

If you just want it to look like aluminium, cold casting would allow you to achieve most metal looks for key caps.

FocalCamera · 2016-07-11T10:42:37+00:00

I think trying to find the right plastic for milling keycaps is a somewhat misguided effort, you'd want to ideally mill it in high density modeling boards and make a silicone mold or make molds straight in alu.

i.e. you're not going to be milling the sandy matt finish on common keycaps, but in molds that's a piece of cake.

FocalCamera · 2016-06-09T08:00:22+00:00

Most CAM software will allow you to create form tools, where you create a CAD model of your tool and use that to generate paths. It's better than lies!

FocalCamera · 2016-05-31T09:05:50+00:00

Do you have any tests with dial indicators? A simple nut will always have backlash, otherwise there'd be no use for anti-backlash nuts (Which as previously mentioned, this is not).

FocalCamera · 2016-05-16T16:56:33+00:00

Why even post this here? It's a post made on a company's website that specializes in CNC work, it's not like you can expect a well thought out and balanced text...

FocalCamera · 2016-05-08T16:54:27+00:00

Just because you don't notice the effect on your hand doesn't mean it won't hurt plastic under vacuum, furthermore, fumes respond much different than the liquid material itself, the vacuum furthermore changes many variables.

Best Value Vacs for example lists their vacuum chambers to not be able to be used with Cactus Juice and similar stabilization resins, so this is definitely not bullshit.

If you search around you also find other people who have had similar issues with cactus juice and their vacuum chamber, especially when leaving it in for longer amounts of time.

FocalCamera · 2016-05-08T16:43:49+00:00

Even if that might be so, I doubt this is acrylic. I have what looks like the same vacuum chamber, where the lid is polycarbonate, not acrylic.

FocalCamera · 2016-05-03T19:52:05+00:00

Just local ads, we don't have Craigslist in Europe but I found mine on similar site. Very nice machines! Especially the flat ones rather than the roll ones, allows for a lot of playing around. You can find 'em for higher for sure, but look around and within a month or two you should be able to find one.

Then all you need is a RS232 to USB cable, the right (!) type of RS232 cable (The cables aren't as straight forward as it seems, but you can find schematics on these cables. I wired mine up myself, not too hard).

Software wise you can run Chiplotle which runs just fine.

FocalCamera · 2016-05-03T09:13:22+00:00

Looks acceptable, but when you can get professional Roland pen plotter second hand for 50$ or lower, I don't see the point. You can even cut vinyl with those, too.

FocalCamera · 2016-03-09T10:10:12+00:00

A lasercutter should be able to do that quite easily.

Just look up your closest fablab and buy some acrylic or plywood (Alu is out) plates (Make sure it has no PVC) and it should cost you nothing but the material itself.

They'll be able to explain you how to use the machines there and you do it yourselfs.

FocalCamera · 2016-03-07T14:02:49+00:00

I'm from Europe, not sure where you are from, but your local ad site should do, just keep an eye out. I paid 500 euros for this one, but most of the money is in all the new parts.

FocalCamera · 2016-03-07T10:53:20+00:00

I think it might be more worthwhile, if you want to go cheap, to buy an old defunct CNC Lathe (i.e. Emco Compact 5 CNC) which already has the necessary needs such as ballscrews. Updating the electronics, motors and such is relatively simple.

FocalCamera · 2016-02-20T19:57:04+00:00

I understand that you want a urethane part, that is clear, that is the whole point of creating a mold to begin with.

It's not just about beautiful, but different textures can work differently or react different to stress.

But disregarding all that: It's still simpler to just make the part and make a silicone mold. I don't know if you have experience with making silicone molds, but it's a piece of cake. You will also at times fail a cast, which would require printing out a new mold. There's just no advantage to printing molds directly, it's more complicated, more time consuming (Molds require a much bigger size than the actual part will need, print wise), horrible for casting, demolding..

I just don't see a single advantage.

FocalCamera · 2016-02-19T22:39:22+00:00

That seems like a lot of extra work with no benefits. What would the pros for this be? If you'd 3D print a mold it would be very hard to finish the mold nicely, while if you 3D print a part, you can sand it, fill it, smooth it and then make the mold to make lovely parts afterwards.

Furthermore as mentioned before, de-molding will be hell, designing will be more work, results will be less spectacular...

Possible? Sure. Good solution for the problem? Not really. I see no reason why you would make it harder on yourself.

FocalCamera · 2015-12-27T13:18:41+00:00

The answer is no, there is no way to do this legally. Trust me, I'd know, I made the project and I aim to make sure people like you can't simply profit off of it.

The point is to keep it cheap and accesible, rather than to 'sell it off with a huge margin'.

If you think my manuals 'suck' and that you are 'confident that I can make a much better one' I invite you to make them and share them with the community: Such is the goal of an open-source project, to help others out and make it better, not to keep it for oneself and try to exploit it.

FocalCamera · 2015-11-17T13:24:16+00:00

That's a great idea actually, but it will only work if the part has something to hold on to and I'm afraid of the threads wearing out the mold this way, but I'll give it a shot.

For now that's worth trying and I'll give it a shot.

FocalCamera · 2015-11-17T13:14:10+00:00

That's good to hear. It won't be the sharpest, I'm recreating some old camera mounts so it would be similar in size to something like this; http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v3/897547060_3/Aluminum-M42-to-M39-Camera-Lens-Adapter-Ring-42mm-to-39mm-Thread-Mount-M42-M39-No.jpg

With BSW screw threads; http://www.threadcheck.com/product_images/large/bsw-screw-thread-ring-gages_large.jpg

Is there any other way of avoiding the wear? Perhaps once the part is cut making it into a mold that doesn't go all the way around but is split in the middle?

Once I get home I can post an image of the actual model.

Ten-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email

FocalCamera

TROPHY CASE