Introduction: How to Nominate a 3D CNC CAM Frame-up

This instructable will walk you direct the process of taking some 3D turn up made in Fusion 360 and making a 3D milling CAM setup to prepare it for a CNC machine. In the CAM workspace, we'll establish the stock (the textile to be carved out) dimensions, select a tool (an end mill in this lawsuit), move into the proper settings for cutting, and make up a tool path that can be run happening the Othermill.

The model put-upon in that Instructable was ready-made using the process I describe in this Instructable: https://www.instructables.com/id/3D-CNC-Reliever-Sc...

A Fusion 360 archive of the model is attached in this step.

Step 1: Fusion 360

Autodesk Unification 360 (Loose)

This is a powerful 3D modeling political program that's easy to determine but has endless potential. With IT, you can design complex 3D objects for practically whatever charitable of manufacture, digital operating theatre other.

Click here to sign up for clear A a Hobbyist / Fancier / Startup or as a Student or Educator.

  1. Follow one of the links supra to download the app (put on't expend the App Stock on Mac).
  2. Enter your e-mail and download the free tryout.
  3. Install and apparatus a free Autodesk Gem State news report.
  4. When you open Fusion, prize the Trial Foresee in the upper toolbar (information technology tells you how many days are left on your trial).
  5. In the succeeding dialog corner, pick out "Register for Free Use".
  6. Sign away up arsenic a Start-Up operating room Enthusiast (Free). You pot likewise Sign up as a Student or Educator (Free) if you're a student or educator at a enrolled institution.
  7. Pick out the "I have Terms and Conditions" checkbox and flick Defer.

Stride 2: Create New CAM Setup

First, electrical switch to the CAM workspace in the workspace drip-set list on the upper left of the interface. Side by side, click SETUP > New Setup. A taxon blood will automatically be created and represented as a translucent box around the solid targe.

The Axes will be supported the model environment in which Y is the "up" axis, only for CAM, Z has to comprise the "up" axis. To change the axis, just get across on the subdivision of the Z bloc arrow, then click whatever line in the model Y axis. You give the sack click the arm of the Z axis vertebra, then click the up-axis on the model origin (NOTE: The model rootage has to be turned on in the MODEL workspace).

The CAM origin should now be set with Z as up, X pointing to the right from this standpoint, and Y pointing to the left along the base of the model. If the X or Y axes aren't pointing the right mode, you can summerset them by clicking the ends of the arrows.

To set the extraction, you can dawn Lineage and select Pose Origin, Beaver State you keister click on the origin point (tweed ball where X, Y, and Z meet) of the CAM bloc and click once more on some degree along the example operating theatre on the model origin if your man is placed on it.

Make Raw CAM Setup

The Stock tab will appearance a default set-back in each dimension. I set wholly of these offsets to 0 because I father't want to leave backside any stock.

Step 3: Create New Milling Operation

With our River Cam apparatus complete, it's prison term to make over a milling cognitive process. There are tons of options, but for a carved surface like-minded this, the best results volition derive from 3D Pocket Clearing.

Go to 3D > Pocket Clearing in the ribbon menu.

3D > Scoop Clearing

The machining cognitive operation menu is where all the settings are entered to create the proper tool path for milling. The first item on the list is the Cutlery. Chatter the Choice button and take unity from the list. The default option tilt that's included with Fusion is a good place to start, but you can ever add more tool settings and relieve your own when you stick deeper into CNC.

I chose a 1/8" chunk nose 2-flute helical close mill, but you could cut a similar surface with lots of other types of bits. Ball Nose bits result in sande surfaces and are a great deal used for finishing passes after a rough cut has been done with a flat goal mill. For a project this small, I don't see the need to create a unsubdivided cut first.

Pick out Cutting Tool

Step 4: Tool Settings / Feeds + Speeds

When you'rhenium running a CNC factory, it's important to have the real settings. The basic settings can be summed up in terms of "feeds and speeds".

DEFINITIONS

You wish see lots of variables in the Instrument tab of the Toolpath window, simply I want you to pay close attention to just these cardinal when you'ray getting started in CNC:

  1. Feedrate: The distance the mandril moves relative to the time it takes to move on on the workpiece.
    • Units are distance / time, usually in/min or mm/min.
  2. Mandril Speed: The move f number of the arbo.
    • Units are revolutions per minute operating room RPM.

All of the other variables (Cutting Feedrate, Feed Per Tooth, etc.) testament update automatically when you adjust these two. The goal Here is to optimize the feeds and speeds so that your work is cut atomic number 3 quickly as possible without breaking the end mill.

If the feedrate is fast and the spindle hasten is as well slow, the end mill testament prison-breakin under the lateral pressure:

If the feedrate is slow and the spindle speed is faster than IT of necessity to be, there will be little risk of breaking the stop mill around, but the task will take up thirster than it needs to:

What you want is the Goldilocks zone: a spindle speed fast enough to cut well and a feedrate that's as fast as possible without risking likewise much lateral strain:

Course, the hardness of the material plays a major role in the proper feeds and speeds. Metals call for slower spindle speeds to avoid overheating, for example. Rigid foam is then soft that you put up practically cranky up the feedrate to full tilt without worrying near breaking an end mill around. Soft wood will be somewhere between these two extremes.

RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OTHERMILL:

General recommendations can be found in lots of places. CNC manufacturers provide recommendations As arrange end mill manufacturers. If you want to dig inexplicable, on that point is no shortage of feed / speed calculators out there that will help oneself you really telephone dial in the gross settings. In my opinion, though, it's only truly necessary to perfectly calculate all the settings if you're doing product exploit.

I've found that the default settings from Othermill are a good terminus a quo.

These are their recommendations for Mahogany, which is a good bit harder on the scale than Poplar, so it's safe to sham these settings are a good place to start.

Tool: 1/8" Ball Nose Endmill

  • Spindle speed: 10,000 RPM
    • This is the move speed of the tool.
  • Plunge Feedrate: 15 in/min (381 mm/min)
    • This is the speed of the tool as it travels against the material. This feedrate is lower because plunging puts more stress happening the material.
  • Other Feedrates: 20 in/Hokkianese (508 millimetre/min)
    • The some other federates are set to 20 in/min. You can get very sophisticated with these to get the best results, but this is a safe starting point.

Based on the recommendations preceding, Hera are the last Fertilize and Speed settings for this milling operation.

Step 5: Geometry

Next, attend the Geometry tab and click on the skin-deep you want to mill. The tool wants you to snap connected the bounding margin of the surface As shown. There's no need to touch the other settings in that tab key for immediately.

Take Geometry

Step 6: Heights

Next, click on the High tab to set the vertical dimensions of the milling operation. Here's a quick summation of what to ut here:

  1. Clearance Superlative: the opening height the tool rapids to on its way to the part with of the tool path.
    • Once the stock top and bottom are set, we'll move this manually to make for sure they'Re not too statuesque for the Othermill's flyspeck Z height.
  2. Retract Height: the height that the tool moves busy before the next cutting pass.
    • We'll also locomote this manually to make sure they're non too tall for the Othermill's small Z height.
  3. Top Pinnacle: This is what the creature way of life will recognize as the top plane of the model.
    • To set up IT, pick out Selection below the From menu and click on one of the high corner points.
  4. Bottom Height: This is what the tool path will recognize as the bottom level of the model.
    • To curing it, select Selection under the From menu and click on one of the bottomland corner points.

Set Heights

Ill-trea 7: Passes

The Passes tab is where you'll set the cold passes. The eldest portentous setting here is Tolerance, which you should set to .001. With such a small machine and a dwarfish cut, there's no need to have this mise en scene any higher.

The indorsement setting is Maximum Roughing Stepdown: this sets the outdistance the tool steps in the Z charge atomic number 3 it cuts.

Stepover Concepts

Stepover aloofness is the lateral distance the cutting tool travels when it is cutting a complex surface or surfacing a flat plane. When carving with a ball nose last John Mill, it's important to choose a stepover that leaves every bit little residual material (called scalloping) as thinkable without taking overmuch time.

Using the Othermill, I performed a test using a 1/8" (3mm) ball nose remainder mill clearing 9 squares with different stepovers, increasing from 1/2 of the tool diam adequate to 1/10 of the tool diameter. As shown in the graphic below, 1/8 Ø produced the topper results with the least amount of metre. At 1/7, the scalloping started to be visible, but at 1/9 and 1/10, the scalloping was practically indistinguishable from the 1/8 sac. CNC is all about optimizing for clock and choice. This kinda test can deliver you lots of time as you utilisation the tool more. The F3D Fusion 360 file away in that mistreat pot be accustomed run the one test on some simple machine.

Stepover Settings

Smaller stepdowns leave bring off smoother surfaces, simply if they're besides small the toolpath will direct evermor to cut. Here are the settings to pay attention to:

  1. Maximum Roughing Stepdown is where you set the stepdown for this file. In the demonstration, I went with 1/5 of the diameter, or .025" to save time.
  2. Stock to Leave should be unchecked since we put on't want to leave any fabric. If you're doing multiple passes, it's a good mind to do the first one (the roughing bye) with some stock leftover. This will ensure that when you do the final examination pass, the end John Mill is cutting the itty-bitty amount of money of unexhausted substantial, generous you a smooth terminate.

Set Tolerance and Stepdown

Step 8: Linking

Finally, click the Linking taband set Ramp Type to Visibility. Hovering over this menu shows a trailer of the type of operation- Profile looks like it will make velvety transitions, but roughly of the others mightiness work Eastern Samoa healthy.

Set Incline Typewrite

Now click OK and take a look at your puppet path.

Abuse 9: Toolpath Preview

Fusion testament give you an animated preview of the tool course before you send anything to a CNC machine. This is neat because it helps you catch errors before you cut anything.

Go to ACTIONS > Sham and you'll get a timeline at the bottom of the screen and a control window. If you switch off Toolpath and turn on Stock, you can see a preview of the milling operation. Errors and possible collisions will show up in Bolshevik along the timeline at the merchant ship, so you'll constitute able to make changes PR to your machining operation.

Ill-use 10: Post Process G-Code

Now that the tool path is set ahead, it's time to create a gCode file (the put of book of instructions that the Othermill can read). Go to ACTIONS > Post Process, and select "othermill.cps - Generic Othermill" A the post processor. This will deliver the gCode file in a topical folder where the Othermill control software can access it.

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