For my CNC machining assignment,  I decided to create Poke balls! I first started off by going to the Noun Project to get the SVG file which can be seen on the right. I then imported it into Easel and created a circle around it. I chose a depth of about 1/8″ for the Poke ball and about 0.8″ for the circle so that the part would be cut out.

 

 

You can see what my first cut looked like on the left. I was having trouble getting the CNC machine to carve and cut within the same run so I had to do two separate runs, one for the carving and one for the cutting of the outside circle. Due to this, I had to move the bit to the bottom left corner of the wood both times and it wasn’t in the exact same spot. This caused the outer circle to be off-center.

 

After the first iteration, I realized that the problem was that I also had the ‘detail bit’ size enabled on Easel and that was causing the issue. I then tried it again without that selected and the CNC machine was able to carve and cut in the same run! I then cut it again so that I had two. These can be seen on the right.

Since I was satisfied with the parts, I sanded and painting them! After I let the paint dry overnight, I sprayed a clear satin protective finish. My final parts can be seen below!

Overall, I enjoyed this project! This was my first time using this machine so it took me some practice to understand the settings and running through all the steps necessary before carving. I was able to learn from my mistakes after the first run so I’m really happy with my finished product!

Cost Estimate
CNC machine rental: $25/hr=$25
Wood material=$5
Paint & paintbrushes=$15
Protective finish=$12.98
Labor (prepping file & finishing): $10/hr=$20
TOTAL: $77.98

Since this was my first time using the CNC machine, it took longer than it normally would. With more practice, I would be able to bring down this cost the next time because I wouldn’t have to be using the CNC machine for an entire hour.