CNC Machining PROCESS

For this assignment, I was tasked with creating two identically designed CNC pieces out of wood. These designs when cut out should be 3×3 in size and have two different depths cut out.

In order to create my two CNC wood pieces I first had to find a design. This design was found from the noun project website which allowed me to download a pre-made SVG file. The design I chose to use is shown in the image below.

This image shows the wolf design I chose from the Noun Project.

After downloading the design I uploaded it onto carbide create. Here I was able to set the size of my wood (L*W*H) as well as the design size. I made sure all of my settings were correct as instructed in the assignment instructions and also set the depths at which I wanted my outline and pockets cut at. After everything was set I was able to visualize how the cutout would look by viewing the simulation available on the carbide create software.

This picture shows the simulation of my wolf design and how it would look once cut out of the wood.

After saving this file I began to open it up on the next software, Carbide motion, which is what allows the CNC machine to preform its intended function. When the file was uploaded to the software I began to set the home on the CNC machine to the corner of my wood piece. After setting the home and having my file uploaded I pressed start on the machine and followed its instructions. The CNC machine began to cut out the wood and I just waited for the cut to finish. This process was repeated twice in order to produce to identical pieces.

This is the screen once the file was in the process of cutting my design on the wood.

 

Above demonstrates the CNC Machine cutting out the wood.

After both of my pieces were cut out I began to sand all of the rough surfaces away. The machine left quite a lot of wood splinters and pieces that had to be sanded down. After sanding I spray painted to add a little bit of character to my pieces and then waited for it to dry.

Final Product

In the end I was satisfied with my pieces. This was my first time using the CNC machine and I think it came out pretty good.

STRENGTHS

I think my biggest strengths on this project was repeatability, sanding, and overall utilization of the CNC machine. I had two pieces of wood that was the exact same size and so when repeating my design on the second piece of wood it was very easy to replicate because I didn’t have to change any settings or reset the home I just replaced the piece of wood and pressed start again. I think overall my sanding was pretty good as well. Without sanding it was unclear what the actual shape looked liked but after sanding you could clearly visualize the wolf howling on a mountain. Overall I think I did pretty well at using the CNC machine. I didn’t have any major issues that caused me to have to redo anything and I was able to cut both pieces out within 1 hour.

POINTS OF IMPROVEMENT

For this project I believe points of improvement could be my outline cut depth. The wood I was using was very cheap and already came with some deformations. When cutting, my piece cut out the outline completely in some places and not fully in others. I ended up having to break the extra attached wood off but this caused chipping on the back of my wood piece. To improve this, I would use better wood and increase the depth at which the CNC machine cut out my wood.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS PROJECT

I liked being able to figure things out on my own. A lot about this project was learned just by doing. At first I was having issues with selecting my pockets and setting the CNC Machine home to the corner of my wood piece but I was able to quickly figure these things out just by trying stuff until I got it right.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY

There are a couple of things I would do differently next time. I would try to use different/ nicer wood. I would have loved to see how the nicer wood would’ve turned out. For this project I also would’ve tried adding epoxy in the pouches of my design to add a cooler overall finish. Lastly, I would probably change my design and see if I could CNC a model of my own face.

COST ANALYSIS/BREAKDOWN

Materials

wood: cost for (1/2in*4in*4ft) $9.98 *(used 17/100 of the wood) 0.17 = $1.69

Cost of White paint–  $6.48

Personal Labor: CNC Machining/sanding/Painting – $25.10 x 2 hrs – $50.2

Cost of Equipment use: $40 per hour * 1 hr = $40

Total: $98.37