Reader small image

You're reading from  A Tinkerer's Guide to CNC Basics

Product typeBook
Published inJan 2024
PublisherPackt
ISBN-139781803247496
Edition1st Edition
Concepts
Right arrow
Author (1)
Samer Najia
Samer Najia
author image
Samer Najia

Samer has been extremely interested in things that fly since he was six years old. An avid pilot, flight instructor, rocketeer and plastic modeler, he has been building things that fly or look like they might for as long as he can remember, including a full scale aircraft in the garage. Samer has a background in Mechanical Engineering and is a CNC and Laser hobbyist, but currently is working in IT – specifically software development. Samer resides in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two children and participates in his local maker space by teaching metal shaping techniques, rocketry and homebuilt aircraft construction.
Read more about Samer Najia

Right arrow

Different settings for different operations

We have already touched on some of the considerations around settings related to not just what you are cutting, but also how. For a laser, multiple passes where the beam is likely to diffuse inside acrylic may mean wider cut lines and multiple passes (acrylic tends to re-melt if the cut line is thin, requiring higher power beams and multiple passes). When using an end mill most of your settings will be in the G-code generator program. However, there are some basics I have found that serve me well.

If I am engraving wood, I keep the depth to 1-2 mm at most. If I need shading and changes in texture, I will switch to a laser. If I am engraving metal with an end mill I never get deeper than 1 mm and prefer to stay in the realm of 0.2-0.5 mm.

I have broken enough bits trying to find a baseline feed rate for every material I typically work with. This feed rate is calculated based on the bit, the RPM, the material type, and so on. You may...

lock icon
The rest of the page is locked
Previous PageNext Page
You have been reading a chapter from
A Tinkerer's Guide to CNC Basics
Published in: Jan 2024Publisher: PacktISBN-13: 9781803247496

Author (1)

author image
Samer Najia

Samer has been extremely interested in things that fly since he was six years old. An avid pilot, flight instructor, rocketeer and plastic modeler, he has been building things that fly or look like they might for as long as he can remember, including a full scale aircraft in the garage. Samer has a background in Mechanical Engineering and is a CNC and Laser hobbyist, but currently is working in IT – specifically software development. Samer resides in Alexandria, VA with his wife and two children and participates in his local maker space by teaching metal shaping techniques, rocketry and homebuilt aircraft construction.
Read more about Samer Najia