Vienna now has a(nother?) MPCNC

#1

I finished my build a couple of days ago. I printed the parts over a year ago. Electronics and Hardware also have been lying around for some time. A couple of weeks ago I finally started assembly, everything was working out great. I decided to go with the dual endstop version. I printed some custom part for cable management and some cable chains to make it all look neat.

First test with the pen were a blast! It was square from the first time I used it, which really amazed me.

My main application is cutting Carbon Fiber Plates. Since I did not want to attach a vacuum to get rid of the nasty dust, I build a water container to submerge the carbon fiber plates during cutting - works like a charm and it does not even splash as much as I would have expected.

I use a China Spindle - 400W with ER11 collets and a speed controller. I was surprised by how quiet it is, when running full RPM it is maybe as loud as my vacuum cleaner. I can use my CNC without waking my girlfriend up in the middle of the night - I was totally not expecting that.

Last week I found a great carbon dealer in my area and acquired my first carbon fiber plates.

Just for reference, I used the following settings for my first carbon cutting experiments:

Tool Diameter: 2mm
Horizontal Feed: 8mm/s
Vertical Feed: 3mm/s
Speed: Maximum that the spindle will allow ~30.000RPM
Cut Height: 0.5mm

I have the feeling that I can push it some more, but this settings gave me great results, so I thought, I’d share.

I am very excited about having a machine that works so precise and reliable - this gives me totally new opportunities in making stuff.

Let me know what you think or if you have any questions regarding my build.

Thank you again, Ryan.

Chris

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5 Likes
#2

Welcome to the crew! Thanks for the pictures, and thank you for using a water bath, nasty stuff is easily kept at bay with a little water.

1 Like
#3

Hey, Thanks for sharing. Looking to build one my self for the same exact reasons only I would also like a changeable head for a laser but that is optional.

Can you give me some details on the spindle? I need it to be silent as well.

Also can you cut 4mm carbon for bigger carbon quad frames?

I know nothing about CNC routing, I only have XP with 3d printing :slight_smile: so feel free too give tips and stuff :slight_smile:

#4

Sure, thicker carbon is no problem at all - as mentioned above, my cut height is 0.5 mm, when cutting 4mm carbon it would basically need 8 passes to get through it.

This is more or less the spindle kit that I got => https://www.ebay.at/itm/CNC-400W-Spindle-Motor-Mach3-PWM-Speed-Controller-Mount-Power-Supply-for-Engravi/123255694280 except mine came with a set of ER11 collets.

Those are the endmills I use => https://www.ebay.at/itm/2-38mm-VHM-Fraser-Schaftfraser-fur-Kunststoff-MdF-GFK-Alu-CFK/231593287833 I got 2mm and 3mm. The 2mm I use for smaller frames where I use M2 screws and the 3mm endmills for frames that will use M3 hardware.

#5

Can you share details of your water bath/how you’re holding parts down in it?

#6

The containment for the water is made from white furniture board and some aluminium L profiles. The Profiles were cut and screwed into the the furniture board. Then I used silicone to seal the cracks between the L Profiles themselves and the furniture board. I then tested that it is water tight by filling in water and letting it sit around for a couple of days. The carbon itself I screw to an MDF board with some 3D printed mounts and the MDF board is stuck to the furniture board with double sided sticky tape. I then fill in water until the carbon sheet is fully submerged. I also tried to just stick the carbon to the MDF board with sticky tape, it worked but the sticky tape gunked up the endmill in the last pass, so I decided to screw it to the board instead. Also the type of double sided sticky tape you use matters a lot, some will not stick so well under water but the TESA brand works extremely well for me.

After cutting I suck the contaminated water off with a vacuum cleaner.

The MDF board is unfortunately not ideal as it tends to warp after it gets wet. I can cut a sheet of Carbon in one sitting, but if I cut a small thing, and let the wet MDF sit for some days it warps badly and I need to swap it - so this part is not ideal. I have some doka boards coming (It’s a brand of board that is used here for construction work and thus water proof) I hope this is better suited for submerged usage. I was also thinking about experimenting with PE board, but it is rather expensive and I guess it would be cheaper to sacrifice the much cheaper MDF instead, also I am not sure if I can just screw my carbon to that or if I would need a more elaborate way of clamping it down.

I hope you could follow my explanations, I can take some pics on the weekend.

#7

Hi, Chris,

Thanks for sharing, the build looks pretty good! I’d also like to build an MPCNC to cut carbon panels, but I was curious if it would be able to do that - until I found your post.

It would be great to discuss your experiences with you and learn more details about your build:

  • How big is the working surface and how high did you build the z-axis?
  • Can you also make a statement about the accuracy of milling?
  • How thick are your carbon plates normally or what is the thickest plate you could successfully mill?