Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal?
Posted by R.J. Bowman
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Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? April 27, 2009 11:52AM |
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? April 27, 2009 12:32PM |
Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 42 |
You would use a milling bit with some kind of milling head. For thin aluminum you can use a Dremel tool. I would check out Forest's blog as he has done a lot with milling plastics. You could also check out the early posts in Nophead's blog. The process for milling metal won't be a lot different.
I would have included links to both blogs; but my internet is acting up and I couldn't get to either site.
I would have included links to both blogs; but my internet is acting up and I couldn't get to either site.
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? April 27, 2009 01:25PM |
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? April 27, 2009 03:26PM |
Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 180 |
I built a cartesian bot a few years back for sheet metal and it used EDM (electrical discharge machining). It wasn't exactly a home use machine because of its size and power load.
I suppose those you could easily mount an arc welder with a carbon cutting rod to a cartesian head and cut thin sheet metal pretty easily.
I suppose those you could easily mount an arc welder with a carbon cutting rod to a cartesian head and cut thin sheet metal pretty easily.
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? April 27, 2009 05:42PM |
Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 401 |
Plasma and water cutting seem to be the state of the art right now.
Here's some DIY forums on the topic
[www.cnczone.com]
Here's some DIY forums on the topic
[www.cnczone.com]
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? April 29, 2009 01:02AM |
Registered: 16 years ago Posts: 174 |
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? April 29, 2009 11:02AM |
Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 401 |
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? April 29, 2009 11:36AM |
Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 180 |
Electrical connection to the metal was made with a welding type jumper cable.
The bed was insulated with 1/2 inch thick plastic.
For concentric circles, as mentioned above, you cut the smallest one first, but they are limited in size based on the accuracy of your cutting head. IIRC, a 1/4 inch diameter circle was the smallest the design would do. Anything smaller than that didn't really come out with the right dimensions. The user didn't need any holes,chamfers, or fillets that small anyway, so it wasn't an issue with him.
The bed was insulated with 1/2 inch thick plastic.
For concentric circles, as mentioned above, you cut the smallest one first, but they are limited in size based on the accuracy of your cutting head. IIRC, a 1/4 inch diameter circle was the smallest the design would do. Anything smaller than that didn't really come out with the right dimensions. The user didn't need any holes,chamfers, or fillets that small anyway, so it wasn't an issue with him.
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? May 16, 2009 05:44AM |
Registered: 15 years ago Posts: 242 |
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? September 20, 2010 04:54PM |
Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 6 |
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? September 20, 2010 04:57PM |
Registered: 13 years ago Posts: 6 |
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Re: Has anyone devised a print head that cuts sheet metal? September 21, 2010 09:23AM |
Registered: 14 years ago Posts: 149 |
I'd guess there would be issues with rigidity when trying to mill on a Mendel.
I'd also like to point out that the stock location for the electronics under the bed is a real poor location if you were using liquid coolant with mill work, mounting a large tank of deionized water for EDM, or making a lot of sparks doing arc cutting.
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My blog's Reprap feed: [blog.markbova.com]
I'm currently working on a stock Mendel build with a Seeeduino Mega and four Pololu A4983 stepper controllers.
I'd also like to point out that the stock location for the electronics under the bed is a real poor location if you were using liquid coolant with mill work, mounting a large tank of deionized water for EDM, or making a lot of sparks doing arc cutting.
--
My blog's Reprap feed: [blog.markbova.com]
I'm currently working on a stock Mendel build with a Seeeduino Mega and four Pololu A4983 stepper controllers.
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