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Home made desktop CNC milling machine

  Table of contents
  1. Hardware
  2. Software
  3. TODO

Software

  • Ubuntu LiveCD with EMC2
  • QCAD (for doing 2D designs)
  • dxf2gcode (for converting the 2D designs to G-CODE used by EMC2)

    The milling machine was controlled using EMC2 (Enhanced Machine Controller). It runs on the Linux platform and requires a real-time kernel to be installed. I used their LiveCD (Ubuntu) and did a fresh install on to the desktop computer. I found that turning off non-essentials like the soundcard improved the latency a bit. For doing 2D designs I used QCAD. To convert the DXF format from QCAD to G-CODE (used by EMC2) I used dxf2gcode. The workflow can be summarised as

    Design in QCAD -> dxf2gcode -> EMC2 -> Final milled product

    I decided to test my machine out by choosing to make a gift for a friend's birthday. I wanted to etch a happy birthday message plus an anime character (Luffy) from One Piece, which appears to be her favourite anime because she would not stop raving about it. I wanted the etching to be able to stand upright so would require a separate base to be milled. The first step was to hunt around the net for a suitable image. I chose the following image below


    The next step was to import the image into QCAD and trace over it and add the happy birthday message as shown below.


    Having designed the etching, I now needed to make the cut out shape. I chose a simple design with some curves to test how well the machine can handle them. This piece will be mounted onto an oval wood piece.


    The design is now converted to G-CODE using dxf2gcode. I made two separate files for the etching and cut out shape because dxf2gcode doesn't handle different layers individually (etching and cut out shape).


    Here is the final product. The hardest part was milling the MDF wood! MDF is quite tough and harsh on the tool bits and creates a lot of dust. I had to wear a dust mask and have a vacuum cleaner nearby to clean the mess it left. The oval piece had to be cut across multiple passes. I initially used 2mm per depth pass but found it would leave burn marks on the wood and tool. 1mm was found to work well but not perfect. The problem was mainly due to MDF dust accumulating in the cut grooves. I either need to mount a vacuum hose or air gun near the Dremel to remove the dust. I sanded the oval shape down using the Dremel sanding bit but didn't come out even, Would have been better to use sandpaper.

    I should have also chosen a tool bit with a round head because the one I used, which had a somewhat pointy tip, left white residue marks in the grooves. Other than the problems mentioned, the results are not bad for a first project.


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