Webinar on 101 applications of CNC Router Machines

This is a webinar on 101 applications of CNC Router Machines .Session handled by Pradeepkumar KP (www.pradeepkumarkp.com) , CNC Router Specialist.Webinar organised by School of Mechanical Engineering,Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology,Sathybama Univesity ,Chennai,TamilNadu,India

The SOFT Rockers use enhanced fabrication techniques to curve flat wooden panels, and have solar panels

Developed for MIT's Festival of Art Science Technology, the SOFT Rockers use enhanced fabrication techniques to curve flat wooden panels, and have solar panels installed to charge the gadgets of those who relax within (All images courtesy of Phil Seaton)

There's nothing quite like an old rocking chair for finding your center and chilling out. Originally thought to have been developed as garden furniture, the rocker has now come full circle with the development of the SOFT Rocker by Professor Sheila Kennedy and architecture students from MIT. Installed at the Institute's Killian Court for the Festival of Art+Science+Technology (FAST), the teardrop-shaped outdoor rocking lounge chairs have solar panels over the top to provide power for up to three USB devices, and some after-dark lighting to allow the party to go on after the sun goes down

The SOFT Rockers are made from flat MDF panels which have undergone an advanced digital curving process based on the zipshape process that was originally developed in Switzerland by Christoph Schindler. A lightweight Kuka robotic arm was used to remove portions of the structurally unsound wood to form an inside surface resembling a row of teeth.

"Zipshape can, in theory, be cut from any flat-packed material, but there are reasons to cut it out of MDF and then post-veneer the surfaces, as we did", the team's Phil Seaton told Gizmag. "Basically, the 'teeth' that we cut work best when they're cut out of some grain-free and laminate-free material: cutting out of solid or plywood can cause the teeth to chip out during the cutting process. On the other hand, cutting out of MDF alone (and not veneering afterwards) risks the material not being able to handle the tension loads, and breaking in the backing (which is generally only about 2mm thick or so). We experienced many such breakages; the veneer, in our case, serves both a structural and an aesthetic purpose."

Two such panels were then interlocked and glued together to form a curved structure, and then vacuum-sealed in plastic bags. When the glue had dried, they were removed from the bags, veneer applied to both sides and then placed back in the bags. Seaton said that the team "did try veneering first, in the flat, but found the panels lost some flexibility when done in this order."

While the robot arm probably could have taken care of the intricate pattern work too, this was done using a laser cutter or 3-axis CNC router. The wooden structure was then varnished to afford it some protection from the elements, although longer term installations will probably require something a bit more robust.

Gen II flexible solar panels from Global Solar were installed over the surface of the roof to feed a 12 amp-hour battery, which in turn provides power to devices such as laptops, smartphones and even chilled drinks dispensers connected via USB.

The 35W solar tracking system is "entirely human-powered - the idea has its roots in trying to invent a kind of culture surrounding power generation," says Seaton. "Rather than envisioning electricity generation as something centralized and off-site that embodies hidden processes and hidden social and environmental costs, we're imagining a future where 'soft' and decentralized generation of small amounts of power can actually become a hub for social and cultural activity."

"The SOFT Rockers, then, are intended to employ as much human intervention in the generation of electricity as possible: the rockers are free to rotate on their bases, and are positioned horizontally using the handle on the front. When the angle is correct, the rockers provide full shade for the person sitting inside. Then, once inside, the position of one's body to higher and lower seating positions causes the solar panel to face higher or lower positions in the sky. Here, the human power of balance is used as the 'second axis' of the solar tracker. An LCD panel inside the rocker tells you how well you're doing in terms of optimizing energy production from the available solar energy."

At the end of the FAST festival, the SOFT Rockers were sent to Kennedy and Violich Architecture for "cleaning and rehabilitation." Other projects created for the festival have now been dismantled and disposed of, but such has been the interest in the SOFT Rockers that the team is now working on the next stage in development.

Test cut on CNC Router

My son and I did some test cuts tonight with the router and had very good results.

We first did a 2d 'Open' sign that came with Aspire in wood, that had one thing wrong; it was mirrored. We quickly adjusted the motor settings to correct that and then we cut a 3D leaf that also came with Aspire, but we scaled it down to about 2" square to help cut the time down. It cut perfectly, so we moved on to aluminum and decided to cut another X-axis plate for the machine. We used the prism toolpaths at minimal depths and a 90º x .25Dia bit and then cut the profile out with a .093" dia endmill.

We used .125" 5052 aluminum and the machine cut great with no visible pass lines along the edges of the plate. We just used some WD-40 brushed on and did not even use an air blast so there may be some re-cutting of the chips but the toolpath finish looks good. This label is not as fancy as the brass inlayed ones I made but it will work for viewing the axis travel directions when on the other side of the machine.

I still need to clean it up an finish it.

 

_________________

Best regards,

Wes

wes.spence@comcast.net

Gingery Machines:

Lathe, Horiz. Mill, Shaper, Leaf Brake

Inexpensive Vertical Wind Turbine

You may use a computer controlled router in order to make gears,fins,case etc..

Visual Windchime

The holes in the wood have been cut out by a computer numerically controlled machine (CNC router) and all the lights are complete. It's now a matter of assembly and some more touching up.

CNC router to make Guitar - World’s First Serviced Archtop Guitar Kit

Fernando Alonso Jaén, a Spanish guitar designer, has created the world’s first “serviced” archtop guitar kit — a kit where complex wood tooling is done by the manufacturer to simplify the buyer’s task. As a small operation, “creating the wood parts with complex contours required for the guitar would have been impossible,” Jaén said. Using a CNC router he was able to do it.

World’s First Serviced Archtop Guitar Kit

The archtop jazz guitar (also called a jazzbox, cello guitar and plectrum guitar) is a steel string acoustic guitar with a big soundbox somewhat like a cello; it is usually electrified.

“Despite the growing popularity of archtop guitars, no one has ever tried to make a serviced archtop guitar kit before,” says Jaen. “I have had to overcome many obstacles along the way but the biggest was reproducing the many complex geometries involved.”

Conventional woodworking would have required lots of hired hands. “The cost would have probably been more than the market could bear,” says Jaen, and it “also would not have achieved an acceptable level of accuracy.”

Computer numerical control (CNC) machining provided the answer. “All the available CNC machines that I saw here in Spain were too big,” Jaén said. Others were either too smaller or large. “I found the exact size and style of machine I was looking for in Techno’s LC series,” he adds.

Jaen used RhinoCAM software for both the CAD and CAM tasks — to design the archtop guitar kit and to create the CNC program. The kit includes the top with braces carved in it and the f-holes and pickup already cut out. “Carving the braces is feasible only with a CNC router,” Jaén says. “This relieves the maker of a difficult job — adjusting two wooden bars to the curvature of the top so that when they are glued the glue line is almost invisible.”

Quarter-Sawn Spruce and Maple

Spruce wood, light, stiff and quarter-sawn through the center axis of the tree, is used for the top of the guitar. Quarter sawing produces wedges, two of which are glued along their thicker sides. “A good top must have compact wood growth rings,” Jaén says. “The closer the rings are, the stiffer the top.” The back of the guitar is curly maple, also quarter sawn to better display the back’s curl and provide greater stiffness.

“The back in a serviced kit must be delivered in the final shape,” says Jaén. He bent the sides using a machine he designed and built with the CNC router. “Curly maple is one of the hardest woods to bend but this machine handles it easily. I couldn’t have made the machine without the CNC router.”

CNC Carves Out New Life for Old Doors

From Emerald City (that’d be Seattle, WA) comes this interesting use of digital manufacturing technology to give a new lease on life to reclaimed timber doors.
Husband and wife team Jonah and Mackenzie Griffith together form Object Creative, a design house that specialises in bringing humour and simplicity to fully functional design.
The reDoor project takes traditional domestic doors that have been reclaimed through salvage, and extends their lifecycle. The magic happens when a CNC router is used to cut designs and patterns into the wooden doors. A little lacquer and a lick of paint later, and you have a portal that is sure to be the envy of all your neighbours.

CNC Router can be used to frame a car !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

check this out....