CNC Beginner

rafapiccoli · Apr 1, 2020

I have recently started working with composites and wanted to get a CNC to help produce prototypes, molds and plugs. However I am completely new to the area.

What is the recommended CNC machine to start with (Medium size parts) and which program should I use to properly learn how to design and produce?

Thanks in advance.

Locker · Apr 1, 2020

What size are your parts? Medium size in your world doesn't necessarily mean the same in our world, because the thing with composite is that part 800x700x200mm (like front side panel of car) part isn't considered big...

Also, if you are exclusive in composite world, you would want machine with lots of rpm, and ridity isn't crucial, so you could get by with cnc router of sort...

You really didn't specify anything, give us some more details about what you want to make, your budget etc...

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Scruffy887 · Apr 1, 2020

MIT has a whole team of computer geeks trying to define "medium" to 10 decimal places. Not close yet.
Amazon and ebay have "cnc" routers for a few hundred dollars. Get your feet wet for cheap.
Start with your needed X,Y,Z envelope. A router will always have a large X and Y. Usually at least 48 x 96". But not a lot of Z because they are designed mostly for sheet goods. If you need a lot of Z you will be spending a lot more.

litlerob1 · Apr 1, 2020

Don't you guys know....Medium is neither Large, nor Small, duh. Everyone knows that.

R

Guest · Apr 1, 2020

To some places a medium sized part is the size of a truck tire, to me I could get a couple hundred medium sized parts in a large flat rate box.

EmGo · Apr 1, 2020

litlerob1 said:
Don't you guys know....Medium is neither Large, nor Small, duh. Everyone knows that.

Ha ! I can tell you haven't been to Jack or Bungler King or Mickey D recently ! They no longer have small, the smallest is medium, then they go to large and then I guess jumbo. After that is family size, when they pour a gallon into a trough and you all stick your snouts in and guzzle ?

Seriously, it's silly. Tell the girl "Small Coke, please" and she'll say, "We don't have small, we only have medium."

ripperj · Apr 1, 2020

A pizza place by me only has Medium and Large, I sometimes screw with new help and order a small, which usually gets into a lengthy discussion on how they don’t sell small, so I tell them I want the smallest they have. “Oh- so a medium then”

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litlerob1 · Apr 1, 2020

EmanuelGoldstein said:
Ha ! I can tell you haven't been to Jack or Bungler King or Mickey D recently ! They no longer have small, the smallest is medium, then they go to large and then I guess jumbo. After that is family size, when they pour a gallon into a trough and you all stick your snouts in and guzzle ?

Seriously, it's silly. Tell the girl "Small Coke, please" and she'll say, "We don't have small, we only have medium."

Try "large" at Starsucks. It's a whole language lesson. I speak several languages, so I like to antagonize the difference between Venti in French vs. Italian.

R

G00 Proto · Apr 1, 2020

I told my wife that I'm medium sized... I think she googled it. Does anyone have any scaled rulers... maybe 75% or maybe I could trick her with a metric if I can find one in centimeters.

EmGo · Apr 1, 2020

G00 Proto said:
I told my wife that I'm medium sized... I think she googled it. Does anyone have any scaled rulers...

Yeah, they're called shrink rulers, pattern makers use them

litlerob1 · Apr 1, 2020

G00 Proto said:
I told my wife that I'm medium sized... I think she googled it. Does anyone have any scaled rulers... maybe 75% or maybe I could trick her with a metric if I can find one in centimeters.

Plus Inches are different lengths in different parts of the world. Depends on how much you need to trick.

Tichy · Apr 1, 2020

rafapiccoli said:
I have recently started working with composites and wanted to get a CNC to help produce prototypes, molds and plugs. However I am completely new to the area.

What is the recommended CNC machine to start with (Medium size parts) and which program should I use to properly learn how to design and produce?

Thanks in advance.

What's your background? Seems like an important question.

cameraman · Apr 1, 2020

litlerob1 said:
Try "large" at Starsucks. It's a whole language lesson. I speak several languages, so I like to antagonize the difference between Venti in French vs. Italian.

R

Ohhh totally.

I never cave into to that Venti grande grunty "Thing". 'cuz if you say small, medium or large they look at you like an alien form another planet, not even say "Go to Dunkin Doughnuts".

I've side stepped all that BS , My order is for years (when not doing espresso home or office) ,At STarsucks (as you put it) is 5 shots espresso, One inch 2% steamed milk … so THEY have to figure out what sized cup it goes into. Kinda funny "Ohh no I have to figure out what size of cup this will fit "... Sometimes I dial it down to three shots.

cameraman · Apr 1, 2020

Medium sized … in my twisted "Universe" conjures up 700 mm by 250 mm ish by 80 mm ~ in ref to OP's layup molds etc.

@raffapiccoli What budget / $

Are you working with Carbon Fiber ?

Tichy · Apr 1, 2020

cameraman said:
Ohhh totally.

I never cave into to that Venti grande grunty "Thing". 'cuz if you say small, medium or large they look at you like an alien form another planet, not even say "Go to Dunkin Doughnuts".

I've side stepped all that BS , My order is for years (when not doing espresso home or office) ,At STarsucks (as you put it) is 5 shots espresso, One inch 2% steamed milk … so THEY have to figure out what sized cup it goes into. Kinda funny "Ohh no I have to figure out what size of cup this will fit "... Sometimes I dial it down to three shots.

Great suggestion, I mean, you have to try to get some fun out of paying six bucks for a bloody cup of coffee...

TeachMePlease · Apr 1, 2020

cameraman said:
My order is for years (when not doing espresso home or office) ,At STarsucks (as you put it) is 5 shots espresso, One inch 2% steamed milk … Sometimes I dial it down to three shots.

This explains so much about some of your posts.

cameraman · Apr 1, 2020

TeachMePlease said:
This explains so much about some of your posts.

I did the ancestry .com "Thing" and found out I'm 15% Italian (unexpectedly) … TMI but probably also explains a lot as well.

___________________________________________

Layup molds …

Orange Vise · Apr 1, 2020

rafapiccoli said:
I have recently started working with composites and wanted to get a CNC to help produce prototypes, molds and plugs. However I am completely new to the area.

Keep realistic timeframes in mind to put some perspective on your ambitions.

It takes years for a machinist to become proficient enough to produce quality molds. Moldmaking is complex enough to be considered an entirely separate profession, and it even has its own trade magazine.

litlerob1 · Apr 1, 2020

I have zero point of reference. Small is under 1". Large is over 8'. Anything between is Medium.

Tichy · Apr 1, 2020

litlerob1 said:
I have zero point of reference. Small is under 1". Large is over 8'. Anything between is Medium.

Fun question, actually.

For me "small" is where I can grab a box of them and carry it to the machine.

"Medium" is where I can routinely pick up four of them and mount them in my mill in one go, so that's around 4x20 pounds (depending on dimensions?)

"Large" is where I can't lift more than one into the machine, so 100 pounds or-so?

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