3D Milling Machine (ROTARY AXIS)

Step ONE: Machine Setup

Go to the drawer to the right of the CNC machine, take out the long, steel sensor bar at the left, bottom corner of the drawer. Switch on MDX-40A, press the topmost button to turn on the machine.

Install the sensor bar and detection pin as shown in the picture below. (This is the tutorial on how to install detection pin)

Launch VPanel from the start menu, hit Detect Jig, then hit Start Sensing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step TWO: model setup

Launch SRP Player from the start menu, open the .stl/.igs file from the software. 

Go to the “Type of Milling” tab, check Better surface finish and Model with many curved surfaces. Check Cut top and bottom, check Add support to model if needed. 

 

Go to Create Tool Path tab, select the material of choice. This demo uses polyacetal. 

Use a caliper to measure the size of the piece.

Tip: x size is the length of working piece, for saving materials, instead of input the actual size, set the x dimension slightly larger than the required size. Meanwhile, Y and Z size got be actual size of working piece.

After logging the size of the piece, click Edit to do tool path setting.

Swap the sequence of Finishing 1 and Roughing 2 to prevent extra tool change.

Expand the process, click the tool, in the menu below, choose IMA 6mm-Ball for both Roughing1 and Roughing2, click apply. For Finishing1 and Finishing2, select IMA 2mm-Ball as the tool, hit apply. 

Click on close, then hit Create Tool Path.

After the tool path was created successfully, go to tab Preview Results, then press Show Model to preview the result, and adjust the settings accordingly. 

Step THREE: perform cutting

Pick up the number 4 and 17 spanner on the shelf, put the 17 spanner on the nut on top and 4 spanner on the nut at the bottom, apply force to push spanners outward. The detection pin inside should become loose and fall off. Find the 6mm ball drill bit from the board to the right of the computer, find a collector corresponding to the diameter (in this case, 6mm, which is same as the one used by the detection pin). 

Insert the drill into the collect in a way such that the line dividing the upper and lower of the drill is exposed.  

Insert the collect with the drill back into the machine. This time the spanner should be joined together. 

Go back to VPanel to set the origin. 

Check Set YZ origin at the center of rotation, click apply. Wait for the detection to complete. Then check Set X Origin Here, use the control buttons on top to move the drill bit to the right edge of the piece as shown below, hit apply.

At last, go back to Perform Cutting tab in SRP Player, click next twice to start cutting. After the first cutting has completed, change the drill as mentioned afore. Since the diameter of the tool has changed, this time use a different collect (4mm). 

After changing the tool, perform Set YZ origin at center of rotation in VPanel again, resume cutting.

After the cutting has finished, remove the piece, clean up the workspace with a vacuum cleaner, reinstall the detection pin for future use.