Is it ever safe to leave your CNC or laser machine?
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- Can I leave my machine unattended? Is it ever safe to walk away? Is it safe to leave it running? That's what I cover in this episode
HD pan tilt camera amzn.to/3Eli8i7
Cheaper wifi camera amzn.to/3G2eeMw
Full selection of cameras amzn.to/3tnbIsJ
Selection of smart plugs amzn.to/3UpxEz7
(No direct link as it will be country specific)
Intro 00:00
Observation 02:25
Control 04:02
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Thanks James. Absolutely brilliant tutorial as per
All good stuff. When remote monitoring through CCTV I think getting the audio is important and always have this playing in my earpiece. Change in tone of the machine is often the first indicator of problems. I have two other rules - never leave the machine running an untested toolpath, however simple it might be. Also never leave it unattended when using an upcut bit. All my disasters were to do with 1/4 inch upcut bits screwing themselves into the work and pulling out of the collet.
great video! keep the good work
EXTRA PINNED TIPS
- Smart switches and camera can also be operated by Alexa, Google mini's etc.
- smart smoke alarms (although maybe not suitable for lasers)
I have just recently gotten into CNC-ing, but I've had a 3D printer since the first desktop models came out and this is a very popular topic in that world too. I think it all boils down to what you mean by "leave the machine". I think most people when they first ask the question are meaning "can I start a long running job then go about my day" and the answer is yeah, you can but you shouldn't. I mean would you put a cake in the oven and then take off to go shopping? When I bought my CNC, I just integrated it with the same tech I'm using with my 3D printer and laser, which is pretty much what James describes in his video. I would highly recommend No Machine as the remote control software for the PC. It was easy to set up and the response time for the remote operation is great. With my current setup, I don't leave home while a job is running, but at the same time I don't feel like I have to sit beside the machine from beginning to end.
I agree with everything James mentions here... In the 3D Printing world there are tools like Obico (formerly the Spaghetti Detective) that uses AI to monitor a live camera feed and take action (alert/pause/stop/etc.) when it believes there is a failure. I wonder if there is something like this for the CNC world?
Great idea's I have a pan and tilt camera and a smart ug on my cnc and my laser I use a raspberry pi with octoprint and a plug in called better grbl control which changes it from a 3D printer controller to a grbl controller. I couldn't find a mach3 control for android for my router
Good suggestions. When I first started using my CNC, I was doing a cut-out without tabs or tape and glue. When the piece became free it jammed the spindle and very quickly started to smoke. I have no doubt that it would have started a fire if I had left it on for another 20 seconds or so. That was a great lesson learned for me. I use a Raspberry Pi and bCNC to control my CNC. If I have to leave for any reason, I wait until a point where the spindle moves off the work piece and then hit pause and turn the spindle off. A great thing about the Raspberry Pi is that I could come back a month or ten later, turn on the spindle, un-pause the software and the job would continue as if nothing happened. I wouldn't suggest doing that with a Windows machine. I like the idea of the wifi camera and cut-off switch. That would allow me to work on other projects nearby without too much worry. Thanks.
Thanks, will try bCNC on my Pi's.
It'd be great if there was something along the lines of Octoprint but for CNC's. I can see and control (including stopping a job or even shutting down the entire thing) my 3d printer from anywhere.
I suffer with bpd so i prefer to be alone in my shed. So never leave machine unattended. However i barely turn the chinese 3018 on at moment as need upgrades but rather get bigger machine than the hassle of upgrades but due to mental health dissability im out of work so cant afford a nice shiny 6050 prover with decent 5watt + laser dust shoe air assist etc lol.
I do like imagining what i could do learning on a proper machine especially with your videos guiding me.
Hi James! Could you do a video about safety? Just some basic rules. Seriously injured my finger yesterday. Was close to losing a phalanx, but I got very lucky. Also any ideas on how to make sure safety rules are never violated?
This is a really important topic and this covers it with a good balance between caution and pragmatism. One tip that wasn't covered is using an ESP32 CAM. I run my laser in a lightproof box (after scaring the jeebies out of myself while setting the laser up) and I use an ESP32 CAM module to watch what is happening inside. The module is really cheap (~7ukp from amazon) and light - I position it on the end of a "gooseneck" made of one of those blue coolant tubes. I appreciate that getting into programming dev boards is maybe outside of some people's comfort zone - but seriously it is really easily and if you can wire up a CNC you can get an ESP32 cam module going. There are loads of tutorials on youtube and essentially all you need to do after installing the arduino IDE is fetch the demo code and type in your WIFI credentials and press go. Then the module needs nothing more then a 5V supply. And one really simple change to the code (covered in most tutorials) will change the module to be a WIFI access point - so it makes its own WIFI network and you just connect your tablet to that network and you get a live video feed without even needing to connect to your home network. Not nearly as flexible as the cameras covered here, but really cheap and works stand-alone.
For someone who has never used ESP32 cam, are there any advantages over something like those $20 cameras I mentioned? Or is it purely the price point?
@@JamesDeanDesignsThe cams are easy to use. Esp32 gives you more control if you have the need or want to do something fancy. They're basically arduinos on steroids with wifi and Bluetooth le, but you have to program them to do whatever you want. Steep learning curve!
Although this is a different subject but I’m sure you won’t mind me asking .
I have a Chinese 3040 machine which is designed to run on Mach 3 , I’ve decided to use Easel software as it seems easier for me a pensioner, can I replace the control board which operates grbl arduino and what board would you recommend me using.
You have great teaching skill and enjoy watching your videos .
Can you make a video to show how to install an Emergency stop on a 3018-Pro V1.1 Genmitsu CNC machine?. Thanks
The only time it's completely safe to leave your CNC machine is at the end of the job and you've turned it off. 😃
For CNC: smoke detector connected to smart switch and monitoring. Passive fire suppression.
For laser: sheet metal under mesh (especially for cutting); consider separate switch for laser so it can be killed independently of everything else (also good for eye safety)
In addition, for enclosures constructed of wood or other flammable materials, consider fire retardant spray or paint. These can buy seconds to minutes in the event of a major problem. Often very cost effective.
I use Wyze cameras. They are about $30 US and you can view it from anywhere. Also, Alexa enabled outlets allow me to turn off the power from anywhere as well. I dont leave my lasers running but I leave 3D printers running because some prints can take Days....
Hi, is it good and safe to use printer fire proof enclosure
Regards
The crazy thing we used to leave them running all night in machine shop.
One of the first things I did was put up cameras, set up smoke detectors, and smart plugs. As safe as I can be without being there by it
Hey James, I have 2 questions. One is, for some reason when I use the qr code, it just loads and loads for me. It doesn't open up to that first screen. Second, I have a design made in easel, and some parts of it i can't edit the depth of cut. What is going on?
I have a smart smoke detector above my machine which I have an app on my phone which will give me the warning, also a wyze camera and a smart switch, if the software stops working then the shop vacuum and router stops as well.
Past week one of my laser cutter caught 🔥🔥🔥🔥 .... I was in the shop running 3 jobs cnc and both laser cutters, and also doing some drawing in the pc. I managed to get everything contained fast but the diode laser was busted. Please be safe ppl. If you use your machines contained in boxes, get a smoke detector near the top of the machines, that would help you and dont concentrate into drawing a lot while running laser jobs. If it is cnc you will hear at least for a broken bit or something
you can leav it alone... but : my 3d printer sometime get a bug and crash his head into the print.. if ure not there its so a problem... wath i mean leave it alone is like leave it print at night witout surveillance.. but again it can go very well all time until a shit happen and u have a big mess.. for the 3018 also u can leave it alone but i prefer stay near it ... on 10 use of the 3018 i already got 2 fatal crash on it avoided closely thanks switch on the coord ... out of nowhere on an gcode that was previously executed without problem... so if u dont want to have unintended hole in ur cnc bed .. its better be ready to switch it off at all time ...
🌹
As someone who doesn't yet have a CNC or laser (but is planning on one as a future purchase), spending a minute to cover what can go wrong and why the machines need constant monitoring would be most helpful.
There are many things that go wrong but when not attended and stopped the end result is most likely fire.
The tool spindle motor or servo motor can jam, the control board or power supply can fail, the project can be ejected, lasers can create toxic gasses and worst case curious beings (pets/animals, children, adults even) can get gravely injured by not taking safety precautions.
So I think the most common things that go wrong is either the tool creating too much friction on the workpiece or the spindle motor being overloaded/jammed which causes the power supply or any of the wiring to overheat and catch on fire.
If you're not there to notice the smoke and hit the e-stop before it turns into a full fire, it's only inevitable that this will happen.
Have a dry chemical fire extinguisher near by (Class C) covers electrical
I can tell you from experience that putting out an electrical fire with an ABC extinguisher is really hard. In fact I failed and hit the fire alarm in the building I was working. I'm not sure if there's something better then class c fir electrical fires but you may not be as safe as you think you are. You might want to look into alternatives.
Online smoke detector and simple automatic fire suppression system.
I run a CNC machine at my job. There is a mode I can select in the programs where it can just loop a program over and over to make multiple parts. It's a lathe and I routinely make parts by the hundreds. Can't just stand there and watch it run, but I do monitor it throughout the run while doing other jobs. It's referred to as "lights out", and refers to un-manned operation, usually at night when there is nobody there but the parts can still be made.
Because it's a lathe, it will eventually run out of stock material. It's limited to 42" of bar stock.
I have a few videos on my channel showing it in operation. Here is one of them.
ua-cam.com/video/xUyy0cTgqkM/v-deo.html
thats only good except when your boss has you running 5 machines at once.
I leave my CNC while it’s running but I don’t like to leave the house or sleep while it’s running. Before everyone come for my head, I have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers nearby. I also don’t have a big house so I can hear my machine in the basement and I check on it every 30 minutes at most. Okay now you can reply and tell me how my house is going to burn down 😂
I use a cheapo wifi baby monitor camera! View on an old mini iPad ..but usable on any iPad iPhone on the other brands….IF the app is available online.
I never leave my laser running while I’m away you only get caught once
And do you really think that this video of yours is new for everyone? Do you really think nobody has done it before you? What is not done to make visualizations.