Improvements On Cam Strategies for CNC machining Guitar Bodies with Fusion360
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 лип 2024
- I've tried to improve on cam strategies for machining guitar bodies. Now I am using different tools to get the machining time down to about 30 minutes per side, including a long shaping process.
Also I go into detail on how I setup each strategy in Fusion360 and how I exported the files to my CNC machine.
You will also see the actual machining of it on my DIY CNC machine as well as you will see the endresult.
I hope this is helpful to you!
If you have any questions or tips to improve on, I'll be glad to hear from you!
Contents:
00:00 Introduction
01:04 Tools
04:06 Clamping nut tip
05:02 Dowelholes CAM
06:26 Bottom side CAM
14:47 Topside CAM
15:51 Generating Split GCODE files
16:49 Machining the body
23:20 Sanding the body
23:41 The final result
The tools used:
ChaRLes flat end mills
www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B07H...
DingGreat Round Nose tools
www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B07Z...
And 2 standard 2 flute 6mm VHM flat end tools.
Check out my website for some more info in machining guitars: www.audiohotshot.nl
A link to my previous article about CAM:
www.audiohotshot.nl/cnc-machi...
For more info on my machine:
www.audiohotshot.nl/howto-how...
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Well done! Enjoyed the videos very much
Great to hear, have fun!
Excellent video, I didn’t know about the split by tool option, thank you!
Very nice feature indeed, saves a lot of time! You're welcome!
Another Excellent and informative video. Thank you again for sharing.
I try my best to share my experience and knowledge that I couldn't find online in my search for examples and explanations about strategies and insights in CAM techniques.
I'm glad the videos are helpful to you!
Ah!! I see! The locators are not the screw holes you used to lock down to the spoil board. They are two different things. Thank you again!
@@MyWorldBand Correct, I see what you mean now. In this case I drilled in the screws first, at places I'm sure CNC will never hit and are not in the positions of the dowelholes. I handdrill the holes for the screws, though; if I would not then the screws might possibly damage the stock irrepairable (the stock might split, crack up orso). But they are just to hold the stock down, not for positioning. Hope this clears things up!
Thanks for this! I just bought a CNC for my shop. I've watched a ton of these vids but yours is actually informative! I wasn't able to follow all of what you went over but I'll bookmark this to review again. (and again and again...) Very helpful nuts and bolts tut.
Great to hear it is helpful. Do. Please don’t hesitate to mention what you like to have explained in more detail. I’ll try my best next time :-)
@@Audiohotshot Well since you offered... I've been working with Fusion for a few years but only just ordered my CNC so am just getting into CAM. Sometimes I found myself spacing out cause you're explaining, for example, what a canvas or sketch geometry are-which I already know-but then blowing past terms like "face" "parallel" "step" "contour" which are concepts I'm barely familiar with. So I would say, maybe make a "beginners" tutorial for the basic modeling/sketch stuff and specific CAM vids without the basics and direct people who are getting lost to the beginner tut? Just an idea. Anyway, I learned a ton so thanks!
Great feedback, thanks! I guess you are right; for me, being a non-native English speaker, I always assumed those terms and concepts are clear for anyone speaking English since they were born. I'll try to incorporate your feedback in a next video (if time allows me to make one that is :-) Perhaps a video about the translation from CAD to CAM and my personal approaches to this topic. Thank you for inspiration!
@@Audiohotshot Well your English is excellent and I can't speak any other languages so you got my respect!
Thanks for the timely update! I was planning on CNCing my first guitar body tomorrow using tips from the videos you made last year.
- Any particular reason you now machine the bottom first?
- Instead of having to split the 2d contour into two parts, I believe what I did is create a sketch and project the perimeter of the entire body / neck joint. Then simply use that continuous sketch outline instead of the body for the 2d contour.
Hi! There’s not a specific reason for doing the bottom first, other than I’m doing the deepest pockets first, and creating the middle curve first. But that could easily been done the other way round.
You’re solution for the 2D contour crossed my mind, but I did not want to edit the drawing since I had to go back to a drawing mode and make an even longer video. :-) But having said that: Your solution is indeed very useful! Good thinking! Thanks!
Well I'm setting up my toolpaths for my first CNC build and your video has been SO helpful. What I'm still not clear on is how to set up zero WCS for the bottom stuff. Why would you be probing to top of wasteboard? Something hasn't clicked in my head yet.
If I understand your question correctly: I keep the zero point at the same place in the stock, so that I get a guaranteed height measured from the same point in stock as well as in my drawing. This means that I let the machine calculate everything from the same point. However, that also means because I have to turn the stock around halfway through the process, I also physically move the zero point and thus have to determine the z-zero from the other side.
Is this also what you meant?
I explain the doublesided technique (which kind of differs each time, just a bit) also in some other videos of mine, maybe then it will become more clear what I do?
Best of luck!
@@Audiohotshot To make sure I'm understanding...you zero stock at the center/top (not a corner) then for the back setup, zero the "flipped" setup on the same (now upside down) surface but flip the Z arrow up. When working on the backside, you probe Z at the wasteboard. I can't exactly visualize why that works but I'm pretty sure that's what you're doing. I just watched your excellent "Milling a Guitar Neck" vid and that's what it looks like. Anyway, I'll do a test that way and see how it goes. Thanks again, your vids are super helpful.
Great videos!!! Really informative!! Question. I see the first step is drilling the reference/dowel holes. But when you place the stock on the CNC it seems that the holes are already predrilled in the stock? Did you do a step prior where you place the stock on the CNC to drill those holes as well so they are uniform? Or did you hand drill them?
The holes in the stock are made at 19:57. I agree, it happens quickly, but noticeable. Me and handtools is not really a good combination, hence me using a CNC router :-) Hope this clears up the confusion?
@@Audiohotshot thank you very much for clarifying!!
hi great video, I'm just try in out a cam strategy for a body and trying to follow along, but I ran into a problem with the dowel pins, I drew the box same as my stock and 4 equally spaced circles and extruded them but when I go to use the drill operation it won't let me select the extruded circles to drill. Any ideas? . everything else seems to work great but I can't get it to simply drill holes for alignment . . it appears on yours they are 4 solid extrusions is that correct? or should they be cylinders . thanks for your time
Well, in this case I did make an actual extrusion, although I did a drill operation and choose the option "selected points' on the Geometry tab and selected the four center points of these circles. I adjusted the heights at the height tab.
For a bit different approach you could have a look here as well: ua-cam.com/video/8iaGUxPc05M/v-deo.html
Hope this clears things up a bit!
I cannot seem to find an Imperial equivalent of those Charles flat and mils. Does anyone have a source for a 1/4 inch shank equivalent in the US?
Great video. I learned a lot from watching it. Any reason why you don't put the Z at the bottom of the stock when flipping it? So the bottom becomes the top and you don't even have to reset the Z if your last bit for the bottom is the same as the first bit for the top. I hope it makes sense, in my head it does hahaha
I'm not sure I understand your question a full 100%. When I flip the stock, the Z-zero point moves from bottom to top. By doing so I'm sure the reference point stays the same, and the thickness of the endresult should end up correctly. Does that answer your question?
Great video! It's so difficult to get the right toolpath and the best result in the shortest time. One of the difficulties I have is determining cutting speeds and spindle speeds. Would it be possible for you provide some guidance on this? Thanks.
One advice I do have, LISTEN to your machine; I always keep an eye on my feedrate slider, so I can adjust it when I feel/hear it runs too fast (or too slow!).
Generally I set the RPM of my spindle, 9 out of 10 occasions, at 24000 RPM. Only for alu or acrylics I slow it down. The heat of these materials make the material melt and alu does not need heat at all to make good chips. But with wood; in my opinion: at max of my spindle.
My cutting speeds are between 2000-3000mm/min for contour, pockets, adaptive and so on. Only for drilled holes (bores, drills ops) I reduce the cutting speed to 800-1000. The slower movement gives me more precise holes.
Lately I do use a lot of finishing steps preferably at full depth and at 1000 mm/min orso. It only takes a minute extra but the finish is so much better and more precise.
Please keep in mind that these settings are the settings for my machine, it could well be that these settings don't work out for you machine.
Hope this helps!
@@Audiohotshot If you look at the tool libraries in F360 it would seem that you're too conservative with your feeds and too fast with your speeds.
I know it sounds counter intuitive but the machinists where I work (I am an automation engineer, not a machinist, so I take their advice) told me to be either more bold with my feeds, or slow my speeds down to get the chip load right. Otherwise, you end up dulling your tools by overheating them.
This approach is borne out in the chip load calculator in F360 when you enter your tools into the library.
Great job on the videos though, and very informative
@@feolender2938 I totally agree with you about me probably being to conservative with my feeds and speeds. All you say is so true.
But having said that, I'm quite happy with the outcome sofar, in some strange way online feeds and speed calculators never seem to give me numbers I feel comfortable enough with to have a go at a expensive piece of wood. Since every piece of wood just 'behaves' a bit different I kind of 'wing it' by using use my gut feeling in combination with the knowledge you pointed out sp correctly. Sometime I'd rather be a bit more cautious than brave 🙂
how to download and add router bits library ?
Maybe i missed it, but how do you make sure your xy reference stays the same when you flip?
There are more ways of doing a double sided technique. I explain 2 methods in a bit more depth here: ua-cam.com/video/8iaGUxPc05M/v-deo.html and a different here: ua-cam.com/video/sY3E7iepzos/v-deo.html
Keeping X and Y in the same spot is easy, just do not change anything for the X and Y zero positions but the Z reference. Also, I include my dowelholes in the CAM setup for each side.
I hope this makes things a bit more clear :-)
Following the video, has anyone else experienced a warning about empty toolpaths when doing the adaptive clearing strategy? I select the outline and neck heel contours as shown at 8:40 and no toolpaths are created!
I see that you run the round and the flat (22mm) bits at the speed of 24000RPM. Are you experiencing burning any mark? I though that the wider bits had to run at a much slower speed (around 12000RPM)
No, I did not yet see any burn marks. Besides, I also lightly sand the material, so if anything would be visible, it is gone afterwards. The only material I lower my speed for is aluminum.