NAMES
DANIEL, PETER, BERNARD, REM, BJARKE, RENZO AND NORMAN
LOCATION
CNC LAB
BASIC OPERATIONS
ROUTER
SIZES
200x150x40mm (PETER, BERNARD, DANIEL)
290x390x50mm (REM, BJARKE)
1220x1220x50mm (RENZO)
1220x2440x50mm (NORMAN)
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
COMPLETION OF CNC ESSENTIALS
MATERIALS
ONLY USE MATERIALS SUPPLIED BY THE LAB
HAZARDS
COLLISION
FIRE
HARMFUL INHALATION
REMEMBER
ALWAYS WATCH THE MACHINE
CHECK EXTRACTION
WHAT IS A CNC SPINDLE?
A Spindle is a very fast spinning motor that holds an end mill. The end mill spins at a specific speed and the machine that the spindle is attached to feeds it through the material to cut away the material in its path. This is what is known as the tool path. The machine that the spindle is attached to is either a mill or a router. The machine is controlled by a computer, hence Computer Numerical Code - CNC. The computer code is generated out of your Rhino CAD file by using a CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) plugin call RhinoCAM.
WHAT IS IT FOR?
At a very basic level the End Mill can cut 2 dimensional shapes by using two axis - the X and the Y - it can also create what is called a POCKET by cutting away a set region, part of the way through the material. However, it can also use it’s 3rd axis - the Z axis- to cut simultaneously with the X and Y. This enables complex surfaces to be machined. Here in the Fabrication Lab we can cut low and high density foams as well as sheet material such as plywood, MDF and hard plastics like acrylic and also sectional timber.
TOOLS:
There are two distinct differences in the End Mills we have (remember End Mills are tooling that fits in the spindle). We have Ball Mill and Flat mills. Large diameter tools remove a lot of material quickly, small diameter tools are much slower but capable of a finer finish.
Choosing End mill versus Ball nose will determine the characteristics of the tooling marks, End mills have a flat end and are good for Flat surfaces, while Ball nose have a rounded end and are good for curved surfaces.
Each machine has different tools.
FABRICATION LAB
University of Westminster
College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries
35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS
Office@FabricationLab.London
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