2

A Guide to Using the CNC with Rhino CAM 2016

33

Basic Map of the CNC

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

8’

4’

SW SE

NW NE

CNC BED

ToolsPins

Tools - Location of tools. Note your tool number is always 1 - 8.Pins - Used to realign the spoil board on the machine after placing suction.

Computer

Computer - Refer to Setting Up the Machine.

Router Head

Router Head - Location of where your cutting tool will be, and spindle rotater.

Collet Tightener

Collet Tightener - Used to tighten the tool after setting the TOOL SET LENGTH.

1

1 2 3 4

2

3 4

Air Hose Connect

Air Hose Connect - Turn this on while booting the machine and off when done working.

CNC ArmVacuum

Vacuum - Controlled by the computer that will suck the project down.

Vacuum Valves

Vacuum Valves - Turn down for suction, turn them up to turn off air suction.

Laid out are the basic components of the CNC. As titled, this is a map, not a full break down of the CNC. As you continue to read, you will find more detailed diagrams and images of the ma-chine. Please use this map as reference when reading the guide. It is best to know the location of all the mapped elements to make setting up of the machine simple and safe.

Note: The machine has its own coordinate system when using Rhino CAM. All four corners are marked in this diagram, and the South West corner is physically marked on the floor by the ma-chine.

4

Safety Guide and Notes

This is a guide, and does not provide all of the information you will ever need to know about the machine. Instead this offers a way for you to safely start to research methods of CNC’ing. There are limitations to the guide, such as feeds and speeds are not provided for every material. Research has been completed by other companies and universities for material feeds and speeds. There is a ref-erence page to help guide your research. You are the designer, and therefore expect to have to run the machine multiple times to get the outcome you want. The product you get from the machine is truly the result of the process the machine and CAM uses to carve out your model. Examples of this are the milling operations, that often results in a contouring pattern, or the radial finish pattern which will leave the path of the router bit on your stock from a central point out.

55

Selecting a Suitable Stock

After selecting your material, you must find the actual stock, and determine the actual dimensions of the stock to a precise number. The most important dimension is your thickness or height.

Free of nails, screws, staples, and debris.

Completely dry and not extremely warped. Small warps can be fixed.

Thickness cannot exceed maximum height of of the Z axis on the bed

Material must be cuttable by bits you are using. The standard bits downstairs will cut woods, soft plastics, and metal.

Stock may not come in desirable thickness so you must glue or attach pieces together.

Must be able to properly identify the surface speed or identify the proper feeds and speeds by finding it in the charts section or doing online research

Properly measure your stock. Use image for reference

When gluieng - you must glue every portion of the stock so the router does not catch and rip the layers off.

If fastening the pieces together, the tool path must not hit any of your connectors or else the bit will break, or the stock will fall apart.

Setting-Up Your File in RhinoCAM 2016

1

4

5 6

2 3

4.) Open RhinoCAM2016 by typing RhinoCAM2016 into the command line.

5.) Select Box Stock for rectangular/square stocks.

6.) Click copy model bounding box. Now reference the length width height boxes. If the dimen-sions are not the size of your stock, then enter the correct dimensions. Click OK.

2.) Select properties.

3.) Select Units, then model. In the model units tab, select inches.

7

Setting-Up Your File in RhinoCAM 2016

78

9

10

11

NEVER EDIT A TOOL LIBRARY. PLEASE VISIT A SHOPWORKER TO DISCUSS IF YOU THINK IT NEEDS UPDATING OR NOTICE A PROBLEM.

7.) You will have to open the tool library if it’s not opened. First you must open the tool menu.

8.) If the tools are not loaded, you must load the tool library. Click Load tool library.

10.) Next you will have to align the stock and the coordinate system. Select Align, then Align Stock.11.) Now select Top as your alignment. OK.

*NOTE: If your model is shorter than your stock, you will be left with a base. If you align to the bottom, it will not leave a base. Again place your stock in the XY Alignment how you want it to be cut out. If the stock is the exact size of the model, then it doesn’t matter which one you choose.

Setting-Up Your File in RhinoCAM 2016

Setting-Up Your File in RhinoCAM 2016

1213

14

15

12.) After aligning stock, go back into align and select align world C.S. (coordinate system).

14.) Under the Program tab, select maching operations.15.) Because this will require 3-D cutting we will us 3 Axis Adv to carve out this project.

13.) Now select Set to Box Stock. Leave the Zero Face at Highest Z. Then choose South West. OK.

Note: This is how you will zero the machine down stairs. So if you chose North West instead you will have to set the tool origin to the North West corner of your stock on the machine.

9

Setting-Up Your File in RhinoCAM 2016

16

17

16.) Select the tool tab at the top. Once there refer to the tool chart. Page (?)Select your appropriate tool and make sure it is highlighted as shown above.

10

18

20

18.) Select the Cut Levels tab at the top. This will bring you to the amount your bit will step down by. Use this to increase the resolution of the model, or if you designed to have contours, you should use the amount of step down based on those contours.

Setting-Up Your File in RhinoCAM 2016

Setting-Up Your File in RhinoCAM 2016

21

22

23

21.) To visualize your maching operation, select Simulate at the top. Again click simulate with the arrow. Then hit play.

22.) After you like your design and have created all of your machining operations. Highlight all of your machining operations. Then right click and select Post.

12

Posting your File

The entire tutorial is meant to make sure that you can safely operate the machine properly. Your outcome may differ from the other examples, depending on the tool and type of material you used. This is the start of your research for CNC’ing. This is the first part of the test. After you’re done cutting you will bring the piece to the shopworker for approval. A shopworker will then give you the hand-written test before final approval. After you’ve completed all of the tests you will be added to the list of certified CNC operators. In no way does this certification give you the right or know how to change any of the tool databases or feeds and speeds. Instead it certifies your basic knowledge of the machine and that you can safely operate.

There is ongoing research about bits, feeds and speeds, materials, and other uses for CNC’ing that you should as a designer explore. Do not expect to have a finished product in just one go, or even that your files will run properly. Constantly be checking for all of the information that you can control and modify. Thousands of forums have answers to most of your questions, use your re-sources.

13

Min

imum

Cut

Wid

th =

Dia

met

er

Max

imum

Cut

Dep

th =

Tool

Set

Len

gth

RO

UG

H: P

lung

e, R

erou

gh,

Hor

izon

tal R

ough

ing/

Mill

ing,

Rad

ial M

ill

FIN

ISH

: Fin

ish

Mill

, Par

alle

l Fin

ish,

St

eap,

Fac

ing,

Pro

�lin

g

RO

UN

D: R

ound

Mill

, Re-

Plun

ge,

Cham

fer,

Faci

ng

SLO

TS:

Dat

os, T

cutt

ing

1/4

in. w

ide

1/4

in. d

eep

The

imag

e to

the

right

sho

ws

an e

xam

ple

of r

outin

g ou

t a

smal

l am

ount

of

woo

d.

I’m r

ough

ing

the

woo

d, a

nd d

oes

not

need

to

have

a �

nish

ed lo

ok. I

mus

t cu

t on

ly p

art w

ay d

own

into

the

stoc

k, e

xact

ly

1/4

inch

, an

d th

e cu

t m

ust

be 1

/4 i

nch

wid

e.

My

avai

labl

e to

ols

for t

his

type

of c

ut a

re:

A-2

, A-3

, B-4

, C-4

, D-3

, AN

D D

-4.

Tool

Des

crip

tion

sA-

1A-

2A-

3A-

4A-

5A-

6A-

7A-

8D

iam

eter

(C

ED)

1/8

"1

/8"

1/4

"1

/4"

3/8

"1

/4"

1/2

"3

/4"

Tool

Set

Len

gth

(Aft

er in

sert

ing

into

col

let,

AC

TUAL

leng

th f

rom

col

let

to e

nd o

f to

ol)

2"

1"

2"

2"

2 -

3/4

"2

- 1

/4"

3 -

3/4

"2

"C

UT

TYPE

Fini

sh T

ouch

Rou

gh M

illR

ough

Mill

Fini

sh T

ouch

Rou

gh M

illR

ough

Mill

Rou

gh M

illR

ough

Mill

Dir

ecti

on o

f C

utD

own

Up

Up

Dow

nU

pU

pU

pU

p O

R D

own

Tool

Des

crip

tion

sB

-1B

-2B

-3B

-4B

-5B

-6B

-7B

-8C

ut E

dge

Dia

met

er (

CED

) - W

idth

of

the

cut/

mat

eria

l bei

ng r

emov

ed1

/2"

1/4

"3

/8"

1/2

"1

/2"

Tool

Set

Len

gth

(Aft

er in

sert

ing

into

col

let,

AC

TUAL

leng

th f

rom

col

let

to e

nd o

f to

ol)

1 - 1

/4"

2"2

- 1/4

"2

- 1

/4"

3"C

UT

TYPE

Rou

nd

Roug

h M

illR

ough

Mill

Roug

h M

illRo

ugh

Mill

Dir

ecti

on o

f C

utN

AU

pD

own

Up

Up

OR

Dow

n

Tool

Des

crip

tion

sC-

1C-

2C-

3C-

4C-

5C-

6C-

7C-

8D

iam

eter

(C

ED)

3/8"

1/4"

1 - 1

/2"

1/2"

Tool

Set

Len

gth

(Aft

er in

sert

ing

into

col

let,

AC

TUAL

leng

th f

rom

col

let

to e

nd o

f to

ol)

1"1

- 3/4

"1

- 1/2

"2

- 1/4

"C

UT

TYPE

Roun

d Ro

ugh

Mill

Cutti

ng D

atos

Roug

h M

illD

irec

tion

of

Cut

NA

NA

Thro

ugh

Up

OR

Dow

n

Tool

Des

crip

tion

sD-

1D-

2D-

3D-

4D-

5D-

6D-

7D-

8D

iam

eter

(C

ED)

1/8"

1/8"

3/4"

Tool

Set

Len

gth

(Aft

er in

sert

ing

into

col

let,

AC

TUAL

leng

th f

rom

col

let

to e

nd o

f to

ol)

1 - 1

/4"

1 - 1

/4"

2"C

UT

TYPE

Roug

h M

illRo

ugh

Mill

lRo

ugh

Mill

Dir

ecti

on o

f C

utU

p O

R Do

wn

Up

Up

OR

Dow

n

Tool

Des

crip

tion

sE-

1E-

2E-

3E-

4E-

5E-

6E-

7E-

8D

iam

eter

(C

ED)

1/8"

Tool

Set

Len

gth

(Aft

er in

sert

ing

into

col

let,

AC

TUAL

leng

th f

rom

col

let

to e

nd o

f to

ol)

1 - 1

/4"

CU

T TY

PERo

und

Dir

ecti

on o

f C

utU

p O

R Do

wn

Tool

Sel

ecti

on G

uide

Once

yo

u’ve

se

lect

ed

your

to

ol,

sele

ct

the

appr

opria

te

colle

t nu

mbe

r. Fo

r exa

mpl

e if

I cho

se to

ol

A-1,

I w

ould

gra

b co

llet

(1).

Thes

e nu

mbe

rs a

re la

bele

d do

wns

tairs

by

the

tool

hol

ders

on

the

mac

hine

.

Afte

r ha

nd t

ight

enin

g th

e co

llet,

brin

g yo

ur t

ool

over

to

the

colle

t tig

hten

er o

n th

e m

achi

ne. U

se th

e re

d ha

ndle

d to

ol to

SLI

GH

TLY

tight

-en

the

part

pas

t han

d tig

hten

ed.

Afte

r gra

bbin

g yo

ur c

olle

t, re

turn

to

the

BIT

STAT

ION

, and

use

the

too

l ru

ler

to s

et y

our

bit

to a

ppro

pria

te

TOOL

SET

LEN

GTH

.

1 2

3

4 5

6

7

8