CNC Router - Users Guide

7/28/2019 CNC Router - Users Guide

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CNC Router / Engraving MachineSimple Users Guide


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1. Introduction

This guide is intended to help the user get started using the CNC machine. I havemade every effort to include all that I can in the time that I had available, butobviously this is not a professional user guide and is for a self-built machine.

I highly recommend the user gets familiar with the Mach3 software before usingthe machine. This is almost essential as the machine is built to operate using thissoftware. This can be downloaded from the Internet, free in demo mode (ie notconnected to a CNC machine) onto another computer such as a laptop and usedas a training and simulator machine. I myself had a separate copy on my laptopthat I used to test run and edit ALL programs before loading them onto themachine. The Mach3 software also comes with good documentation, which Ihighly recommend reading at least once before starting.

I will try to document several example of how to use the machine using thesample components I have produced as test components myself. Again this willonly touch the surface of what the machine can do, but will get you started, unlessof course you already know more than I do myself. In which case please forgiveme if I cover information you already know.

I built the machine for fun and as an experiment really and to learn a bit aboutprogramming CNC machine and learning about gcode. I had seen a lot ofinformation, on the Internet, showing other machines people had built themselvesand felt inspired to see what I could do. After several months of research I started

to do some designs on 3D CAD. I have a background in Engineering and servedmy apprenticeship on milling machines, before moving into the drawing officewhere I spent several years designing machine tools. So hopefully my experiencein engineering (18 years) has not gone to waste.

The machine is built around a Trend Router Rack system, which I already had.This is designed to handle full size routers, so I guessed it could easily handle asmaller cutter such as the Dremel. The Trend Router Rack parts used are the basemounting brackets, which fasten to the baseboard, the steel tubes, the topclamping brackets and the aluminium mounting plates. This gives a very sturdy

gantry for the X-axis. It also enables the whole gantry to be raised or lowered, onthe steel tubes, if desired to give a bit more clearance over the table, if a tallcomponent is to be machined. The aluminium plates can also be turned around togive even more clearance, but thats another matter and shouldnt be required.The only downside is that you have to realign the gantry parallel to the table ifyou undo the gantry brackets to move the gantry up or down. But you shouldntreally need to, or at least not very often and it doesnt take that long to set it upparallel again.

Each axis runs on quality linear slides, which are purpose made for CNC

machines. These comprise of aluminium support brackets on either end ofground steel linear slide bars. Each axis also runs on four sealed linear slidebearings. Each axis is driven by an M6 stainless steel threaded drive shaft. A


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bearing supports each end of the drive shaft. On each end of the drive shaft asmall bearing shaft is fitted with an M6 nut locking it in position. Any play can betaken up by adjusting either end of the drive shaft. Just undo one M6 nut and takeup the play. Then lock the M6 nut against the bearing shaft.

The X and Z axis both use a threaded Delrin (Acetal) blocks. This gives very littlebacklash. The Y-axis table has an anti backlash nut system I created and can beadjusted with two screws either side. All seem to work very well. I have includedsome spare Delrin (Acetal) blocks that were left over which could be used toreplace the blocks if they ever wear.

The machine is fitted with a Dremel, which works very well, but another type ofcutter or small router could possibly be fitted, by making suitable mountings.

2. Connections

I have tried to make all connections more or less fool proof, so they can only beconnected one-way and only to one thing. I also made almost all cables fitted withconnectors so I didnt have to keep messing about undoing wired connections andthen trying to remember which wire connected to what connector etc. The onlyexception now is the power cable for the Dremel. That has to be disconnectedfrom the relay board at the rear of the machine, under the white plastic covermarked 240v. So make sure you disconnect the machine from the mains beforeremoving the cover. Its just two wires, brown and blue and they connect to the

brown and blue on the relay board as shown in the photo below.


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The following photo shows the rear of the CNC controller.

E1 Emergency Stop Button Connector From Control Panel


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H1 Homing Limit Switches Connectors

M1 MPG Cable Connectors From Control Panel

P1 Parallel Port Cable From PC P2 ConnectorThis cable connects the PC to the CNC Controller interface board

This end of the parallel cable goes into the CNC Controller marked P1


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This end of the parallel cable goes into the PC marked P2

Note it does not go into the other parallel port on the back of the PC, which hasbeen covered up and is not used.

X Y and Z Axis Stepper Motor Connectors

Important Never disconnect the stepper motor cables with the power onIt can blow the controller boards. Which is not good!Screw the connectors on so theres no chance of them getting knocked off byaccident.

These connectors are self-explanatory and can only go in one way around, justmake sure you connect X to X, Y to Y and Z to Z etc.

R1 Dremel Relay Board Connector

This connects the CNC controller to the relay board. It allows the cutter to bestarted and stopped from Mach3 or manually from the control panel. It is safetyinterlocked with Mach3 through the charge pump feature, which only lets themachine operate if a signal is present from Mach3. If Mach3 crashes, or Windowsor the PC crashes, or the power goes off and then returns the machine will notrun. Without this the cutter could start as the PC powered back up, which wouldnot be safe.

Plug Gang Sockets

All power comes from the no volts release safety switch mounted on the fromright hand side of the machine to the gang socket on the rear of the machine.


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3. Start Up Procedure

With the plug from the no volts release switch plugged in and the power switchedon, the green button on the no volts release switch can be switched on.

I always leave the monitor switched on, so the monitor should now come on andthen go into power saving mode, until the PC is powered up. If not press the

monitor power switch and then leave it on.

Now the PC can be switched on with the button on the front top of tower case.


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Note sometimes the PC wont power up the first time it is switched on or willfreeze somewhere during Windows starting up. If this happens either hold the PCpower on button for a few seconds until it powers off again or press the redbutton on the no volts release switch to cut the power and start again. This onlyusually happens the first time it is started up and then its fine. I think it may bethe cmos memory battery on the motherboard that may need changing. It doesntalways happen. This is why I have included the spare motherboard etc. If it didbecome a problem it could be changed.

So now it should boot up and Windows XP will start up and you get to thedesktop with a message to say your computer may not be protected. This is due toit not being connected to the Internet for some time and so it is complaining thatthe anti virus software is out of date. You can just clear the message or if you haveInternet access you could update the anti virus software.

Once Windows is finished loading and the message has been cleared, the Mach3software can be started. This is done by double clicking the KeyGrabber Icon.

You use this rather than the Mach3 Mill Icon as the control panel uses theKeyGrabber program to recognise the keys you press on the control panel and ittranslates the key presses into Mach3 commands. If you dont run KeyGrabber thecontrol panel will not work properly.

When the KeyGrabber window appears press the start Mach3 button.


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Then select the Mach3Mill profile and press OK to continue and load Mach3.Once Mach3 is up and running the CNC controller can be powered up. This isdone, by pressing the green power button on the front of the CNC Controller.

The green power light will come on and you should hear the cooling fans startand the power relay click. The red Mach3 ready light will stay off at this stage.

Once you are ready to run the machine the reset button on the control panel canbe pressed to reset the machine ready to run. This clears the emergency stop statethat Mach3 always starts up into. The red Mach3 ready light will now come on.The machine is ready to run.

Note It is better not leave the machine in a Mach3 ready state until you areready to use the machine. While the machine is in Mach3 ready state, the steppermotors are powered up and will start to get hot. So I get in the habit of pressing


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the reset button only when needed and then press it again to return the CNCcontroller to emergency stop state. This way it saves the motors getting hot for noreason. To demonstrate what I mean try moving the screw shaft on the X axis byhand. Try it with the machine in Mach3 ready and in emergency stop state, bypressing the reset button once then try moving the shaft and then press the resetbutton again and try moving it by hand. You will see when the machine is inMach3 ready state the stepper motors are powered up and the shaft will not moveand the motors do get hot eventually if left on.

I have done a video that shows start up and shutdown procedures so if you like tolearn by seeing then its worth taking a look. In fact its probably a good idea towatch the videos first anyway. That way you will probably know what Im takingabout a little better.

4. Shutdown Procedure

Shutdown is more or less the reverse. First press the reset or emergency stopbuttons on the control panel. I usually the reset button as it serves the samefunction and is less heavy to press.

This makes sure the stepper motors are powered down. Now the CNC controllercan be switched off, by pressing the power switch on the front of the CNCController. The green power led will go out (after a few seconds due to capacitordrain down time).

Now you can exit Mach3. It will ask you to confirm you want to end the session.

Once Mach3 is shutdown the PC can be shutdown by using the power downbutton on the slide out keyboard, which is a nice little feature.


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Hold the button for a few seconds and Windows will shutdown and the PC willpower off. Or you can press and hold the power button on the top of the PC towercase.

Now the red button on the no volts release switch can be pressed and all power isnow off to the machine. The machine can now be unplugged if desired.

5. Control Panel

I wanted to design a control panel to allow the machine to be operated as easily aspossible without having to use a standard mouse and keyboard all the time. I


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looked at other peoples designs and after getting started using Mach3 decided ona basic layout for the control panel.

I wanted to have as many of the common commands assigned to buttons alongwith an emergency stop button. I also found a touch sensitive mouse pad thatincorporated a numeric pad. So I built this into the control panel to do away withthe standard mouse as much as possible.

Then I wanted to group the keys in groups of related functions. So the first groupof controls comprise of the four program control buttons for starting, pausing,stopping and resetting the machine.

Start (Cycle Start) This starts the Gcode program running in Mach3. This willstart the spindle if the switch on the front of the Dremel is in the onposition and start the motion of the machine.

Pause (Feed Hold) This pauses the Gcode program running in Mach3 as soon as

possible. The spindle will still be running but can be manually stopped.This can be used to replace a broken cutter, for example or debris. TheSpindle will need starting again manually and the program can be startedagain by pressing the Start button. Mach3 will return to its previousposition and continue.

Stop - This halts axis motion as quickly as possible. It may result in lost stepsand restarting may not be possible.

Note See Mach3 Manual for more details.

Reset - This is a toggle. Press once and Mach3 is reset and enabled, press againand Mach3 returns to emergency stop status.


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Emergency Stop Button This button is a software emergency stop button andsends a signal to Mach3. It locks on when pressed and needs twisting torelease. The Reset button must then be pressed to allow the machine tocontinue and clear the emergency stop state. I tend not to use this buttonas it take a bit more force to press than the reset button and does just thesame thing.

NOTE: It is possible that you could use the red button on the no volts releasepower switch as an emergency stop button. This would cut all powerinstantly. Now I am not saying this is a good idea but if it was a realemergency this will cut all power.

MPG DIAL Manual Pulse Generator This allows the selected axis to be movedmanually by sending signals to Mach3 which then generates pulses todrive the stepper motors. See Mach3 for more details.

X- This button allows you to move the X-axis manually in the minusdirection (Left)

X+ This button allows you to move the X-axis manually in the plus direction(Right)

Y- This button allows you to move the Y-axis (Table) manually in the minusdirection (Away from you)

Y+ This button allows you to move the Y-axis (Table) manually in the plusdirection (Towards you)

Z- This button allows you to move the Z-axis (Dremel) manually in theminus direction (Down)

Z+ This button allows you to move the Z-axis (Dremel) manually in the plusdirection (Up)


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REF ALL HOME This button will move first the Y-Axis (Table) in the minusdirection until the Y home limitswitch is triggered. It will then back offthe limitswitch and set the Y Zero point. It will then move the X-Axis inthe minus direction until the X home limitswitch is triggered. It will thenback off the limitswitch and set the X zero point. The Z-Axis has no home

limit switch so you have to manually make sure it has enough movementin the desired direction during program run. This is easy to do, especiallyif you test run the program.

Zero-X This button resets the X-Axis DRO to zero.

Zero-Y This button resets the Y-Axis DRO to zero.

Zero-Z This button resets the Z-Axis DRO to zero.

MPG MODE This button will bring up the Mach3 Jogging Screen as shownbelow and is the same as pressing the Tab key on the keyboard. Thisscreen allows you to see which Jog Mode, Cycle Jog Step and Axis isselected.


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JOG ON/OFF This button allows you to turn jogging off. This will stop anyaccidental movements if someone presses one of the jogging buttons.

JOG MODE This button cycles through the Jog Modes. The Jog Modes are:Continuous, Step and MPG.

Continuous mode allows you to press the X-, X+, Y-, Y+, Z-, Z+ feedbuttons and the Axis will move continuously in the desired direction

until the button is released.

Step Mode allows you to press the X-, X+, Y-, Y+, Z-, Z+ feed buttons and

the Axis will move a single step in the desired direction until the buttonis released. The step depends on the selected cycle jog step, which can befrom 1.0000mm to 0.0001mm increments.

MPG Mode allows you to turn the MPG Dial on the control panel andmove the selected Axis in the direction required. This can be done insingle steps or continuously in a similar way to Step Mode.

JOG INC This button toggles through the Cycle Jog Step increments. The valuesare 1.0000mm, 0.1000mm, 0.0100mm, 0.0010mm and 0.0001mm. Thisallows you to start with large increments and then as you approach theworkpiece to reduce the increment to allow fine feeding for setup.

AXIS SELECT This button toggles through the active axis for MPG mode. Notethis only works in MPG mode because you can only move one axis at atime with the MPG. With the manual feed buttons the button you press


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selects the axis to move ie. Pressing the X+ button by its very natureknows you want to move the X-Axis and pressing one of the others doesthe same. But in MPG mode the desired axis must be active first.

SHUTTLE MODE This button toggle through the MPG Shuttle Modes.

Velocity Only mode the velocity of the axis movement is related to therotational speed of the MPG with Mach3 ensuring that the acceleration ofthe axis and top speed if honored. This gives a very natural feel to axismovement.

Step/Velocitymode in Mach3 currently works the same as Velocity Onlymode.

Single Step mode each pulse from the MPG dial requests one incrementaljog step. Only one request at a time will be allowed. In other words if theaxis is already moving then a pulse will be ignored.

Multi-Step mode pulses from the MPG dial will be counted and queued.Note this means for large steps the axis may move a considerable

distance and for some time after MPG dial has stopped.

These step modes are of particular use in making very fine controlledmovements when setting up work on a machine. You are advised to startusing by using Velocity Mode then consider using Single Step mode withrelevant increments for final setting up.


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The final three unmarked buttons were unassigned spare buttons, but I have nowsetup the first button as Spindle Start/Stop. There is no label on the control panel toshow this as I did it after I had printer the control panel overlay. This could bereprinted and I have included the graphic file (Panel-02.bmp) on the machine. Theother two buttons could be used at a later date, by defining them in KeyGrabber.

The touch pad allows you to move the mouse in the same way as a laptop computerhas a touch pad. It also allows you to tap the surface for clicking i.e. two taps equalsdouble click etc. It also has two mouse buttons, which can be used. The pad alsodoubles as a numeric pad and calculator. If you click the Mode button the blue ledlights up and the pad is now in numeric pad mode. You can select a data entry fieldin Mach3 then select numeric mode and enter a figure and the press enter. Thenreselect mouse mode by pressing the mode button again. It also has a calculatorbutton that brings up Microsoft calculator.


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6. Example Component CAD to CAM (Dxf to Gcode)

I will now document the way that I have created one of the test components I usedto test the machine. This will give you an idea of the process I used to go fromdrawing to finished component and the steps in between. This is by no means the

only way to do things, just an example.

Example 1 32 Tooth Gearwheel Material: Polycarbonate

I start by using a CAD package to draw the component. The CAD package I use isHP ME10. I use this because its the package I used as a design engineer. Any otherCAD or drawing package can be used that will save drawings as DXF files.

So I draw the gearwheel and set the centre of the gear as the datum point at 0,0

This helps when setting the machine up, as I will show later.

So here we have one 32T Gear with the centre on 0,0

I now save the file as a DXF file.


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Next I load up CamBam and load the DXF file.

If it asks if you want to change default units to inches say no.

Change the units to mm.

Click on the main drawing area. The gear should go small.


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Select View Zoom To Fit

Now were ready to start.


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Now we need to tell CamBam what we want to machine, how we want to machine it andin what order etc.

So the first operation is the centre drill. This is a 3mm drill through.

So we select the centre, by clicking on the centre point. If we select it correctly it will behighlighted in red. The easiest way is to drag a small box around the centre small circle.

Now select the drilling operation icon at the top right of the screen.


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We now have a drilling operation called Drill (1)

We can rename the drilling operation to something more meaningful, such as Centre Drill.

We also need to fill in the list of parameters on the bottom left hand corner.

I have expanded the list upwards in the following view to show the defaults and thechanges are highlighted in red.


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TargetDepth The distance you want the drill to go, usually more than the thickness ofthe material, providing you put a piece of scrap material under the workpiece. This thenallows for the point of the drill.

PlungeFeedrate This is the rate the Z-Axis will drill the hole. This depends on materialand size of hole.

ClearancePlane This is the distance the Z-Axis will return to after drilling.

Name The new name for the operation. Try to avoid using brackets, like CamBam doesas default as Mach3 doesnt like them.

ToolDiameter This is the drill diameter in this case.

ToolNumber This is used by Mach3 to allow you to identify tools and to allow toolchanges.

The next operation would be the four cutouts.

So we must highlight the lines and arcs that make them up.


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DepthIncrement This sets the depth of cut per pass, in this case 1.25mm to give twopasses.

TargetDepth This is the overall depth of cut, usually the thickness of the material, plusenough to break through, if you want to.

CutFeedrate This is the feedrate the cutter will feed at in the X and Y Axis, while cutting.This depends on cutter, material and depth of cut etc. Experimentation is the best way tofind the right settings, starting on the cautious side.

PlungeFeedrate This is the feedrate the cutter will cut in the Z Axis, while cutting. Thisdepends on the cutter, material and depth of cut etc. Experimentation is the best way tofind the right settings, starting on the cautious side.

ClearancePlane This is the distance the Z Axis will return to between movements overworkpiece to clear it. Default is 1.5mm but I like a bit more 5mm.

InsideOutside This tells CamBam to cut on the inside or outside of the profile. In thiscase we want to cut on the inside. The default is outside.

Name The name of the 2.5D profile operation.


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ToolDiameter Diameter of the cutting tool. In this case a 3.0mm Router bit. This isimportant as CamBam works out the movements base on the radius offset.

ToolNumber This allows Mach3 to know if you need to change tool or not. Sometimes Iwill put an incremented tool number to generate a toolchange, just to pause the machine.Mach3 will stop the cutter and move the Z Axis up and wait for the start command. Thisgives time to allow for removing scrap material and using a vacuum cleaner to removedust and debris etc before continuing with the next operation. But if you are using thesame cutter you dont need to do this, it is optional, only if you are changing from say a3.0mm drill to a 3.0mm router bit as we do between the drilling operation and the cutoutprofile operation is it required.

We can now repeat the process for the other three cutouts. You could do them all in oneoperation but I like to just check whats going on and vacuum up and remove scrapbetween operations.

If you now press and hold the Ctrl key and press T (Ctrl+T) this will generate the toolpaths to verify everything looks ok so far. You can also go to the CAM menu and selectGenerate Toolpaths.

You should end up with something like the following:

You can see from this the toolpaths are on the right side of the profile (inside).


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Now we need to cut the teeth.

So we now select all the teeth. This is best done by pressing the Ctrl key, and thendragging boxes around the teeth.

Continue until the whole profile is selected.


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Now convert the profile to Polylines by pressing and holding the Ctrl key and P (Ctrl+P)then join the lines by pressing and holding the Ctrl key and J (Ctrl+J). The box will appearasking for the joint tolerance, which should still be 0.1mm so just press ok.

Now insert a new 2.5d profile operation as we did for the cutouts. The parameters shouldbe as follows:

If you now press and hold the Ctrl key and press T (Ctrl+T) this will generate the toolpaths to verify everything looks ok so far. You can also go to the CAM menu and selectGenerate Toolpaths.

You should end up with something like the following:


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We are now finished and can generate the gcode program for the machine.

Select the CAM menu > Create Gcode File


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Save the gcode file and give it a .tap extension for Mach3, such as 32T_Gear-001.tap

Now we are ready to load the gcode file into Mach3 and run it in demo (Simulator) modeon a laptop for example, away from the machine, to check for errors or tweaks to the code.


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The gcode generated looks like the following:

( This file was created automatically using CamBam )( http://www.brusselsprout.org/CAMBAM )( 8/26/2011 3:44:45 AM )( T1 : 3 )( T2 : 3 )

( T3 : 3 )( T4 : 3 )( T5 : 3 )( T6 : 3 )G21G90G64G00 Z5( Centre Drill - 1 )( T1 : 3 )M06 T1M03G81 X0 Y0 Z3 R5 F100

G81 Z3 R5G81 Z3 R5G81 Z3 R5( Cutout - 1 )( T2 : 3 )G00 Z5M06 T2M03G00 X-14.780806 Y7.333333G01 Z-1.25G02 F200 X-16.124515 Y6.5 I-1.34371 J0.666667G01 X-40.887418G02 X-42.359505 Y8.288027 I0 J1.5

G02 X-8.288027 Y42.359505 I42.359505 J-8.288027G02 X-6.5 Y40.887418 I0.288027 J-1.472087G01 Y16.124515G02 X-7.333333 Y14.780806 I-1.5 J0G03 X-14.780806 Y7.333333 I7.333333 J-14.780806G01 F100 Z-2.5G02 F200 X-16.124515 Y6.5 I-1.34371 J0.666667G01 X-40.887418G02 X-42.359505 Y8.288027 I0 J1.5G02 X-8.288027 Y42.359505 I42.359505 J-8.288027G02 X-6.5 Y40.887418 I0.288027 J-1.472087G01 Y16.124515G02 X-7.333333 Y14.780806 I-1.5 J0G03 X-14.780806 Y7.333333 I7.333333 J-14.780806( Cutout - 2 )( T3 : 3 )G00 Z5M06 T3M03G00 X16.124515 Y6.5G01 F100 Z-1.25G02 F200 X14.780806 Y7.333333 I0 J1.5G03 X7.333333 Y14.780806 I-14.780806 J-7.333333G02 X6.5 Y16.124515 I0.666667 J1.34371G01 Y40.887418G02 X8.288027 Y42.359505 I1.5 J0G02 X42.359505 Y8.288027 I-8.288027 J-42.359505G02 X40.887418 Y6.5 I-1.472087 J-0.288027G01 X16.124515


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G01 F100 Z-2.5G02 F200 X14.780806 Y7.333333 I0 J1.5G03 X7.333333 Y14.780806 I-14.780806 J-7.333333G02 X6.5 Y16.124515 I0.666667 J1.34371G01 Y40.887418G02 X8.288027 Y42.359505 I1.5 J0G02 X42.359505 Y8.288027 I-8.288027 J-42.359505G02 X40.887418 Y6.5 I-1.472087 J-0.288027G01 X16.124515( Cutout - 3 )( T4 : 3 )G00 Z5M06 T4M03G00 X6.5 Y-16.124515G01 F100 Z-1.25G02 F200 X7.333333 Y-14.780806 I1.5 J0G03 X14.780806 Y-7.333333 I-7.333333 J14.780806G02 X16.124515 Y-6.5 I1.34371 J-0.666667G01 X40.887418

G02 X42.359505 Y-8.288027 I0 J-1.5G02 X8.288027 Y-42.359505 I-42.359505 J8.288027G02 X6.5 Y-40.887418 I-0.288027 J1.472087G01 Y-16.124515G01 F100 Z-2.5G02 F200 X7.333333 Y-14.780806 I1.5 J0G03 X14.780806 Y-7.333333 I-7.333333 J14.780806G02 X16.124515 Y-6.5 I1.34371 J-0.666667G01 X40.887418G02 X42.359505 Y-8.288027 I0 J-1.5G02 X8.288027 Y-42.359505 I-42.359505 J8.288027G02 X6.5 Y-40.887418 I-0.288027 J1.472087G01 Y-16.124515

( Cutout - 4 )( T5 : 3 )G00 Z5M06 T5M03G00 X-16.124515 Y-6.5G01 F100 Z-1.25G02 F200 X-14.780806 Y-7.333333 I0 J-1.5G03 X-7.333333 Y-14.780806 I14.780806 J7.333333G02 X-6.5 Y-16.124515 I-0.666667 J-1.34371G01 Y-40.887418G02 X-8.288027 Y-42.359505 I-1.5 J0G02 X-42.359505 Y-8.288027 I8.288027 J42.359505

G02 X-40.887418 Y-6.5 I1.472087 J0.288027G01 X-16.124515G01 F100 Z-2.5G02 F200 X-14.780806 Y-7.333333 I0 J-1.5G03 X-7.333333 Y-14.780806 I14.780806 J7.333333G02 X-6.5 Y-16.124515 I-0.666667 J-1.34371G01 Y-40.887418G02 X-8.288027 Y-42.359505 I-1.5 J0G02 X-42.359505 Y-8.288027 I8.288027 J42.359505G02 X-40.887418 Y-6.5 I1.472087 J0.288027G01 X-16.124515( Teeth Profile )( T6 : 3 )

G00 Z5M06 T6M03G00 X4.646142 Y-53.938875


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G01 F100 Z-1.25G01 F200 X5.966084 Y-53.808872G03 X8.654033 Y-58.033819 I21.482778 J10.700012G03 X10.121346 Y-58.572187 I1.174677 J0.93281G01 X13.063702 Y-57.986916G03 X14.213297 Y-56.928013 I-0.292635 J1.471178G03 X15.079821 Y-51.996037 I-23.075692 J6.596395G01 X16.349038 Y-51.611024G03 X19.809585 Y-55.230398 I18.982524 J14.685496G03 X21.353734 Y-55.472162 I0.970124 J1.144054G01 X24.125372 Y-54.324112G03 X25.046297 Y-53.061281 I-0.574025 J1.385819G03 X24.93399 Y-48.055021 I-23.919192 J1.967802G01 X26.103707 Y-47.429794G03 X30.203865 Y-50.304503 I15.752782 J18.106625G03 X31.76551 Y-50.240374 I0.728289 J1.311333G01 X34.259919 Y-48.573663G03 X34.916781 Y-47.155433 I-0.833355 J1.247204G03 X33.829959 Y-42.267277 I-23.843491 J-2.736411G01 X34.855225 Y-41.425863

G03 X39.437428 Y-43.445434 I11.917669 J20.831926G03 X40.956555 Y-43.077875 I0.458467 J1.428219G01 X43.077875 Y-40.956555G03 X43.445434 Y-39.437428 I-1.06066 J1.06066G03 X41.425863 Y-34.855225 I-22.851497 J-7.335466G01 X42.267277 Y-33.829959G03 X47.155433 Y-34.916781 I7.624567 J22.756669G03 X48.573663 Y-34.259919 I0.171026 J1.490218G01 X50.240374 Y-31.76551G03 X50.304503 Y-30.203865 I-1.247204 J0.833355G03 X47.429794 Y-26.103707 I-20.981334 J-11.652623G01 X48.055021 Y-24.93399G03 X53.061281 Y-25.046297 I3.038458 J23.806885

G03 X54.324112 Y-24.125372 I-0.122988 J1.49495G01 X55.472162 Y-21.353734G03 X55.230398 Y-19.809585 I-1.385819 J0.574025G03 X51.611024 Y-16.349038 I-18.304869 J-15.521977G01 X51.996037 Y-15.079821G03 X56.928013 Y-14.213297 I-1.664418 J23.942216G03 X57.986916 Y-13.063702 I-0.412275 J1.442231G01 X58.572187 Y-10.121346G03 X58.033819 Y-8.654033 I-1.471178 J0.292635G03 X53.808872 Y-5.966084 I-14.924959 J-18.794829G01 X53.938875 Y-4.646142G03 X58.607034 Y-2.834088 I-6.303332 J23.157461G03 X59.421316 Y-1.5 I-0.685718 J1.334088

G01 Y1.5G03 X58.607034 Y2.834088 I-1.5 J0G03 X53.938875 Y4.646142 I-10.971491 J-21.345407G01 X53.808872 Y5.966084G03 X58.033819 Y8.654033 I-10.700012 J21.482778G03 X58.572187 Y10.121346 I-0.93281 J1.174677G01 X57.986916 Y13.063702G03 X56.928013 Y14.213297 I-1.471178 J-0.292635G03 X51.996037 Y15.079821 I-6.596395 J-23.075692G01 X51.611024 Y16.349038G03 X55.230398 Y19.809585 I-14.685496 J18.982524G03 X55.472162 Y21.353734 I-1.144054 J0.970124G01 X54.324112 Y24.125372

G03 X53.061281 Y25.046297 I-1.385819 J-0.574025G03 X48.055021 Y24.93399 I-1.967802 J-23.919192G01 X47.429794 Y26.103707G03 X50.304503 Y30.203865 I-18.106625 J15.752782


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G03 X50.240374 Y31.76551 I-1.311333 J0.728289G01 X48.573663 Y34.259919G03 X47.155433 Y34.916781 I-1.247204 J-0.833355G03 X42.267277 Y33.829959 I2.736411 J-23.843491G01 X41.425863 Y34.855225G03 X43.445434 Y39.437428 I-20.831926 J11.917669G03 X43.077875 Y40.956555 I-1.428219 J0.458467G01 X40.956555 Y43.077875G03 X39.437428 Y43.445434 I-1.06066 J-1.06066G03 X34.855225 Y41.425863 I7.335466 J-22.851497G01 X33.829959 Y42.267277G03 X34.916781 Y47.155433 I-22.756669 J7.624567G03 X34.259919 Y48.573663 I-1.490218 J0.171026G01 X31.76551 Y50.240374G03 X30.203865 Y50.304503 I-0.833355 J-1.247204G03 X26.103707 Y47.429794 I11.652623 J-20.981334G01 X24.93399 Y48.055021G03 X25.046297 Y53.061281 I-23.806885 J3.038458G03 X24.125372 Y54.324112 I-1.49495 J-0.122988G01 X21.353734 Y55.472162

G03 X19.809585 Y55.230398 I-0.574025 J-1.385819G03 X16.349038 Y51.611024 I15.521977 J-18.304869G01 X15.079821 Y51.996037G03 X14.213297 Y56.928013 I-23.942216 J-1.664418G03 X13.063702 Y57.986916 I-1.442231 J-0.412275G01 X10.121346 Y58.572187G03 X8.654033 Y58.033819 I-0.292635 J-1.471178G03 X5.966084 Y53.808872 I18.794829 J-14.924959G01 X4.646142 Y53.938875G03 X2.834088 Y58.607034 I-23.157461 J-6.303332G03 X1.5 Y59.421316 I-1.334088 J-0.685718G01 X-1.5G03 X-2.834088 Y58.607034 I0 J-1.5

G03 X-4.646142 Y53.938875 I21.345407 J-10.971491G01 X-5.966084 Y53.808872G03 X-8.654033 Y58.033819 I-21.482778 J-10.700012G03 X-10.121346 Y58.572187 I-1.174677 J-0.93281G01 X-13.063702 Y57.986916G03 X-14.213297 Y56.928013 I0.292635 J-1.471178G03 X-15.079821 Y51.996037 I23.075692 J-6.596395G01 X-16.349038 Y51.611024G03 X-19.809585 Y55.230398 I-18.982524 J-14.685496G03 X-21.353734 Y55.472162 I-0.970124 J-1.144054G01 X-24.125372 Y54.324112G03 X-25.046297 Y53.061281 I0.574025 J-1.385819G03 X-24.93399 Y48.055021 I23.919192 J-1.967802

G01 X-26.103707 Y47.429794G03 X-30.203865 Y50.304503 I-15.752782 J-18.106625G03 X-31.76551 Y50.240374 I-0.728289 J-1.311333G01 X-34.259919 Y48.573663G03 X-34.916781 Y47.155433 I0.833355 J-1.247204G03 X-33.829959 Y42.267277 I23.843491 J2.736411G01 X-34.855225 Y41.425863G03 X-39.437428 Y43.445434 I-11.917669 J-20.831926G03 X-40.956555 Y43.077875 I-0.458467 J-1.428219G01 X-43.077875 Y40.956555G03 X-43.445434 Y39.437428 I1.06066 J-1.06066G03 X-41.425863 Y34.855225 I22.851497 J7.335466G01 X-42.267277 Y33.829959

G03 X-47.155433 Y34.916781 I-7.624567 J-22.756669G03 X-48.573663 Y34.259919 I-0.171026 J-1.490218G01 X-50.240374 Y31.76551G03 X-50.304503 Y30.203865 I1.247204 J-0.833355


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G03 X-47.429794 Y26.103707 I20.981334 J11.652623G01 X-48.055021 Y24.93399G03 X-53.061281 Y25.046297 I-3.038458 J-23.806885G03 X-54.324112 Y24.125372 I0.122988 J-1.49495G01 X-55.472162 Y21.353734G03 X-55.230398 Y19.809585 I1.385819 J-0.574025G03 X-51.611024 Y16.349038 I18.304869 J15.521977G01 X-51.996037 Y15.079821G03 X-56.928013 Y14.213297 I1.664418 J-23.942216G03 X-57.986916 Y13.063702 I0.412275 J-1.442231G01 X-58.572187 Y10.121346G03 X-58.033819 Y8.654033 I1.471178 J-0.292635G03 X-53.808872 Y5.966084 I14.924959 J18.794829G01 X-53.938875 Y4.646142G03 X-58.607034 Y2.834088 I6.303332 J-23.157461G03 X-59.421316 Y1.5 I0.685718 J-1.334088G01 Y-1.5G03 X-58.607034 Y-2.834088 I1.5 J0G03 X-53.938875 Y-4.646142 I10.971491 J21.345407G01 X-53.808872 Y-5.966084

G03 X-58.033819 Y-8.654033 I10.700012 J-21.482778G03 X-58.572187 Y-10.121346 I0.93281 J-1.174677G01 X-57.986916 Y-13.063702G03 X-56.928013 Y-14.213297 I1.471178 J0.292635G03 X-51.996037 Y-15.079821 I6.596395 J23.075692G01 X-51.611024 Y-16.349038G03 X-55.230398 Y-19.809585 I14.685496 J-18.982524G03 X-55.472162 Y-21.353734 I1.144054 J-0.970124G01 X-54.324112 Y-24.125372G03 X-53.061281 Y-25.046297 I1.385819 J0.574025G03 X-48.055021 Y-24.93399 I1.967802 J23.919192G01 X-47.429794 Y-26.103707G03 X-50.304503 Y-30.203865 I18.106625 J-15.752782

G03 X-50.240374 Y-31.76551 I1.311333 J-0.728289G01 X-48.573663 Y-34.259919G03 X-47.155433 Y-34.916781 I1.247204 J0.833355G03 X-42.267277 Y-33.829959 I-2.736411 J23.843491G01 X-41.425863 Y-34.855225G03 X-43.445434 Y-39.437428 I20.831926 J-11.917669G03 X-43.077875 Y-40.956555 I1.428219 J-0.458467G01 X-40.956555 Y-43.077875G03 X-39.437428 Y-43.445434 I1.06066 J1.06066G03 X-34.855225 Y-41.425863 I-7.335466 J22.851497G01 X-33.829959 Y-42.267277G03 X-34.916781 Y-47.155433 I22.756669 J-7.624567G03 X-34.259919 Y-48.573663 I1.490218 J-0.171026

G01 X-31.76551 Y-50.240374G03 X-30.203865 Y-50.304503 I0.833355 J1.247204G03 X-26.103707 Y-47.429794 I-11.652623 J20.981334G01 X-24.93399 Y-48.055021G03 X-25.046297 Y-53.061281 I23.806885 J-3.038458G03 X-24.125372 Y-54.324112 I1.49495 J0.122988G01 X-21.353734 Y-55.472162G03 X-19.809585 Y-55.230398 I0.574025 J1.385819G03 X-16.349038 Y-51.611024 I-15.521977 J18.304869G01 X-15.079821 Y-51.996037G03 X-14.213297 Y-56.928013 I23.942216 J1.664418G03 X-13.063702 Y-57.986916 I1.442231 J0.412275G01 X-10.121346 Y-58.572187

G03 X-8.654033 Y-58.033819 I0.292635 J1.471178G03 X-5.966084 Y-53.808872 I-18.794829 J14.924959G01 X-4.646142 Y-53.938875G03 X-2.834088 Y-58.607034 I23.157461 J6.303332


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G03 X-1.5 Y-59.421316 I1.334088 J0.685718G01 X1.5G03 X2.834088 Y-58.607034 I0 J1.5G03 X4.646142 Y-53.938875 I-21.345407 J10.971491G01 F100 Z-2.5G01 F200 X5.966084 Y-53.808872G03 X8.654033 Y-58.033819 I21.482778 J10.700012G03 X10.121346 Y-58.572187 I1.174677 J0.93281G01 X13.063702 Y-57.986916G03 X14.213297 Y-56.928013 I-0.292635 J1.471178G03 X15.079821 Y-51.996037 I-23.075692 J6.596395G01 X16.349038 Y-51.611024G03 X19.809585 Y-55.230398 I18.982524 J14.685496G03 X21.353734 Y-55.472162 I0.970124 J1.144054G01 X24.125372 Y-54.324112G03 X25.046297 Y-53.061281 I-0.574025 J1.385819G03 X24.93399 Y-48.055021 I-23.919192 J1.967802G01 X26.103707 Y-47.429794G03 X30.203865 Y-50.304503 I15.752782 J18.106625G03 X31.76551 Y-50.240374 I0.728289 J1.311333

G01 X34.259919 Y-48.573663G03 X34.916781 Y-47.155433 I-0.833355 J1.247204G03 X33.829959 Y-42.267277 I-23.843491 J-2.736411G01 X34.855225 Y-41.425863G03 X39.437428 Y-43.445434 I11.917669 J20.831926G03 X40.956555 Y-43.077875 I0.458467 J1.428219G01 X43.077875 Y-40.956555G03 X43.445434 Y-39.437428 I-1.06066 J1.06066G03 X41.425863 Y-34.855225 I-22.851497 J-7.335466G01 X42.267277 Y-33.829959G03 X47.155433 Y-34.916781 I7.624567 J22.756669G03 X48.573663 Y-34.259919 I0.171026 J1.490218G01 X50.240374 Y-31.76551

G03 X50.304503 Y-30.203865 I-1.247204 J0.833355G03 X47.429794 Y-26.103707 I-20.981334 J-11.652623G01 X48.055021 Y-24.93399G03 X53.061281 Y-25.046297 I3.038458 J23.806885G03 X54.324112 Y-24.125372 I-0.122988 J1.49495G01 X55.472162 Y-21.353734G03 X55.230398 Y-19.809585 I-1.385819 J0.574025G03 X51.611024 Y-16.349038 I-18.304869 J-15.521977G01 X51.996037 Y-15.079821G03 X56.928013 Y-14.213297 I-1.664418 J23.942216G03 X57.986916 Y-13.063702 I-0.412275 J1.442231G01 X58.572187 Y-10.121346G03 X58.033819 Y-8.654033 I-1.471178 J0.292635

G03 X53.808872 Y-5.966084 I-14.924959 J-18.794829G01 X53.938875 Y-4.646142G03 X58.607034 Y-2.834088 I-6.303332 J23.157461G03 X59.421316 Y-1.5 I-0.685718 J1.334088G01 Y1.5G03 X58.607034 Y2.834088 I-1.5 J0G03 X53.938875 Y4.646142 I-10.971491 J-21.345407G01 X53.808872 Y5.966084G03 X58.033819 Y8.654033 I-10.700012 J21.482778G03 X58.572187 Y10.121346 I-0.93281 J1.174677G01 X57.986916 Y13.063702G03 X56.928013 Y14.213297 I-1.471178 J-0.292635G03 X51.996037 Y15.079821 I-6.596395 J-23.075692

G01 X51.611024 Y16.349038G03 X55.230398 Y19.809585 I-14.685496 J18.982524G03 X55.472162 Y21.353734 I-1.144054 J0.970124G01 X54.324112 Y24.125372


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G03 X53.061281 Y25.046297 I-1.385819 J-0.574025G03 X48.055021 Y24.93399 I-1.967802 J-23.919192G01 X47.429794 Y26.103707G03 X50.304503 Y30.203865 I-18.106625 J15.752782G03 X50.240374 Y31.76551 I-1.311333 J0.728289G01 X48.573663 Y34.259919G03 X47.155433 Y34.916781 I-1.247204 J-0.833355G03 X42.267277 Y33.829959 I2.736411 J-23.843491G01 X41.425863 Y34.855225G03 X43.445434 Y39.437428 I-20.831926 J11.917669G03 X43.077875 Y40.956555 I-1.428219 J0.458467G01 X40.956555 Y43.077875G03 X39.437428 Y43.445434 I-1.06066 J-1.06066G03 X34.855225 Y41.425863 I7.335466 J-22.851497G01 X33.829959 Y42.267277G03 X34.916781 Y47.155433 I-22.756669 J7.624567G03 X34.259919 Y48.573663 I-1.490218 J0.171026G01 X31.76551 Y50.240374G03 X30.203865 Y50.304503 I-0.833355 J-1.247204G03 X26.103707 Y47.429794 I11.652623 J-20.981334

G01 X24.93399 Y48.055021G03 X25.046297 Y53.061281 I-23.806885 J3.038458G03 X24.125372 Y54.324112 I-1.49495 J-0.122988G01 X21.353734 Y55.472162G03 X19.809585 Y55.230398 I-0.574025 J-1.385819G03 X16.349038 Y51.611024 I15.521977 J-18.304869G01 X15.079821 Y51.996037G03 X14.213297 Y56.928013 I-23.942216 J-1.664418G03 X13.063702 Y57.986916 I-1.442231 J-0.412275G01 X10.121346 Y58.572187G03 X8.654033 Y58.033819 I-0.292635 J-1.471178G03 X5.966084 Y53.808872 I18.794829 J-14.924959G01 X4.646142 Y53.938875

G03 X2.834088 Y58.607034 I-23.157461 J-6.303332G03 X1.5 Y59.421316 I-1.334088 J-0.685718G01 X-1.5G03 X-2.834088 Y58.607034 I0 J-1.5G03 X-4.646142 Y53.938875 I21.345407 J-10.971491G01 X-5.966084 Y53.808872G03 X-8.654033 Y58.033819 I-21.482778 J-10.700012G03 X-10.121346 Y58.572187 I-1.174677 J-0.93281G01 X-13.063702 Y57.986916G03 X-14.213297 Y56.928013 I0.292635 J-1.471178G03 X-15.079821 Y51.996037 I23.075692 J-6.596395G01 X-16.349038 Y51.611024G03 X-19.809585 Y55.230398 I-18.982524 J-14.685496

G03 X-21.353734 Y55.472162 I-0.970124 J-1.144054G01 X-24.125372 Y54.324112G03 X-25.046297 Y53.061281 I0.574025 J-1.385819G03 X-24.93399 Y48.055021 I23.919192 J-1.967802G01 X-26.103707 Y47.429794G03 X-30.203865 Y50.304503 I-15.752782 J-18.106625G03 X-31.76551 Y50.240374 I-0.728289 J-1.311333G01 X-34.259919 Y48.573663G03 X-34.916781 Y47.155433 I0.833355 J-1.247204G03 X-33.829959 Y42.267277 I23.843491 J2.736411G01 X-34.855225 Y41.425863G03 X-39.437428 Y43.445434 I-11.917669 J-20.831926G03 X-40.956555 Y43.077875 I-0.458467 J-1.428219

G01 X-43.077875 Y40.956555G03 X-43.445434 Y39.437428 I1.06066 J-1.06066G03 X-41.425863 Y34.855225 I22.851497 J7.335466G01 X-42.267277 Y33.829959


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G03 X-47.155433 Y34.916781 I-7.624567 J-22.756669G03 X-48.573663 Y34.259919 I-0.171026 J-1.490218G01 X-50.240374 Y31.76551G03 X-50.304503 Y30.203865 I1.247204 J-0.833355G03 X-47.429794 Y26.103707 I20.981334 J11.652623G01 X-48.055021 Y24.93399G03 X-53.061281 Y25.046297 I-3.038458 J-23.806885G03 X-54.324112 Y24.125372 I0.122988 J-1.49495G01 X-55.472162 Y21.353734G03 X-55.230398 Y19.809585 I1.385819 J-0.574025G03 X-51.611024 Y16.349038 I18.304869 J15.521977G01 X-51.996037 Y15.079821G03 X-56.928013 Y14.213297 I1.664418 J-23.942216G03 X-57.986916 Y13.063702 I0.412275 J-1.442231G01 X-58.572187 Y10.121346G03 X-58.033819 Y8.654033 I1.471178 J-0.292635G03 X-53.808872 Y5.966084 I14.924959 J18.794829G01 X-53.938875 Y4.646142G03 X-58.607034 Y2.834088 I6.303332 J-23.157461G03 X-59.421316 Y1.5 I0.685718 J-1.334088

G01 Y-1.5G03 X-58.607034 Y-2.834088 I1.5 J0G03 X-53.938875 Y-4.646142 I10.971491 J21.345407G01 X-53.808872 Y-5.966084G03 X-58.033819 Y-8.654033 I10.700012 J-21.482778G03 X-58.572187 Y-10.121346 I0.93281 J-1.174677G01 X-57.986916 Y-13.063702G03 X-56.928013 Y-14.213297 I1.471178 J0.292635G03 X-51.996037 Y-15.079821 I6.596395 J23.075692G01 X-51.611024 Y-16.349038G03 X-55.230398 Y-19.809585 I14.685496 J-18.982524G03 X-55.472162 Y-21.353734 I1.144054 J-0.970124G01 X-54.324112 Y-24.125372

G03 X-53.061281 Y-25.046297 I1.385819 J0.574025G03 X-48.055021 Y-24.93399 I1.967802 J23.919192G01 X-47.429794 Y-26.103707G03 X-50.304503 Y-30.203865 I18.106625 J-15.752782G03 X-50.240374 Y-31.76551 I1.311333 J-0.728289G01 X-48.573663 Y-34.259919G03 X-47.155433 Y-34.916781 I1.247204 J0.833355G03 X-42.267277 Y-33.829959 I-2.736411 J23.843491G01 X-41.425863 Y-34.855225G03 X-43.445434 Y-39.437428 I20.831926 J-11.917669G03 X-43.077875 Y-40.956555 I1.428219 J-0.458467G01 X-40.956555 Y-43.077875G03 X-39.437428 Y-43.445434 I1.06066 J1.06066

G03 X-34.855225 Y-41.425863 I-7.335466 J22.851497G01 X-33.829959 Y-42.267277G03 X-34.916781 Y-47.155433 I22.756669 J-7.624567G03 X-34.259919 Y-48.573663 I1.490218 J-0.171026G01 X-31.76551 Y-50.240374G03 X-30.203865 Y-50.304503 I0.833355 J1.247204G03 X-26.103707 Y-47.429794 I-11.652623 J20.981334G01 X-24.93399 Y-48.055021G03 X-25.046297 Y-53.061281 I23.806885 J-3.038458G03 X-24.125372 Y-54.324112 I1.49495 J0.122988G01 X-21.353734 Y-55.472162G03 X-19.809585 Y-55.230398 I0.574025 J1.385819G03 X-16.349038 Y-51.611024 I-15.521977 J18.304869

G01 X-15.079821 Y-51.996037G03 X-14.213297 Y-56.928013 I23.942216 J1.664418G03 X-13.063702 Y-57.986916 I1.442231 J0.412275G01 X-10.121346 Y-58.572187


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G03 X-8.654033 Y-58.033819 I0.292635 J1.471178G03 X-5.966084 Y-53.808872 I-18.794829 J14.924959G01 X-4.646142 Y-53.938875G03 X-2.834088 Y-58.607034 I23.157461 J6.303332G03 X-1.5 Y-59.421316 I1.334088 J0.685718G01 X1.5G03 X2.834088 Y-58.607034 I0 J1.5G03 X4.646142 Y-53.938875 I-21.345407 J10.971491G00 Z5M05M30

You can tweak this file to suit your needs and to improve the way the machining is done.Once you start to get to know what you are doing with the machine, the cutters, thematerials and Mach3, you will be able to create and modify programs very quickly.

If you are new to CNC machining, gcode, the Mach3 and Cambam software, I recommendyou spend as much time as possible learning about each thing before rushing into

machining anything. Try something simple first , on scrap material and make sure youunderstand every stage first. In the long run it will be worth it.


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7. Example Component Setting Up & Machining

So now we have our gcode program loaded into Mach3 and ready to run, having tested iton the demo version of Mach3, running on a separate laptop computer, ironed out anylittle bugs and tweaked it to run as we wish.

We must now clamp the workpiece material to the table. In this example I printed out thedrawing of the component, full size, to enable me to visualise where to put the clamps andalso where to set the datum point. The setup looked like the following.

You may notice I placed a piece of scrap material under the polycarbonate material.

So now we need to set the datum reference point and set the X and Y Axis DROs to zero.

To do this I used a scriber point in the Dremel. I then moved the Y and X Axis roughly intoposition with the rapid feed buttons on the control panel, making sure the Z Axis doesnthit anything. I then switch to the MPG Dial to move the desired axis to the centre of thegear drawing that I placed on the polycarbonate. Once I was happy with the position I set

the X and Y Axis DROs to zero by pressing the buttons on the control panel.

I then replaced the scriber point with a 3mm drill.

Important Note! Always use a spanner to tighten the cutter in the Dremel or it couldcome loose during machine. Also ALWAYS turn the switch to the off position on the frontof the Dremel, while changing cutters or when its not in use. Even though it is safe, withits Mach3 charge pump electronics safety feature, I like to be double safe.

Now we have to set the Z Axis to zero so it knows where the material is. To do this use the

rapid feed button (Z-) to bring the cutter down close to the material. Then switch to theMPG Dial to bring the Z Axis to touch the material. I use feeler gauges and use small


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single steps of say 0.1mm then 0.01mm when really close. It isnt always critical to get it sospot on, but you can if you need to.

So now when we are happy with the Z Axis we can zero the Z Axis DRO with the buttonon the control panel. Then we can select Continuous feed again and rapid feed the Z Axisclear of the material.

So now with the machine setup and ready we can turn the switch on, on the front of theDremel and press the Start button on the control panel. The Dremel will start up and themachine will drill the centre hole. It will then raise the Z Axis back to its clear position andstop and wait for you to change the tool for the next machining operation. I ALWAYS turnthe switch to the off position on the Dremel before removing the drill and replacing with a3mm router bit. I tighten up the cutter using a spanner. Then you need re-zero the Z Axisfor the new cutter. Do this in the same way as before and set the Z Axis DRO to zero. Nowmove the Z Axis clear of the material. Turn the Dremel power switch back on and we areready to go again. This is done by pressing the Start button on the control panel again.

The Dremel will start up again and the machine will continue to machine the cutout. Itwill take two passes of 1.25mm each and then move the Z Axis to the clear position andstop. You dont have to have the machine stop at every cutout, but you can if you want toremove debris or scrap material or use a vacuum to clear chippings etc. You also get to seehow its doing. Because we dont have to do a toolchange, we can just press the Startbutton on the control panel when ready.

When all the cutouts have been machined it will again stop and wait for you to press theStart button on the control panel before starting to machine the teeth outer profile. Weleave this until last because when the teeth are complete the component will have been cutfree from the material and will no longer be clamped down. So if we tried to machine thecutouts after the teeth the part would move and scrap would be generated. So you do haveto plan the order of machining to some degree to avoid this.

So when the program is finished the Dremel will stop and the machine will return to a safeposition, clear of the workpiece. It will also have set the machine to an emergency stopstate, with the stepper motors powered down.

You can now look at your new creation..


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This is the end of this example. I hope this guide was helpful and gives you some idea, ifyou dont already know, how to get started with this type of machine. I wasnt sure, whilewriting this guide, how experienced the new owner would be and how much they wouldalready know. I was also very restricted with the time available to put all this togetherwhile packing and sorting my imminent move to Spain.

The main advice is to get very used to Mach3 first. You must know how this works tostand much chance with the machine. You can use the CamBam CAM software togenerate the gcode if you like or you can find an alternative that suits your needs better.This is just the one I liked and it suited what I wanted to do and the way I worked, but itmay not suit you.

There is much info on the Internet on all aspects of Mach3 and CNC machining as well asgcode and CAM. There are also many helpful forums out there with people more thanwilling to help.

I have also included all the many photos and the videos I created of the machine. I willplace a shortcut on the desktop of the machine to them and all the other documents andalso burn a CD with all the same info and backup software etc.

I truly hope that this machine brings you as much pleasure and joy, in whatever youchoose to do with it, that I have had in the time I built and tested it. It truly has been themost interesting, enjoyable, inspiring, complex but rewarding project I have ever done (Sofar).

Documents

CNC Router - Users Guide