Post by bLouChip on May 10, 2020 15:24:02 GMT
Hi all, I don't post often enough, so please excuse this long post but I hope you find it useful. I'll post pictures soon.
A couple of things I did over the past 12 months fine tuning and modifying my CK.
1. built an enclosure - the Laser Containment System (LCS) - I wanted good laser light shielding in the shop. used 3/4 x 3/4 x 16ga. sq. steel tubing for the frame. Two pieces, base and removable top/lid. Large 24in. x 12in. laser filtering window on front door 45 deg. angle. The CNC electronics are outside the enclosure without extending the stock wiring harnesses and cables. Electronics are mounted elevated 4 inches on separate tubing frame, with an "arm" that extends into the enclosure to elevate the X/Z axis wiring harness parallel to Y axis and to a point no lower than bottom of Y axis rails. Elevating the electronics enables use of std wiring harnesses (just enough length) and allows for an infinite length work piece on the X axis (only when base enclosure is removed temporarily). The tubing frame enclosure is wrapped in 1/2in. foam insulation/sheeting (light weight) which is attached best with rubber cement. The interior side is painted flat black to absorb (not reflect) stray laser light. Finally, a 12in. LED light is mounted inside the enclosure top for good work/setup lighting.
2. mounted CK on a 3/4in. plywood board w/2x4 rails front to back w/mounted cabinet sliding rails, all of which fits nicely under a stairwell in my workshop. An electric outlet power strip serves as the EPO and A/C source for all CNC components.
3. Added laser burn off-gas venting - Installed a 4 in. flexible (dryer) duct at rear of base enclosure to vent laser burn off-gasses. This keeps the both laser lens and my lungs from fouling with smoke and potentially toxic fumes over time. The vent duct is run to a quiet 100 cfm 4 in. duct booster and piped outside the building.
4. Corrected forward tilt on Z axis - Added 1x6 pine spoils board(s) length-wise between the T-clamp rails in the machine bed. After surfacing the spoils board with a 3/4 in. router bit, I noticed 0.010in. high ridges along each X axis routing path; indicating that the Z axis had a tilt towards the machine front. The X axis was checked and adjusted to max rail rotation toward the machine front. Needing more backward tilt on the router Z axis, I chose to shim the back bottom edge of the router mounting bracket as it connects to the Z axis sliding plate, in order to correct the problem. I used a 0.250 in. wide strip of 0.005 in. plastic shim stock the width of the router mount.
5. Corrected interference of Dewalt router with top of Z axis carriage. - When the router is secured high in the mount for maximum table clearance, and the Z axis is in home/top position, the plastic top housing of the router interferes with the static carriage top plate of the Z axis. To correct, I used a 4 1/2in. angle grinder to shave a little of the router plastic housing at the point of interference.
6. Z wiring harness (and Router power cable) sitting on the AL angle bolted to the back of the X rails - Drilled 1 extra hole in the AL angle for wire tie to secure the plastic harness channel; and added a 4in. rigid (steel) bracket to the top of the static Z carriage top plate in order to anchor the end of the Z plastic harness channel, this forces a shallow harness loop when the Z axis carriage moves left on the X axis rails. This is useful for clearance when the Laser Containment System enclosure top/lid is in place.
Important Note: I later discovered that too many wire ties (to pretty-it-up) on router power cable, as it parallels the Z wire harness plastic channel on the back of the X axis, will bind the Z axis carriage movement over time as it moves right on the X axis beyond X midpoint. The rubber sheathing on the router power cable inch-worms to the left under numerous wire ties with each long back and forth movement of the Z axis carriage along the X axis. The solution was to simply let the router power cable droop/slack as needed along the rear of the X axis, only using 1 wire tie to secure to/at each end of the Z wire harness plastic channel.
7. Peg Pin indexing holes in spoils board - Added 2 rows of 5/16 in. peg holes in spoils board on 25mm centers for easy lower left corner indexing (with use of wooden dole pegs) of work pieces. 2 rows along bottom and left side spoils board. I have found it most convenient to set the G30 persistent coordinate point (set with G30.1 command) to the lower left corner inside the first row of peg holes, this allows quick, repeatable, and easy registration of work pieces. G30, like G54-59, is persistent across CNC power down cycles.
8. Homing switch Capacitor issue - The X axis homing switch appeared to foul after about 10 hours or so of use, however the problem was a broken lead on the capacitor which is soldered to the switch terminals. The lead did not break at the solder joint, rather it broke midway of its short .25 in. or so length. I soldered/repaired it only to have that joint break after a few hours of use. I then assumed the breakage was due to high frequency vibrations perhaps ? of the free hanging capacitor, so after a second repair, I glued all 3 capacitors to their respective homing switch body. No issues since, 20 hours and going.
9. Nifty macros for UGS - I have a handful of nifty macros/buttons for the UGS program, namely: 1) Laser to Spoils X0Y0 - inside peg holes, 2) Laser ON 4% and Focus on Spoils Bd 3) Laser ON 4% 4) GoTo Tool Change Position 5) Move Router CL to Laser CL Position 6) Move Laser CL to Router CL Position 7) Router to Spoils Bd Center 8) Laser to Spoils Lower Left Corner 9) GoTo Max Lower Left Pos.
1. built an enclosure - the Laser Containment System (LCS) - I wanted good laser light shielding in the shop. used 3/4 x 3/4 x 16ga. sq. steel tubing for the frame. Two pieces, base and removable top/lid. Large 24in. x 12in. laser filtering window on front door 45 deg. angle. The CNC electronics are outside the enclosure without extending the stock wiring harnesses and cables. Electronics are mounted elevated 4 inches on separate tubing frame, with an "arm" that extends into the enclosure to elevate the X/Z axis wiring harness parallel to Y axis and to a point no lower than bottom of Y axis rails. Elevating the electronics enables use of std wiring harnesses (just enough length) and allows for an infinite length work piece on the X axis (only when base enclosure is removed temporarily). The tubing frame enclosure is wrapped in 1/2in. foam insulation/sheeting (light weight) which is attached best with rubber cement. The interior side is painted flat black to absorb (not reflect) stray laser light. Finally, a 12in. LED light is mounted inside the enclosure top for good work/setup lighting.
2. mounted CK on a 3/4in. plywood board w/2x4 rails front to back w/mounted cabinet sliding rails, all of which fits nicely under a stairwell in my workshop. An electric outlet power strip serves as the EPO and A/C source for all CNC components.
3. Added laser burn off-gas venting - Installed a 4 in. flexible (dryer) duct at rear of base enclosure to vent laser burn off-gasses. This keeps the both laser lens and my lungs from fouling with smoke and potentially toxic fumes over time. The vent duct is run to a quiet 100 cfm 4 in. duct booster and piped outside the building.
4. Corrected forward tilt on Z axis - Added 1x6 pine spoils board(s) length-wise between the T-clamp rails in the machine bed. After surfacing the spoils board with a 3/4 in. router bit, I noticed 0.010in. high ridges along each X axis routing path; indicating that the Z axis had a tilt towards the machine front. The X axis was checked and adjusted to max rail rotation toward the machine front. Needing more backward tilt on the router Z axis, I chose to shim the back bottom edge of the router mounting bracket as it connects to the Z axis sliding plate, in order to correct the problem. I used a 0.250 in. wide strip of 0.005 in. plastic shim stock the width of the router mount.
5. Corrected interference of Dewalt router with top of Z axis carriage. - When the router is secured high in the mount for maximum table clearance, and the Z axis is in home/top position, the plastic top housing of the router interferes with the static carriage top plate of the Z axis. To correct, I used a 4 1/2in. angle grinder to shave a little of the router plastic housing at the point of interference.
6. Z wiring harness (and Router power cable) sitting on the AL angle bolted to the back of the X rails - Drilled 1 extra hole in the AL angle for wire tie to secure the plastic harness channel; and added a 4in. rigid (steel) bracket to the top of the static Z carriage top plate in order to anchor the end of the Z plastic harness channel, this forces a shallow harness loop when the Z axis carriage moves left on the X axis rails. This is useful for clearance when the Laser Containment System enclosure top/lid is in place.
Important Note: I later discovered that too many wire ties (to pretty-it-up) on router power cable, as it parallels the Z wire harness plastic channel on the back of the X axis, will bind the Z axis carriage movement over time as it moves right on the X axis beyond X midpoint. The rubber sheathing on the router power cable inch-worms to the left under numerous wire ties with each long back and forth movement of the Z axis carriage along the X axis. The solution was to simply let the router power cable droop/slack as needed along the rear of the X axis, only using 1 wire tie to secure to/at each end of the Z wire harness plastic channel.
7. Peg Pin indexing holes in spoils board - Added 2 rows of 5/16 in. peg holes in spoils board on 25mm centers for easy lower left corner indexing (with use of wooden dole pegs) of work pieces. 2 rows along bottom and left side spoils board. I have found it most convenient to set the G30 persistent coordinate point (set with G30.1 command) to the lower left corner inside the first row of peg holes, this allows quick, repeatable, and easy registration of work pieces. G30, like G54-59, is persistent across CNC power down cycles.
8. Homing switch Capacitor issue - The X axis homing switch appeared to foul after about 10 hours or so of use, however the problem was a broken lead on the capacitor which is soldered to the switch terminals. The lead did not break at the solder joint, rather it broke midway of its short .25 in. or so length. I soldered/repaired it only to have that joint break after a few hours of use. I then assumed the breakage was due to high frequency vibrations perhaps ? of the free hanging capacitor, so after a second repair, I glued all 3 capacitors to their respective homing switch body. No issues since, 20 hours and going.
9. Nifty macros for UGS - I have a handful of nifty macros/buttons for the UGS program, namely: 1) Laser to Spoils X0Y0 - inside peg holes, 2) Laser ON 4% and Focus on Spoils Bd 3) Laser ON 4% 4) GoTo Tool Change Position 5) Move Router CL to Laser CL Position 6) Move Laser CL to Router CL Position 7) Router to Spoils Bd Center 8) Laser to Spoils Lower Left Corner 9) GoTo Max Lower Left Pos.
10. Laser work - I have found LightBurn to be very useful. I started with inkScape as recommended, and at first I did like the super fine grained vector drawing controls that it provides, and it's free 
. However over time, I discovered I didn't need that much fine grained control and user interface complication, and I was looking for smoother end to end process, from design to burn, even at a moderate $ price. So I tried LB, $40, and it has a trial period during which I got comfortable with it. It has a simpler UI and program controls, and took some getting use to. It does duplicate UGS function (for Laser), but since CNC and laser control are integrated with the design easel, it makes it super simple and quick to do projects. I especially like being able to select-ably burn any single or group of objects in the design, from any point of origin on the CNC bed, quickly and easily. LB also does raster burns, which was about the time I discovered it while in trials with the the few other recommended raster solution. Support is very good when needed. I wrote simple macros for LB also, similar to UGS where needed.
. However over time, I discovered I didn't need that much fine grained control and user interface complication, and I was looking for smoother end to end process, from design to burn, even at a moderate $ price. So I tried LB, $40, and it has a trial period during which I got comfortable with it. It has a simpler UI and program controls, and took some getting use to. It does duplicate UGS function (for Laser), but since CNC and laser control are integrated with the design easel, it makes it super simple and quick to do projects. I especially like being able to select-ably burn any single or group of objects in the design, from any point of origin on the CNC bed, quickly and easily. LB also does raster burns, which was about the time I discovered it while in trials with the the few other recommended raster solution. Support is very good when needed. I wrote simple macros for LB also, similar to UGS where needed. ToDos (in between CNC and other projects) : 1) add hard wired switches to Arduino for: E-Stop, Pause, and contact probing. 2) build a contact probe
3) replace T-channel bed with open steel frame to allow for open bed routing. 4) add A axis. btw - kudos to CK and J-Tech support. Fortunately I haven't had to use it often, but when I do, both are First Class !
Oops! forgot to add - 11. Paper skirts to contain router chips - A quick and easy router chip containment system is a paper skirt, velcro-ed to the left and right sides of the router mount on the Z carriage. The skirt is about 5 in. long with 3 in. "fingers" cut vertically, about 10 or so. It works great to contain chips from flying onto the X and Y rails. Some day I'll replace with a magnetic mounted - bristle brush skirts with vacuum port.
take care,
Lou
CK since 2/2019 Fusion360, UGS, LightBurn, and sometimes inkScape
Added pictures as attachment...
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