CNC milling machine for MDF work?

Frezarka CNC do frontów

 

CNC milling machine for MDF work

Fibreboard is a material that is mainly used to produce furniture and interior finishing products. MDF is a great material for learning purposes that will forgive us many mistakes during our first work with CNC milling machines. This material is cheap and available from many different chain stores such as Castorama, Leroy Merlin or OBI.

Which CNC milling machine choose to produce furniture fronts? - LEAD CNC 1010 will be perfect!

To produce, among the others, furniture forts, industrial CNC milling machines with a huge working area field are used. Unfortunately, the cost of such a milling machine is very high and its worthy to buy to large-scale production where is possibility to fast pay of their cost and make profit.

For smaller works, individual smaller orders, a unit such as the LEAD CNC 1010 or WorkBee can be good choice. Assuming, that we are work in a material with an area not greater than 700x800mm, we can use a LEAD 1010 CNC milling machine or a larger device, such as the WorkBee 1510 which will successfully process material with a size of 1300x1270mm. Of course, it is possible to process longer materials on these units, but this is a topic for another article.



frezarka do mdf lead cnc 1010 WorkBee CNC - frezarka do MDF

 

CNC milling machine - create your individual patterns of fronts only in a few minutes!

CNC milling machines allow you to create unique patterns in MDF and significantly accelerate the work related to the implementation of details.

If you are a beginner, it is worth to buy a few MDF sheets on your own and to make experience create your own first model, which may be the among the others, above-mentioned front.

Create an individual front model in a few minutes!

If you already have a CNC milling machine from our store or you are thinking about buying a milling machine, you probably wonder how the process of creating a model looks like. CNC milling machines provided by V-SLOT Poland are equipped with an xPRO or OpenBuilds BlackBox CNC controller, which communicate with the free OpenBuilds Control software, responsible for controlling the milling machine. OpenBuilds Control software allows you to control the axes of the milling machine. their movements, and its parameters. However, preparing the model is a task for a separate software. We recommend downloading the free (under an educational license) Autodesk Fusion 360 software, which allows you to prepare a model from scratch to generating “code readable for the milling machine".

On our YouTube channel V-Slot Poland you will find several videos, where we have already shown, how to create your own models. We encourage you to visit and subscribe our YouTube channel.

And now, Let's design your own furniture front!

Probably this topic requires dedicated video material, and we will prepare one too, but today we will illustrate the various stages of creating a model, which can be used as an example, in a few steps.

Make a project in Fusion 360

Of course, you must download and install the software on your computer in advance. When Fusion 360 is ready to work, we can start designing. We, in the example below, created a model with dimensions of 200x150mm. - use the "Create sketch" function to draw the model.

Press pull fusion 360

Modelowanie w fusion360 - MDF

 

The next step is to drag it out in space and create a 3D model.

We used the "Press/Pull" function for this and gave the detail a height of 9mm

PressPull-fusion360

modelowanie fusion 360

The next step is to create edges / recesses.

For this purpose, we used the "Create sketch" function and then the "offset" function which allows us to create, for example, smaller or larger contours of the base outline.

Frezarka CNC V-SLOT POlska Fusion 360

Probably many of you will pay attention to the tree, visible on the surface of the element.

Here we used separate, also free software - Inkscape, which allowed us to convert a jpg image into a SVG file, readable for fusion 360. The SVG file has been imported to the model and applied to the surface, so we can give the element an individual pattern.

If you do not know how to create an SVG file from photos in JPG format, we kindly invite you to watch the video on our channel "Creating a model for a CNC milling machine from a photo - Fusion 360 + Inkscape - LEAD CNC 1010 - V-SLOT Polska"

Once we have scratched everything, we used the "Press/ Pull" function again and lower or in other words deepen individual circuits. We lowered the first circumference by 1mm and the second circumference by 2mm. The individual elements of the tree were also “embedded” in the material using the Press/ Pull function - to the depth of ~ 0.8mm.

Frezowanie CNC frontów

Now we come to the stage of creating paths for the milling machine. For this purpose, we expand the list under the word "Design" and go to the "Manufacture" tab.

Model frontu meblowego Fusion 360

The first step in the manufacture tab is to create the first "SETUP" for our model. To do this, click "SETUP" and then a list will open where we enter the most important parameters.

G-CODE dla frezarki V-SLOT POLSKA

The most important thing is to set the starting point at which we will set up our milling machine at the very beginning of work. We chose the canter - you can see the designated X / Y / Z axes in the photo in the canter - here we will set the milling machine at the beginning.

Frezowanie w MDF Fusion 360 V-SLOT POLSKA

It is also worth going to the STOCK tab and defining the parameters of the material in which we will work. Here we define whether the material is, for example, the dimensions of our model or, for example if there are allowances from the top or from the side.

We, although have larger material, with a height everything is correct - the model is 9 mm high, and our material is also 9 mm thick. Therefore, in the stock tab, next to the STOCK TOP OFFSET parameter, enter 0mm. We do the same with the Stock Side Offset parameter.

 

Frezowanie frontów meblowych


To mill the detail, we will use 2 different cutters. The first flat cutter with a diameter of 2mm and a shank diameter of 3.175mm. Second one, spherical cutter with a diameter of 8mm and a shank of 8mm. As standard, the DeWalt D26200 spindle, which is delivered with milling machines from our store, is equipped with a sleeve that allows the installation of cutters with a shank diameter of 8mm. To install a smaller milling cutter - and this is what we need to mill, for example, leaves of a tree, you need to buy a bushing which allows you to mount milling cutters with a shank of 3.175 mm. -This bushing can be found in our store by clicking on SLEEVE DEWALT D26200 3.175mm.

We used the "2D Pocket" function to cut the tree material. We defined which elements are to be milled (we indicated the tree), selected the cutter and provided all the most important parameters - we will describe entire process in detail in the next article.

Frezarki CNC V-SLOT POLSKA do MDF

To mill the rants, we used the 2D Adaptive Clearing function and the same 2mm cutter.

Frezowanie w MDF - V-SLOT POLSKA

Since we want the outer edge to be rounded, we have created a new SETUP.

You are probably wondering why is that? - we have planned the work in two different phases.

Setup 1 consists of activities that will be performed with a 2mm cutter, and when the milling machine performs all actions, it will stop.

After finishing, we will replace the cutter with an 8mm spherical cutter - that's why we have created a new Setup 2 where we will indicate all what should be done with an 8mm cutter.

To achieve the effect of a rounded edge, we used the 2D contour function, where we indicated the lower outer edge. Of course, we chose an 8mm curved cutter and used the function: "Chamfer".


Jak frezować - poradnik V-SLOT POLSKA

Fusion360 Frezowanie MDF

Now we must save the setups parameters separately. Right-click on "SETUP 1 (...), then select "Post process" from the drop-down list and save our file.

For the file to be readable and correct, we have to use the appropriate Post Processor. This one is provided by our company on a PenDrive with each milling machine.

Post Proces dla frezarki

When we save the file, we can go to the milling stage.

To do this, you need to connect the milling machine controller with a USB cable (in our case it is CNC xPRO v4), run the OpenBuilds Control program, click Connect and then open the G-CODE saved by us earlier.

We install a 3.175mm sleeve and a 2mm cutter for the DeWalt spindle.

Later we had set the cutter in the canter of our material (as we set it up when creating the SETUP).

This was made in the OpenBuilds Control software, after setting the cutter in the appropriate place (for this purpose, we use the OpenBulds Control software and arrows enabling the movement of the Z, X, Y axes) and by clicking the "SET ZERO" button for each axis.

This is how we specified in the software that this is the starting point.

 

SET ZERO - Frezowanie - V-SLOT POLSKA

For safety reasons, it is worth to raise the Z axis before starting the spindle by e.g., 10 mm, and then starting the spindle.

Now it is also worth using the Check Size function - thanks that, the milling machine will show us the place where it will work by moving the X and Y axes.

OpenBuilds Control Check size

When everything went well, we can start working! Click the RUN JOB button and then watch how our model is taking on a real dimension!

After completing the work and actions indicated in SETUP 1, it is worth to set again the X and Y axes at the point 0.

To do this, with the X and Y axes, expand the list with the down arrow and click the Goto X (work Coord) (G0 X) button - the same for the Y axis.

OpenBuilds Control - V-SLOT POLSKA

Then we lifted the Z axis and replaced the bushing and the cutter with an 8mm bushing and an 8mm spherical cutter.

When replacing the cutter, position the Z axis as indicated in the Setup 2 settings, i.e., in the canter of the material so that the cutter rests on its upper edge.

When we had set the Z axis, clicked "setzero Z" and raised the axis by 10mm, we can restart the spindle and load the file with Setup 2 to the OpenBuilds Control software. So, you need to click "Open G-CODE" and select the 2nd file.

When the file is loaded, click "RUN JOB" again and the milling machine starts its work.

When finished, turn off the spindle and we can see our ready detail!

frezowanie MDF fronty frezarka do frontów mdf

frezarka cnc do frontów - LEAD CNC 1010 Fronty MDF - frezarka CNC

As you can see the process is not very complex, but we know that it may require some details.

In the next article, we will explore the more important parameters.

In this way, by purchasing a CNC milling machine, we can create unique things for ourselves or others. The devides offered by our company have become a tool for many people, thanks to which many interesting projects were made both in the furniture and advertising industry, and many others. Our milling machines are centainly their knowledge of CNC machines as well as people who want to deepen their knowledge of CNC machines as well as those who plan, for example, to expand their business with completely new opportunities.

If you have any questions, we are at your disposal! You can also visit us in Wroclaw and see how quickly anyone can start their adventure with CNC devices.

METODY PŁATNOŚCI

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