4th Axis Engraving a Micrometer Dial Part 2, CNC Routing

[@forrestgumpv9049]

I'm currently building a small cnc 4 axis gantry mill. You just saved me from buying the wrong drivers, steppers, and power supply. THANK YOU !!!

[@tommygilchrist7771]

Great video, I learnt more from one 20 minute video showing mistakes that can happen and how to fix them than from hours of videos showing only the runs that worked perfectly.

[@ronslaughterandalice1018]

It is greatly appreciated not covering up mistakes. Learning in real time and making mistakes is all part of it. A friend was teaching me on night shift how to grind OD/ID on seamless can tooling and killed 13 k dollars worth of tooling that night. It was regrettable but it can happen. Excellent videos

[@ManushaWijekoon]

Superb! I also got a 4 Axis CNC but never bothered about trying out A axis! This video changed that...

[@StripeyType]

GHT writes a bit about this, and while he was writing about manual work with letter and number stamps, the tips he has about cleaning up the burrs on the part afterward remain relevant. he suggests using a *very* clean fine-cut file, used very lightly, and cleaned again with the point of a needle after every few strokes. Perhaps counterintuitively, the resulting marks are easier to read, because while they are smaller and shallower without the burr, the edges are far more crisp. Thanks for sharing this! It's really fantastic to watch you work.

[@blabla9800]

I love your video!!! Great quality in all aspects..... and no annoying music. Perfect...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@petroelb]

Another great video! I appreciate that you show the good, the bad and the ugly :)

[@paulbedeaux8701]

Amazing video, and almost strange how almost everything you do, I am also trying to do. Found your channel as I am busy setting up the same DDCSV1.1 controller, but have also dabbled in casting, drones, aquaponics.... and and and... Thank you

[@Ipsilvamoves]

Good morning Brain Right, thank you very much for the answer

[@FrustratedBaboon]

Very nice work. You probably could use a balanced cutting bit. It may have resonance that was causing the knurling to be cut where it isn't supposed to. But it added a better appearance and looked really nice. Can you try this on brass ? I would love to see how it looks.

[@TMM.T3DM]

Only found your channel recently and I love this project in particular. A question I have (totally out of ignorance)... why switch the rotary axis to X and not run your program from A? Can you explain or point me to a source that can explain it?

[@BrainRight]

It's because my Fusion 360 toolpath was based on an "unwrapped" cylinder where the text is engraved into a planar surface and it's moving in X instead of A. I did it that way because it's hard to model text engraved into a cylinder in Fusion 360. Because it's generating moves in the X axis I had to connect my A axis motor to the X axis output.

[@TMM.T3DM]

@@BrainRight that makes sense. Thank you!

[@vigisbigtm]

Well explained, great information. I learnt a lot. Thank you!

[@mrlithium69]

Excellent work, almost professional looking. Got me subscribed

[@SeryjL]

To myself I am doing a similar machine. Thank you!

[@BZT-1]

I really like the metric system. Also, given the amount of effort you've put into it, have you considered a servo-system (some go as low as 600usd on alibaba).?

[@flickofthewrist281]

Cool videos and great job on the builds

[@luismigueldominguez5487]

Nice video,what program are you using?

[@imran321plus]

Good Job, I appreciate the clear and concise vocal and contents delivery, keep it up.I have one question that how you generate 4th axis code and which software you are using.

[@anoirbentanfous]

you should have just made a groove where the wrong numbers where and redid them, it would have saved you a lot of work and probably looked great too

[@Rx7man]

Really enjoyed watching the 4th axis build videos and now this one. I was wondering if slowing down the feed speed would have helped with how the tick marks and text turned out. I'm working on making my own micro-CNC drill/mill

[@BrainRight]

Thanks glad you enjoyed it. I think the feed rate could have been somewhat faster without much loss of quality, and making it slower probably wouldn't have changed the result much. But in general a slower feed rate does tend to improve things and I think that is mainly because it reduces the force on the cutter, which in turn reduces the deflection of the spindle due to the limited rigidity of the machine. That seems to be true for most materials I have cut except for plastic, which melts if you cut too slowly. With plastic I run it at low RPM and high feed rate because melting is a much bigger problem than deflection - as long as the bit doesn't break.

[@denny9931]

Great video series! Very interesting build, well presented and cut. Thanks for pointing out possible problems as well as their solution. Were you able to measure the backlash?

[@BrainRight]

Thanks Denny. I haven't yet measured the backlash etc. but I plan to do that in an upcoming video.

[@Ipsilvamoves]

Good morning friend, (an excellent video) I am Brazilian I follow your videos and recently I replaced the MACH 3 for a controller, DDCS V3.1 everything works but when I use the room, the Y axis does not use the Y axis to move the Z axis.

[@BrainRight]

I'm not sure what to tell you, but on the controller that I built I used common connectors so that I can easily swap axes around if I need to, just by connecting a motor to a different output.

[@markuschampos5750]

Hi Jay, Markus from Sweden here :) Just looked at your video and I just wanted to tell you I`ve had the same problem with loosing steps. Not i simular operations but it was an easy fix so I want to let you know. It seemed my breakoutboard got to small amount of power. I got rid of 1 A supply (old mobile charger) and put in 5 A sypply. Problem gone. Best Regards/Markus

[@BrainRight]

Hi Markus - glad you got it figured out. I was worried about power issues when I built my CNC controller, even though the control panel doesn't draw much current, which is why I put in a power supply just for the controller that's separate from the one that drives the steppers. It's different in your case but having a separate and fairly robust supply just for the controls seems like a good idea in general.

[@markuschampos5750]

Yes I have seperate power supplies too (my machine has much bigger steppermotors than yours) but it seemed the breakoutboard needed more power when much was going on. A straight line don´t need much pulse but diagonal or circles over long time need much more power, exactly like the operation you got trouble in. For me this problem came over time, the mill worked fine for about 2 years then it started. Don´t really know why, I have several thoughts about that but don´t really care. Maybe a combination of wear for computer, electric and motors (I have used the mill a lot). Although a new motor didn´t fix the problem.

[@Trancelebration]

Looks like you have problem with axis jerking. Especially 8:20. 1 is not smooth. Common problem with text sketches in fusion. Did you try smoothing ?

[@difalkner]

Great set of videos on your 4th axis, Jay! I plan to build one for the CNC I built and I got some good tips watching your videos. On the 'deflection' on your tick marks I wonder if that is Lead In or Lead Out causing that...? I usually turn that off to keep that sort of thing from happening.David

[@BrainRight]

Thanks David. I went back and checked the toolpaths that I used for the tick marks, and Lead In/Out is not an option for the 'Engrave' type of toolpath that I used so I don't think it applies here. But it's a good suggestion to keep in mind when using other toolpath types.

[@BrainRight]

I see that we have similar interests and we both make guitars, and I've subscribed to your channel. My guitar building has been going slowly lately but I do have a few in progress, a pair that I'm making for myself (one steel-string, one classical) plus another steel-string that I'm helping my sister to build for herself. I may be using the CNC for carving the necks on these, haven't done it that way before.

[@mathewsuardi8252]

BrainRight hi, I had this problem with engraving. I solved this by placing a radius on the end of the feature being engraved. The lead in marks are from the tool cutting into the square corners. I hope this helps, Mat.

[@BrainRight]

Thanks, maybe I'll try that next time.

[@camiemengineer]

Hallo, VERY GOOD VIDEO nicely articulated, no pesky music and good audio. You kept decreasing the diameter, (hence circumference), of your work-piece stock to correct earlier runs you were not satisfied with.. I'm not sure if you mentioned it .. but did you have to change your CAD program to account for the decrease in circumference? or did you just use some scale function .. otherwise wouldn't that have been a little hairy?

[@BrainRight]

Actually it doesn't have much effect, because I zeroed out my Z axis on the surface of the part each time. It still rotates the same number of degrees in between tick marks for example, or to move the width of a digit when engraving the text.The text gets a little narrower as the diameter is reduced but that's about the only obvious effect.

[@camiemengineer]

Hallo again! Sorry but it's still unclear as to what's happened. After some further thought .. zeroing the Z-axis does not explain it as far as I'm concerned. Folks will need to watch your precursor video, (part 1), to understand the basis of this puzzle.. if I remember correctly the software you used appeared to map a 2 dimensional object to a 3D rotational one, (cylindrical surface), and you appeared to take care over the overall length = circumference, (75 mm?), so that is why I asked the question. Oh! and by the way I would really recommend your viewers to watch part 1 ... and not skip it . However after all's said and done this an excellent video.

[@heitooooor]

His X axis was plugged into the 4th axis. And things were set up so when the program tells the X to move 75 mm, the 4th axis would get those pulses and make it as 1 revolution. So that's the ratio, and it doesn't need radius or circumference for anything. It doesn't matter how small the diameter is, when the CNC tells the X to move 75 mm, it rotates the 4th by 360°. But how would the Z axis know that the diameter is smaller? It doesn't. He tricked the axis by sticking the tool a bit more out, so the tip would touch the surface, while the program thinks it's touching the full diameter surface. That gets the lines a bit thicker, but everything goes where it's supposed to go regarding angle, position and depth.

[@satchelsieniewicz5824]

what cnc controller are you using ?

[@FilterYT]

Great video, thanks for sharing. At the end of each 'tick' there is a little clean up back and forth, where in the process did that get put in?

[@BrainRight]

It is due to the nature of the Engrave toolpath in Fusion 360, and the fact that the ticks are modeled as rectangles. The toolpath V-carves the rectangle so it runs the bit down the center and up into the corners of each rectangle. It would be more obvious in the result if my cutter had a sharper point, or if the rectangles were larger.

[@lescherry458]

Very cool video! Thank you for sharing. I have never really given much thought about a metal CNC machine. I was more interested in a wood 4th axis but after I watched your machining, I don't see any reason I can't develop a metal CNC and use it for wood as well. By the way, I really enjoy the guitar work! Do you have any recording of the music?

[@alessandrodraven9791]

You probably dont care but does anyone know a way to get back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb lost my login password. I appreciate any help you can give me

[@zanejordy6889]

@Alessandro Draven Instablaster =)

[@alessandrodraven9791]

@Zane Jordy thanks so much for your reply. I got to the site thru google and im trying it out now. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@alessandrodraven9791]

@Zane Jordy it worked and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thank you so much, you saved my account !

[@zanejordy6889]

@Alessandro Draven you are welcome =)

[@XXXXIndices]

If only us hobby users could still use 4 the axis in Fusion360.

[@BrainRight]

Even if we can't use full 4-axis machining operations, the technique I used replaces the X axis with the rotation axis for this engraving so we can still use a "4th axis" even if we can't use "4 axes".

[@yusefpc5574]

سلام داداش کارت درسته موفق باشیiran

[@RichardRParsons]

It looks like you have plenty of light for your close up shots so may want to consider decreasing your cameras appatur in order to improve your depth of field. Just a thought :)

[@BrainRight]

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep it in mind in the future.

[@buffplums]

Don’t you use cutting compound or lube ?

[@LGH666]

What is all the hokey pokey that is being done at the beginning and ends of tool movements? I can see both little rotational and up/down movements before a cut is actually executed, tool drops to work little L/R rotation and up/down jogs almost like overshoot and then a correction. Is this system artifact or intentional programmed movements

[@BrainRight]

The tick marks are rectangular in shape, and the engraving toolpath is designed to work with a V bit and carve into the corners so they end up square (ish). It would not matter much for this purpose, but that's just how this kind of toolpath is intended to work so it takes additional cuts into the corners of each tick mark and also into the corners of the text strokes. Fusion 360 has other kinds of toolpaths that would not do that, which would result in a slightly different appearance and possibly a little less machining time.

[@barry-qr5hi]

great video thanks for showing

[@GNARGNARHEAD]

that was brilliant, thanks very much

[@BrainRight]

Glad you liked it, thanks for watching.

[@rok1475]

Are you planning to upgrade the motors to closed-loop steppers to ensure there is no loss of steps?

[@BrainRight]

Funny you should ask that. I've started evaluating some new closed-loop stepper drivers and I plan to publish a video of them soon.

[@rok1475]

From engineering point of view the close-loop control systems are always better as they guarantee stability. The problem is cost (more complicated system) and reliability (more elements to fail). The price of close-loop drivers and motors is (at this time) roughly double the cost of conventional elements. But the cost of drivers and motors is just a small fraction of the cost of the machine. Also, many people oversize the motors and drivers (which require bigger, more expensive powe supplies) to avoid step loss under heavier load, which drives the cost to a level comparable with (if not higher than) close-loop drives. Therefore I am wondering why are new builds still employing open-loop drives. Perhaps it is lack of knowledge and your new video will help with that. As always, wider acceptance of new technology will lead to higher demand which will lead to more supply and eventually to lower cost. Looking forward to your new production :-)

[@jamiebuckley1769]

very good video thanks 4 sharing .

[@JSunBurns]

What is the make and model number of the upgraded stepper drivers you bought? Thanks

[@BrainRight]

It's KL-5056 from Automation Technology. I put more info on my web page, with a link to that in the video description.

[@zorancvjetkovic8006]

i bet that step lousing couse is opto-coupler's on BOB board...use BOB without opto-coupler's

[@Lokra_]

After the 5th axes statement and the calculation 4:54 I stepped into the twilight zone...

[@blengravers]

Seems your feed is too fast for your spindle rpm.

[@Xellaxesss]

Well done !!! its awesome !!! can we keep in touch ! i`d like to learn about 4 axsis :D

[@marobugvanyen8737]

what software for made gcode?

[@oliverwijesooriya2067]

great job

[@fahad.saeed29]

I also wanted to make my 4th axis n I need help on it

[@nesetburakozturkoglu6021]

What is the CAM program?

[@BrainRight]

It's Fusion 360, the same program I used to do the CAD. That's one reason I like Fusion 360, that it lets me do both the CAD and CAM with the same software. I also like it because Autodesk licenses it free for non-commercial use!

[@vdub2002]

I use it as well, awesome program!

[@oliverwijesooriya2067]

very nice

[@knex91]

chamfer before tread :)

[@cvbngfertyfdgh2121]

you complain too much !! it's great .. show it in action !!

[@danielkandela]

Nice hair!

[@jarisipilainen3875]

11:55 fusion360 is stupid it will do everything how you not want as default everything need tweek. if he want cut inside part it gives red red collision,but not smart prevent it happen by NOT do it. i told you cut this shape.NOIT inside part lol

[@janlundquist3132]

wig?

[@BrainRight]

Several people have commented about my "wig" but it's just how my hair grows, and I've never done anything to it but wash it and have my wife cut it now and then. Maybe it looks less natural as my facial hair seems to be graying faster than the rest but I'd never dye it or anything, just let it grow how it will. I can thank my father, who just turned 90 and still has a full head of hair that's only partly gray.