wooden_innovations
01-16-2007, 01:36 PM
I just saw something scary and exciting at the same time.
My PC router just cut ¾” melamine, in one pass, at 8ips and with an acceptable cut. I was using a 3/8” two edge compression bit at 13,000 RPM. I used tabs to hold the piece in place with screws holding down the sheet. If I had a vacuum table aiding in the hold-down process, the edges would be even better. (I have two feins waiting to be put to work.)
Being around other Shopbotters at the camp inspired me to see what the machine could do. I was speaking with another person at the camp and told him how I was cutting melamine in a single pass using a ¼” compression bit at 4ips. I ran the numbers on the 3/8” bit using the chip load calculator and started playing with linear speeds and rpms.
This experiment was on a project for the shop, so an unacceptable result in edge quality was not a big loss. Play with the chip load calculator and actually run your shopbot with the results that it recommends. You can always slow down the machine later (most of the time it says to increase linear speeds and lower rpms)
Just my two cents worth.
Rodney
My PC router just cut ¾” melamine, in one pass, at 8ips and with an acceptable cut. I was using a 3/8” two edge compression bit at 13,000 RPM. I used tabs to hold the piece in place with screws holding down the sheet. If I had a vacuum table aiding in the hold-down process, the edges would be even better. (I have two feins waiting to be put to work.)
Being around other Shopbotters at the camp inspired me to see what the machine could do. I was speaking with another person at the camp and told him how I was cutting melamine in a single pass using a ¼” compression bit at 4ips. I ran the numbers on the 3/8” bit using the chip load calculator and started playing with linear speeds and rpms.
This experiment was on a project for the shop, so an unacceptable result in edge quality was not a big loss. Play with the chip load calculator and actually run your shopbot with the results that it recommends. You can always slow down the machine later (most of the time it says to increase linear speeds and lower rpms)
Just my two cents worth.
Rodney