Arduino CNC Foam Cutting Machine (Complete Guide)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ม.ค. 2020
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Code, 3D model, parts list and more details ► howtomechatronics.com/project...
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Parts list (check website article for full list, affiliate links):
Amazon.com:
T-slot Aluminum Profiles: amzn.to/30XRV3R
Arduino CNC Shield: amzn.to/2NZPFEc
Stepper Motor - NEMA 17: amzn.to/2M3aJK2
Banggood.com:
T-slot Aluminum Profiles: bit.ly/2t5t5Tm
Arduino CNC Shield: http: bit.ly/38AxwVc
Stepper Motor - NEMA 17: bit.ly/2YT8ZWu
In this video we will learn how to build an Arduino CNC foam cutting machine. This is a typical DIY CNC machine because it’s made out of simple and cheap materials, some 3D printed parts and it has an Arduino as a controller.
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what was the final price for making this
can can it be used to cut eva foam
Hey HTM . WE ARE BUILDING THIS PROJECT FOR OUR BE SUBMISSION . BUT OUR MOTOR IS NOT ROTATING 360 DEGREE . IT IS ONLY VIBRATING . WE ALSO TRIED BY CHANGING THE WIRING BUT OUR PROBLEM IS NOT SOLVED . PLZZ ANSWER WE WANT TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT . WE HAVE DONE PROGRAMMING AS PER YOUR VIDEO . PLZZ HELP
Can you help? Somehow, the capacitor of my CNC shield gets blown up. I am feeding it 12 V DC using a regulated DC linear power supply. I am pretty sure I have almost perfect DC voltage with maximum ripple of about 50mV (as per my CRO). I am running the CNC shield without capacitors, using my 12V regulated DC linear power supply, and haven't had any problems yet. I cant figure out what pops the capacitors.
I love to buy one from you..
@@sarhanlota1512 hVe you fix this problem plz tell me what you did
I do CNC Hotwire foam cutting for a living. Everyday I use a 15ft x 9ft x 9ft machine for large scale work orders. The amount of information in this video is priceless. Thank you for this video 👍🏽
For what kind of purposes do people/companies buy foam cut pieces??
@@sneaky_krait7271 Sign companies for example they make foam letters and logos.
Sneaky_Krait I make decorative pieces for new homes in communities under construction, new plazas or stores.. So for example, like the big fancy columns at the front entrance of homes, or the bands that go around the windows or window sills. Also, I make molds out of the foam so that those molds could have cement poured into them and once it’s dry, we remove the mold and have solid concrete decorations for any time of building of any size. And of course, any type of lettering and logos that go on the outside walls of buildings or home community gate entrances.
@@peterc3619 logos that will be placed outdoors? Nope, only for indoor applications hahah
@@peterc3619 Ahhh, I hadn´t thought about cement molding. Do you also make your own designs from time to time?
The best video I've seen so far about Arduino and CNC.
Go through all the relevant software to complete the solution.
Thank you very much for posting such instructive material.
Thank you, I'm glad you found it useful!
No one on TH-cam can compare to you when it comes to thoroughly communicating the build process from start to finish. You sir, are a global treasure. I hope you are a teacher, parent, or at least an awesome uncle because you are truly a skilled teacher.
Thank you! 😊🙏
Usually when somebody says that a tech related project is easy, it's usually quite the opposite. However, he does a good job of explaining everything and I think this is something almost anybody with a little bit of technical savviness can handle. My hat's off to you sir. Well done
This is one of the most comprehensive videos on youtube. Not only does it cover the mechanical side of constructing the device, but it also provides all the details you need on the electronics, the firmware for the Arduino and the CAD software necessary to provide the complete solution. A real credit to you Mechatronics.
Thank you, I'm glad to hear that!
How To Mechatronics
as always demonstrating how things should be done!
I really like this, I don't think I've seen a CNC build idea on TH-cam that is as accessible to a newbie while actually being useful and not instantly obsolete (not everyone has a use for cutting foam, but if you do then this looks like it will do a good enough job for a lot of people, it's not something that typically needs 0.01mm accuracy).
I've been watching a lot of your videos (old and recent) today and want to thank you for you clear explanations, calm voice and how open you are about things that don't go how you prefer. Also with your videos you've given me ideas how to solve issues I had with my 3D model drawing. Many thanks!
The best CNC tutorial I have seen so far, clean and clear from a to z !
Missed opportunity to say z-axis
At first I was like "I'll just skip to the interesting parts"
And I kinda did, I watched the entire thing 🤔
2x the speed... Saver.
This is by far the best Arduino-CNC video I have seen. Thank you so much. Very concrete and easy to understand.
I have built this design in 2020 or 2021, but changed the dimensions to 600x600mm cutting area. Also, I removed the rotating axis and shrunk the width down to approx. 10cm wire length. I only do 2dimensional cutting, because the machine was built for bible verses, that we put as decoration on our walls in our church.
We do take on a few jobs per year, as my wife sews and sells some products and started some advertising for the letters. So now, the machine gets more and more uses. Moving into an apartment, where I have my own office/hobby room and can leave the machine assembled also helps. Beforehand I always had to disassemble the y axis and store the machine in the basement.
I use DevFoam Pro for CAM and make the design in Inkscape. The CAM is quite finicky, if you want really precise and smooth cuts. Cutting direction and order of cuts can make or break your parts.
Things I have noticed and solved so far (or want to solve in the future):
- the power supply for the wire is too big for my short wire (10cm of 0.2mm NiCr 8020), I use an LM2596 for that
- the printed clamps on the y-axis failed, when I tried to tension the belt. Have added some mechanical fixtures, so that the axis doesn't rely on the friction of the clamps.
- construction of some of the parts are sub-optimal for 3d printing. I did split some parts into multiple single parts and use heat-set inserts and screws to assemble them.
- I had to disassemble it quite often, and setting it back up was no smooth sailing. I splitted the xy-joining part and now I only need to remove the belts from the idlers and undo 4 screws to disassemble it. Setting it up is in reverse order. Only need to resync the two belts, but tension isn't touched, since the mechanical fix points make it very repeatable.
- I want to add some belt tensioners on x and y axis in the future. Also some belt clamps, so that you don't need zip-ties and gain some more travel.
- We noticed vibrations in the cut line, when the y-axis accelerates, especially from stand-stills. For now it is solved with slower acceleration values, but I want to add some tension wires down to the xy-joint, that way I want to stabilize my long y axis. I'm not sure, if this problem exists with your smaller machine :)
- Since I'm manually placing my letters on the foam and never cut more than one letter at a time, I got rid of the endstops. They are needed, if you want to use the rotating axis of course.
- $1 in GRBL needs to be set to 255. If you use G4 dwell on corners, like I do with devFoam, the motors will drop and you get offsets in your part.
Overall: Thanks for the design, it helped me very much!
The best Arduino-CNC tutorial I have seen on youtube! Thanks man! That was very clear, very detailed and direct to the point!
That is a brilliant idea, man! Simple, straight forward and gosh - super useful!
Thanks!
I've never seen a CNC like this before. So you can imagine my astonishment when I saw it at work. Mind. Blown.
great video, about 15 years ago i worked for a company who had a massive version of one of these, man the ammount of fires we had was unreal ,
It has been so long man . Do not go away that much again .we missed your awesome projects
Yeah, no worries, won't happen again! :)
@@HowToMechatronics you do you man, this has to be enjoyable and pumping out video after video is draining. Just ask Linus Tech Tips or PewDiePie.
Really cool project ...
*Thank you* for all the effort to inspire random strangers.
This is basically the essence of being a good person I think.
I always thinking I couldn’t build things like this. You have changed my life!
You simply slowly explained every detail. Nicely done, Thank you.
You are back! As always a masterpiece.
Yeah, I'm back, thanks!
That is awesome! Added to my to-do list.
He is alive :) great project as always.
Thanks for sharing.
Really great. I may have to build one. I was thinking of using two 3D printers to do it. I built a numerically controlled foam cutter back in 1988 using a Commodore 64 and an old Radio Shack line printer I got out of a dumpster. The printer had the required stepper motors and X axis drive. I used it to cut foam wings.
Amazing job. Thank you this was brilliant.
Just one Word: WOW!
^^
Not a word🚮
Those are 4 words bruh
Many thanks!! I will try to build such useful stuff, my first CNC project
Thank you HTM, this was exactly what I was looking for. I'm considering making some automotive parts using carbon fibre over foam core and was concerned about the possibility of human error using a hot wire 'bow' where one side cuts through the foam faster than the other side and the part is uneven.
Also, machine code eliminates the need for the use of templates as guides as good code is very accurate.
It occurred to me that a CNC hot wire cutter would be the solution to these 2 issues but wasn't quite able to picture the positioning of the wire, which is unlike a millhead or similar, as its long and is connected at two endpoints, not once central point. So, I searched and found your video and project page and you answered my wire location question.
I just wanted to thank you very much for your work. You're a very clever man able to do something I could not do; and I really respect the time and effort that you've put into this video and the project page so that others can benefit.
I'd actually like to scale this up a bit in size (to maybe 4040) and improve its rigidity wherever needed, so let me know if you'd be interested in working together on that somehow.
Peace.
Hey, glad to hear it you found it useful. Have fun building one. Cheers!
I was thinking about making this like 2 days ago, awesome timing!
If you ever want to upgrade this machine, consider the following:
1. Stiffer frame. I know hot wire cutting doesn't require much force, but I wonder how your current setup wobbles under acceleration. I would add a second pair of rails on top, making the machine a solid cube.
2. Better temperature control of the wire. A PWM output and a MOSFET or two would handle it.
3. Separate control for each end of the wire. For two motors more you could cut at an angle, useful if you want to cut plane wings etc.
4. Different wire tensioning system, especially needed with the previous point, since the wire length could change from 450mm to 780mm if both ends are at the opposite corners (although you probably normally wouldn't run that steep tapers). Three potential solutions, in order of difficulty:
- Pulley and a weight on one or both ends of the wire. Pros: constant tension, simplest solution. Cons: Takes up a lot of height.
- Constant force spring and a spool, like those retractable badge holders. Pros: Possibly off the shelf parts, constant tension, large extension range. Cons: limited tension force, no force adjustment without buying/making custom springs
- Motorized spool with a tension sensor. Pros: Biggest flexibility, as much wire range as the spool allows, adjustable tension. Cons: most complicated, adds one more motor.
Generating G-Code for 4 axis machine would be a fun challenge, but there exist projects tackling that problem already.
These are really good points. Thanks for the input!
Maybe also add something to tighten the belts after mounting.
@@shinaikouka Yes, changing wire length would require something lilr sliding brushes powering only uncoiled part of wire
Closed loop wire temp control would difficult to implement at best, so why bother with PWM? Set it and forget it
@@yucannthahvitt251 Closing loop wouldn't be that hard, you just have to measure wire resistance and treat it like a big thermistor. But even without that, changing supplied power on the fly based on, for example, length of wire in contact with foam could be useful. Not to mention being able to change wire temperature (for different foams etc.) from g-code, without having to mess with dials, would be quite convinient.
Very thorough explanation of the details. Much useful information for any novice like myself. Excellent no nonsense video. Thank you.
Bravo! This gonna be my next build !
this is beyond amazing, great job, this kind of machines are really useful
Thank you!
Thank you It's Amazing project!!🤙
Awesome work and explanation, what a great beginner friendly project, thank you for posting this
Is there a written version of this tutorial. Love the video! And your ability to explain well is above and beyond. Awesome
The best part starts at 0:00 and ends at 26:53. Your welcome!
Absolutely love this, im building one!
Could we have link for components plZ, I love it!
This is an awesome video. Well done! I learned Soo much about all this. I have a hacked up Xcarve with a GRBL based main board that has been a challenge for me, but now I want to go tinker with it and cut some stuff!
Wow! You've used science to make magic, brother... And perhaps more importantly, you've made it accessible and inspirational to knuckleheads like me. Thanks!
Freaking impressive! Thanks for the awesome tutorial :)
Thank you!
Excellent, THANK YOU!!! You are one of the best in youtube world ! Please keep work.
Thank you!
Beautiful simple and leightweight construction, and beautiful clear and precise video !
Liked, subscribed, downloaded, and archived... Once I finish my corexy 3d printer, this will be my next project.
Awesome, I have a normal cnc homemade by me, your project it's so good.
Big like
Thanks!
Amazing project! I really want to make one. I have absolutely no need for one, or space for one, but I want one!
Couldn't you model custom fairings from foam then fibreglass them and chemical melt the foam away? Just a thought
Excellent video, very useful and inspiring. I am not a engineer but now after watching your video, I am feeling that I can do it. Thank you for this video.
What an excellent tutorial. Very clearly explained. Thank you.
That's really cool, and the foam can be used to cast aluminum or bronze!
That was my very first thought as I was watching him cut that foam! I'm sold!
How?? Does that not get too hot?
So the bad guys can make weapons using this ?? .. anyways.. I liked the video and subscribed the channel .. Genius !
@@urcoolpal8536 yes you could cast a big hammer;)
@@urcoolpal8536 or they could literally just buy them...?
Edit: also, yeah, generally speaking weapons can be made with tools. Because that's been possible since literally the first weapons were invented - and we're manufactured, using tools.
This video is so good.
I guess this video is a result of countless hours of research, trial-n-error, and numerous failed attempts.
Exactly the video I was looking for. Good on you mate.
Somewhere around the 18 minutes mark I realized that I need to give you a thumbs up and subscribe to your channel. This is coming from an electrical engineer and a software programmer, and a past teacher. Great job!
Glad to hear it, thanks!
For any limit switch intended to stop an action, it always must be wired as NC for safety. Anyone who has done industrial automation knows this.
😮
It is known.
But why?
@@SetKat-Alex in case that if it loses power (wire is cut or something similar ) it stops the machine
@@SetKat-Alex Because no voltage can have multiple reasons.
This is f...reaking awesome! Thanks for your work, man!
This is so cool... if I don't find something similar to this in the college I am going to, I'm definitely making my own. Thank you
Awesome! One idea - grbl has ability to control the „laser” by pwm. You can use it and connect the output to the center pin of the potentiometer of the converter (instead of potentiometer). Maybe with low pass filter or some voltage converter to make it compatible voltage-range speaking :)
or actually you can connect this pwm pin to the mosfet (as it is intended) and control temperature of the wire this way ;)
Привет, спасибо за ролик!
Thanks. I am not making a CNC machine but I am working on smd pick and place machine. It is very helpful. 👍
Thank you, your video is super useful, I liked the quality and the footage.
This video gave me hope again that some day I will own a self-built 5-axis CNC in my garage.
Hate to break it to you, but with the mental frame of "hope" and "some day" it is unlikely that you ever will. If you want it, start working on it like you wanted it done yesterday. When the story is over, admire what you have created
Why can't you start with this? Tell us how.we.can help you out...we.are.ready
I feel like this would be an amazing tool. cut out the shape, make it into a mold, then pour in your material.
umm
do you know of 3D printers?
@@Hacker-cw9lc 3D Printers are great for doing smaller intricate parts, but they are slow.
For large castings where precise detail isn't needed done with lost foam this would be brilliant.
Horses for courses.
You are genius man. This is so satsifying to watch
Thanks for sharing this very detailed howto. Great stuff!
Now it just need a 6-axis one for complex 3d foam cut.
Exactly what i was thinking. This is a great build, and could do layers, for lamination, but that would be the ULTIMATE device for cosplay EVA Foam etc.
A robot arm may serve this better however.
I think you'd have some major difficulties with fixturing the foam if you wanted the full *five* axes of a line angled through space (in two axes) and through a given 3D point location (3 more axes). An arm might be the way to go.
Why didn't you move it 100 mm to get a much more accurate measurement for calibration?
Yeah, that's a good point, you would get more accurate measurement that way.
I was thinking the same. Done that when I built my own 3D printer. Still took ages to get it sorted though LOL
Always innovating! Keep up the great work.
I am a huge fan of your work! After 6 months, finally a new project! Wow!! Thank you!!
Thank you!
Hello....very awesome project!!
Can you make a 5 axis cnc machine that engrave wood,plastic, foam and may be aluminium ?
Thanks! Yeah, why not, I might make one one day. :)
Hey dude, next : build an arduino drone and make the complete guide of it... awesome
Yeah, I might make one in future.
Just saw this! about to make one for my work. You're awesome bro!
you make it look easy.. would love to have one and have ALL electronics but no time right now.. great video.
Бро, видео - збс. Акцент - жесть.
русский акцент?
@@90TAHK ну да
Нука давай сними такой же видос, я послушаю твой заебательский английский!
@@meltttaylor4030 могу тебе сказочку на ночь прочитать на английском, если мамка твоя, конечно, разрешит. Зачем тебе меня слушать? Над собой работай.
@@v.v.336 Ты где-нибудь у него на канале видел, как он говорит по-русски или отвечает на русские комментарии? Этот чел из южных славян, с Балкан. И акцент его похож на русский, но не русский.
Wow great job!
Sometimes you see an older person and they’re having trouble with their cell phone and wonder, where’s my limit?
This...this is where I say nope, can’t build that. My 3D printer is chugging along, printing models my son and I crafted from scratch, but this is above my head. Nice job though! I’d love to have one!
impressive!
I'll make this project for my College.
This is good stuff, thank you very much. Great lesson and best I have seen. Cheers!
This is an insane build completely awesome
Amazing and really great ingenuity ! Well done !
WoW thank for sharing in such detail yet in such simplicity
Great video! Thanks for sharing, I learned a ton of different useful things.
Great video!! I did construct an foam cutter for wings, basicly cuts two profiles at the same Time with a ancient program called jedicut this looks good man!
I just made a copy of your machine, thanks! It was amazing journey. It took me a while until all parts were delivered but now it's all done. For the remark - 2020 profile on top should be longer than 500mm to match everything (i ordered them all at that size). I only used your gcode samples as a test, but just now need to learn a bit how the inkscape works and fun may begin
Glad to hear it, have fun with the machine! Just be careful with the fumes, make sure you have a good ventilation and also try to use a safety respirator mask. Cheers!
Your channel has come a long way! This is excellent :)
Great project! Thank you so much for sharing!
amazing work, loved the video. i will try to make it. thank you
thank you, this is a best video I seen about CNC machine
Great video, thank you for sharing
Just a suggestion:
Why not connect the spring to the wire using a mini block of ceramic as a temperature insulation medium ( maybe that has a couple of drill holes for connection ) to increase the life time of the spring and keep tension at bay
This is a really rad build. It probably wouldn't be the most difficult thing in the world to build a slicer which could cut complex, non-symmetrical 3D shapes simply by rotating a model and casting the outline based on step resolution. Then just doing as you have done here, having the system slice, rotate, load new file, repeat.
Thank you for your time and effort really well done
Simple but very Technical One best CNC Vids on the Tube, Great vid.
Amazing project and video! I love your clear and detailed explanation while your voice is very soothing 😄
Thank you! 😊
Thanks for this fantastic project!
Outstanding build and tutorial!
No words can express excellency of this video
What a beautiful and affordable cnc machine!! Thanks for sharing!
this is incredible, such an ambitious project and an amazing video explanation on top of that. amazing work
Thank you! Nice work from you as well on that giant LED panel! :)
you are amazing and i will try to do it
thanks a lot for these great work
Great to see a new video from you! Your videos are always very well done and i learn from them.
Thank you, glad to hear it!
Excellent video quality. Well done !!!
wow! Great project once again. Worth for the waiting and this projects are getting better and better over time with incredible progress.
Congratulations and just keep the pace! :)
Thank you! :)