MPCNC Needle Cutter

Here is my current iteration of the MPCNC needle cutter designed by jhitesma
www.thingiverse.com/thing:245...
Designed and printed a 3-screw flywheel since my motor would not work with the included 4-screw flywheel
This will be used for cutting out foamboard for rc planes

[@victoriatuttle8429]

Super cool!

[@GeoffintheGarage]

Thanks!

[@WagnerDeQueiroz]

Trabalho magnifico, Parabéns! e como é rapido!

[@musician1103]

Making one for my lowrider 2, how are you powering the servo tester and brushless motor? I haven't been able to come up with any other ideas that using a big lipo battery

[@GeoffintheGarage]

The ESC controlling the motor has a built in BEC, which powers the servo tester. To power the ESC, I ran 12 V from the same power supply that powers my mpcnc (one of those $20 supposed "30 Amp" 12 V DC power supplies from Amazon)

[@jamiewilliams6763]

Awesome video! Can you tell me what kind of foam this is? I'm looking for something that can do polyethylene

[@GeoffintheGarage]

Thanks! This is foamboard (aka foamcore). I could see it cutting polyethylene foam at a low travel speed. How thick is the PE foam are you hoping to cut?

[@roeschdan]

Do you think this would cut carpet pad? Trying to add this to my Lowrider. Do you have a BOM for the moter and electronics and needle etc? Thanks!

[@GeoffintheGarage]

I'm thinking carpet pad might be a little too dense for the needle cutter to handle, but I'm not too familiar with the material. I couldn't go over 10 mm/s without the needle dragging a bit in the foamboard. Also, getting it working and not flinging needles across the room or destroying the tiny bearings took some trial and error (eye protection is a must!). I had really good luck with a 1/8" upcut endmill running conventional milling in EVA foam. Might that work in carpet pad too?
If you want to give it a try, look for dkj4linux in the V1 engineering forums: He made the original and has a ton of experience and thorough build logs. It's been a while since I've done this, but here's what I can remember from the parts list:
12VDC with an XT-60 connector
2S-4S ESC with built-in BEC with XT-60 connector
A servo tester for getting a PWM signal to the ESC
Generic brushless motor from a quadcopter or RC place

[@roeschdan]

@@GeoffintheGarage thanks for the thoughtful reply. I'll give the end mill a try!

[@puchomoreno]

How did you cope with the heat produced on the needle?

[@GeoffintheGarage]

There is a hole in a small piece of plywood attached it to the bottom of the mount. I screwed a welding tip into the hole to act as a guide and heatsink for the needle. The tip would get really hot, but the wood insulated it enough from the mount not to melt the plastic.

[@puchomoreno]

@GeoffintheGarage correct but I had the main issue when cutting eps foam. The eps woul melt at the needle and jam everything.

[@GeoffintheGarage]

@@puchomoreno Ah, I see. I never tried cutting eps foam, so I’m not sure how to fix this. A hot wire cutter or hot knife tool might work better.

[@josephpeller4790]

Neat! Is this the " upgrade" to the laser cutter you were talking about?

[@GeoffintheGarage]

Thanks! It is! I have cleaned up the electronics so it's easier to swap between the laser and needle cutter. I am also adding a vacuum table to hold down foamboard for cutting without having to place weight on top of it. There will probably be a video of that later this weekend.

[@xander_fP]

Hello! Is it suitable for corrugated cardboard?

[@GeoffintheGarage]

Cardboard might offer a little too much resistance to the needle. I think a drag knife would be better in this case.

[@xander_fP]

​@@GeoffintheGarageUnderstood, thank you