The CNC router is made up of multiple parts.

• CNC machine frame: made by unimatic - Specs
  • Movement: X 1000mm, Y 1200mm, Z 240mm [TODO: check dimensions]
• Spindle: water cooled, 3 phase, with a ER20 collet chuck
• Motion Controller: Isel C142 controller, for controlling the stepper motors of the machine
• Computer: Laptop Dell Latitude D600 (?), running LinuxCNC
• Chiller: DN CW-3000 - Manual
• Dust extractor: Mardon dust extractor
• Spindle drive: Huanyang 2.2kW VFD HY02D223B, Single phase to 3 phase - Manual

laptop ← Parallel port → Motion controller → stepper motors
laptop ← Serial to RS485 converter → VFD → spindle

1) turn on the laptop

• open the lid and reach the power button, which is located on the back left corner of it's keyboard
• Note: make sure not to pull out the cables plugged into the laptop while turning it on
  • The cables that are plugged into the laptop include: video cable for monitor, power cable, Serial port to RS485 converter for VFD, Parallel port for motion controller, USB keyboard and mouse
• Note: make sure the USB stick is not plugged in when booting (it will try to boot from it otherwise)
• Turn on the monitor above the router
  • the display source should be “INPUT-2” displayed on the screen, press the “INPUT” button on the monitor if it says “INPUT-1”
• log into the laptop using username: hacklab password: hacklab

2) Pull out the estop (gently) on the motion controller
3) Release the estop button on the machine by twisting it
4) Log in by tapping your token on the tool controller
5) Turn on chiller
6) Push green button mounted next to VFD.

• Note: This will send power to the stepper motors
• Note: The-Z axis will drop a few centimetres.
  • Unload any fragile tools first, if you are worried about them being damaged.
  • The drop is due to the Z-axis electromechanical break disengaging a little before the stepper motors get power
• Note: Wait for the laptop to boot before pressing the green button
  • The laptop sends out random signals out on its parallel port when it boots, and would make the CNC mill move around randomly, which is dangerous

1. Press the main estop next to the machine - this is done first, the rest can be done in any order
2. Turn off the chiller
3. Log out from the tool controller
4. Turn off the laptop

Note: the motion controller Estop does not need to be pressed

Double click the 'Linux cnc' icon on the desktop TODO

TODO

There is a touchoff pad plugged into one of the inputs of the motion controller The spindle + tool are grounded, so the tool contacting the touchoff pad completes a circuit TODO (Gcode sequence)

Estop: chiller, button, tool controller chiller estops when water temperature is above 60*C or water flow flow is stopped or water level is low

Dust extractor needs emptied periodically, follow instructions on the dust extractor

In use, but there are some tasks that still need to be done to make it better (E.g. touchoff pad):

Task list

Ideally this section should be a step-by-step guide, but for now, it's just some key notes on the CNC's quirks.

The spindle is watercooled. The cooling unit has a flow sensor which is wired into the e-stop loop - this will stop the machine if the pump ever fails.

The CNC laptop runs Debian 7 and should not be updated as the CNC functionality relies on a special realtime kernel which is (in technical terms) a royal pain in the arse to set up.

The out-of-date OS means the laptop can't access network shares. Load your gcode files using the SD card reader in the front of the laptop.

Gcode files need to have a “.ngc” file extension. The last line of the gcode should be “M30”; this is a programme end signal and LinuxCNC will refuse to load any files without it.

The step blocks and clamps we have at the moment are 3D printed. Don't push the machine too hard while using these. If you want to mill thick metal at high speeds, you'll need a metal clamping set; the lab has discussed purchasing a set like this one in the past and there should be no problem doing so if anyone needs them.