A 196-square-foot one-room house intended for use in post-Katrina reconstruction. This prototype, built for an exhibition at MoMA, is constructed entirely from sheets of plywood cut on a PRSAlpha CNC Router and assembled using only a mallet.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A CNC wood router is something that every company needs a wide range of products of wood to work. The significance of this router is using a computer numerical control, to cut wood. This means that all you have to do is create and make them do the job. Typically, these projects will be easy to do if you buy the software. A good modern CNC machine base of both plasma and oxyfuel cutting. Improvements on a cutter base can exist with the possibility of other tasks, functions as:
Spotting holes for drilling
The cut of a shape on the sides or bottom of the tubes
Wooden forms routing.
Other changes in modern CNC machine can be addressed with the installation of equipment for laser and water jet technology. The machine CNC routing can perform milling drilling engraving. Mostly used for work in granite wood acrylic. This machine is true three-dimensional numerical control machines. Enter the most ideal for training purposes can be difficult, as well as strong industrial demand. A compact machine tools for precision drilling / milling / engraving, etc.
The selection of modern CNC machines will be primarily through the method of cutting to be performed are determined by the operator of the machine. For some operations, you need to do only very trim. For other operations, the cutting machine to perform bevel cuts. Bevel cutting, the operator can cut, cut, shave, it seems, and the material in the pot. Both types of cut is subject to modern CNC machine for a fair amount of wear. The manufacturer must, therefore, a machine with adequate support to customers for purchase. This support should include the availability of spare parts. The lack of spare parts may require that the electronics are subject to a modern CNC machine retrofit.
In general, numerical control milling machines can be used to make plans for small or large depending on the size of the machine. The CNC wood router can use different ways to cut work together on what you want to cut. Some of the uses that people have used a CNC wood router, includes the manufacturing of furniture with intricate patterns and designs, curve and smooth corners on wood, make different designs in wood, or for cutting dados. The instrument is very versatile and flexible.
It 'easy, by a CNC router wood as a tool that is used only to cut and shape, but you can do many things to think about. In fact, you are limited only by your imagination, what it does. If there is a history book with the tool, we realize that does many things, and saves time and money.
There are a number of projects you can do with your router wood lathe. Here are some ideas:
Decide the manufacture of furniture – many people use a CNC router to make a series of furniture from tables, benches and chairs. Love to make elaborate drawings and designs in wood and the router helps them so easily. Many like to work with the oak or their materials.
Doll furniture – some children still play with doll houses and sometimes routers can be used for dollhouses, depending on the bit that you use. This is an easy way to do something for your children and use your wood router.
Toys – there are a number of projects with a toy wooden CNC router to do. You can Stones and checker boards, chess games developed, game pieces for all types of games. These projects are limited only by your imagination.
To find out more information, please go to our website www. Homag India. com
Kurt/NEMI has announced an automated vacuum work holding system for wood product manufacturing applications.
This system includes a full line of modular components for holding, positioning and repositioning unfinished wood parts in the automated CNC production of doors, cabinets, fine wood furniture and similar wood products.
The product features grid system tables in standard and custom made sizes that form the mounting system for a flexible work holding system.
Suitable for use on CNC routers, the product together with an integrated robot provides 3-axis capability in a moving gantry CNC router system. It is designed to work with a variety of single and multi-spindle setups for high volume part production.
Setups can be configured to handle any wood design and dimension on the grid system table. Using positioning pods, chucks and locating pins, these setups have the advantages of a dedicated fixture with flexibility for reconfiguring the components to handle various size parts and for use on other jobs.
Calgary, Alberta – Signature Kitchen Builder President James Agnew announced today that the company has purchased a brand new CNC Router for the kitchen manufacturing department of the company. The CNC Router is a computerized precision drilling router that will speed up production time by up to five times the normal speed. “We are excited about this acquisition, the new router automates our drilling, and offers more exactitude and flexibility in our product” commented Agnew.
There are two distinct benefits for clients: For the consumer, Signature Kitchen Builders will have the ability to be even more creative with their customizations, adding unique features such as customized curves. For the commercial client, manufacturing production times will speed up even more, allowing for kitchens to be produced and distributed in perfect condition, and on time to meet tight deadlines. The new CNC Router is set to be in full operational mode from November 1st, 2009.
About Signature Kitchen Builders Inc:
Signature Kitchen Builders Inc. is a manufacturer and distributer of quality residential cabinetry across Southern Alberta. We build cabinetry to your specifications that will meet your needs and reflect your lifestyle. With over 25 years of experience in the kitchen industry, Signature Kitchen Builders continues to provide professional and superior service that you can rely on! For more information on our Signature Kitchen Builders, please visit our website at www(dot)signaturekitchenbuilders(dot)com
For more information about this News Release please contact New Wave Public Relations at (403) 980-5847 or info(at)new-wavepr(dot)com.
Unlike other mechanical adjustable furniture, this rocking chair provides a wider population with more rocking functions by adjustable design using renewable material. A new finger-end adjustable wood joint system is created to provide broader consumer group with comfortable and ergonomically correct products. The furniture designs that use this system are knock down, adjustable, easy to produce and suited for mass customization.
Material: 5’x5’ 13-ply, 18mm, birch plywood; material utilization 90%;
Tools: 3/8“ bit, 3-flute, solid carbide, feed rate 200 in/min, RPM18,000.
Manufacturing time: 20 minutes; Assembly time: 5 minutes.
Software: Sketch–Rhino- Master CAM – toolpaths-CNC: Thermwood router
Copyright © Hongtao Zhou 2008. All right reserved
Drilling a custom PCB with a table-top CNC router I built. The router itself is a dewalt laminate router and it is controlled by a custom 3 axis gantry. The gantry is driven with steppers all controlled from EMC2.
CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines have successfully transformed the manufacturing industry from using hard-wired machines, whose operating parameters could not be changed, to machines that can cut curves as easily as straight lines and can produce complex 3-D structures with ease.
In the mid-1970s, Thermwood Corporation developed the first commercial CNC machine tool control and used it to build machinery to trim its plastic parts. Thermwood then began selling this trim equipment for plastics and woodworking applications and the CNC router was born. Thermwood is currently the oldest CNC router company and continues to offer products for the woodworking, plastics, and aerospace industries.
An important process for their CNC machines is axis alignment verification. Thermwood was using stationary-beam laser interferometers to check for straightness and level, as well as to acquire data for linear lead screw compensation. All orthogonal measurements had to be accomplished with mechanical instruments such as precision machine squares.
The mechanical instruments, however, were not the desired solution, as they required multiple setups, which in turn required a great deal of back-tracking to verify alignment states. There was no quick or easy way to monitor changes resulting from interactions within the process. This often required multiple interim checking operations, which became time consuming.
Thermwood was also looking for a solution to volumetric axis compensation. With their large 5-axis routers and mills that perform precision 3-dimensional work, minute variations in head positioning can become a major issue, as they are adding a conspicuous third dimension into the mix.
The FARO Laser Tracker became that solution for Thermwood. The Laser Tracker has not only provided them with a better way to perform axis alignment verification, but has also allowed them to successfully perform volumetric axis compensation.
Axis Alignment Verification
The implementation process of the Laser Tracker for alignment applications proceeded very quickly. “Enough cannot be said for the trainer,” said David Stutsman, Engineer at Thermwood. “Within a week, our cumbersome mechanical measuring instruments and levels were gathering dust.”
In this process, Thermwood uses the Laser Tracker to measure and map linearity in preset increments, as well as the orthogonal relationship between the various axes on the machine. Alignment technicians utilize this data to make critical adjustments to the machine components, after which the Laser Tracker verifies the proper state of alignment.
The initial Laser Tracker measurement setup is performed in the early stages of machine assembly, while the machine is only comprised of the various weldments with all of the rails mounted. During this initial operation, the Laser Tracker’s SMR (spherically mounted retroreflector) is fitted onto a special fixture, which allows it to be attached to each rail and moved manually along them. This fixture is then fitted with precision rail bearings, which allows it to track the rail very precisely. This initial setup makes it possible for Thermwood to take readings and make major adjustments in the assembly positions of the rails, based on information derived from the Laser Tracker.
Once the initial leveling and alignments are finished, machine assembly is completed, the servo drive system is fitted, and the computer control is installed. After the initial power-up, the machine is again checked using the Laser Tracker, then additional minor calibration adjustments are performed if necessary.
Volumetric compensation required a little more time to implement, as all of the software for this application was developed in-house. As a CNC machinery manufacturer, Thermwood has always developed its own software and built its own controls. “Having our software engineers on staff benefited us greatly in the development of this process,” said Stutsman. “We believe that our system is on the leading edge of this technology.”
In this process, Thermwood acquires positioning data in a matrix pattern on multiple planes. By adding multiple planes, they are able to represent the entire cubic space displaced by the machines’ axes. The entire work envelope of the machine is mapped to provide absolute positioning data at numerous predetermined points. A correction table is developed by triangulating between the various points in volumetric model space, measuring the error for each position, and formulating a table of correction data to be loaded into the machine control and accessed during program execution.
The method of compensating for error during the program cycle is essentially the same as with linear compensation, except that during program execution the control is required to simultaneously track and compare axis movement on three distinct orthogonal paths, and to affect positional corrections correspondingly on all three axes, in phase with program execution.
“Writing the software that allows the Laser Tracker to communicate with the machine control was a relatively simple task,” stated Stutsman. “On the other hand, developing algorithms to interpolate error at any given point within the operational envelope was a daunting task, requiring months to complete. However, this effort is paying off in terms of greatly increased positioning and tracking accuracy. We feel that this has given us a position of superiority over other CNC manufacturers.”
Return on Investment
The two FARO Laser Tracker units are in use nearly every day at Thermwood, performing either or both of the applications. Consistencies of their CNC machines and their overall quality have both been impacted positively since implementing the Laser Trackers.
The amount of time required for machine alignments has been cut to less than half. What once took up to eight hours to complete can now be accomplished in approximately three. The greatest savings are realized on the larger, more complex machines. In addition, Thermwood can now perform volumetric compensation, which would not have been possible without the Laser Tracker.
“The FARO Laser Tracker has had a significant positive impact on the overall quality and value of our product,” said Stutsman. “We expect gains in market share as a result.”