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In Rhino, use Draft Angle Analysis to located any undercuts.Ī good rule of thumb is that the entirety of your model must be visible in the Top viewport in order to be 3‐axis approachable. The part you’re machining could be 3‐axis approachable – areas of the model that are not 3‐axis approachable are called undercuts and will be ignored by the machine. The maximum cutting area of the Roland CNC router is 19.68in (X) x 15.74in (Y) x 6.10in (Z). RhinoCAM is a plug‐in that is available in the computer labs. Parts to be CNC machined must be programmed using RhinoCAM, MasterCAM and other programs can be utilized but the CLT must run the gcode to make sure the program will work on the machines. The following is a list, by no means all‐inclusive, of some basic guidelines to keep in mind when designing parts to be fabricated by CNC machining:
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Though they vary widely, a typical CNC cutting strategy would include profiling, roughing, semi‐finishing, and finishing passes.
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End mills cut along tool paths with specified linear feeds (typically measured in inches of movement per minute or in/min) and rotational speeds (typically measured in revolutions per minutes or RPC) that are determined by the cutting strategy being utilized, the size and type of the tool, and the material being machined. Though CNC machines come in a variety of forms, most are capable of simultaneous 3‐axis movement with X and Y motion controlled by the gantry and Z motion controlled by the spindle head. CNC machining is a subtractive fabrication technology that uses a computer numerically controlled cutting tool (end mill) to “carve” design prototypes from a variety of sheets or blocks of material including foams, woods, plastics, and metals.
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