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Phlatprinter #3 is cutting foam at last

Discussion in 'General Phlatprinter 3 Chat' started by Flashsolutions, Dec 1, 2010.

  1. Flashsolutions

    Flashsolutions Active Member

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    If it can go wrong, it will. I am learning first hand.

    After a full day of tinkering, I have finally gotten the Phlatprinter cutting foam and have some preliminary pictures although I still have more work to do. I am waiting on a couple pieces of MDF that I misplaced to finish the cabinet and some painting to clean up, but that is just cosmetics.

    I ran into a number of problems which had to be solved that I want to mention for those who will certainly follow my footsteps.

    Starting off with a simple 2" square as a cut file, it became apparent that something was not quite right. The square was surely cut, but there was an extra 1/8 to 1/4" cut preceding the start of the cut that had me baffled.

    John Bernard stopped by to see how I was progressing and we worked thru the issues beginning with a gantry that was not quite secured properly. Wiggling the gantry produced movement which was corrected by adjusting the bearings on the gantry, but this did not resolve the issue.

    Along the way, we kept getting interrupted by software glitches. I found several bugs in the Phlatscript and the Planet-CNC controller software kept locking up so I switched over to Mach 3 for the remainder of the troubleshooting.

    You may notice in the pictures that my Planet-CNC board is different than most of the others. John made a DIY board which has a parallel port connector on it so we can easily switch between Mach 3 and Planet-CNC software. It came in handy as we worked thru the issues of the day.

    Closer inspection of the rollers revealed one roller lower on one end than the others. Apparently one of the washers had slipped during installation or maybe did not get tightened. I thought at first the belt was loose and retightened it but only made matters worse. Now we started getting slippage. After much effort, finally got the rollers adjusted correctly and the cut problems were finally resolved as a result.

    I had a tool in my toolbox that came in very handy for adjusting the rollers, especially since my power supply covers the normal access from the right side. The tool is a 90 degree rachet screwdriver bit. It was small enough to allow me to come in from underneath the cabinet to get to the X stepper adjustment screws.

    John saw me fighting with the chuck key and went home to build a tool for that. Thanks John! You can find it posted here on the forum at http://phlatforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=148&t=2353.

    Some of the mods to my Phlatprinter include a Display Monitor mount on the left side of the cabinet, 4 switches on the right side; E-Stop, Power, Spindle, and Vacuum. A set of brackets were made to mount the power supply differently to allow room for a Gecko G540 controller and a relay board. A pair of outlets was installed on the back side to supply the spindle and vacuum AC. The spindle and vacuum can be controlled either by gcode via the relay or manually via the front panel switches. Attached files [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  2. Flashsolutions

    Flashsolutions Active Member

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    What an awesome machine! The innovations that Mark designed into this beast are just fantastic!

    Everything fit together with such precision it still simply amazes me. All that effort translates down to more accurate cutting and Mark (and Trish) should get a "Product of the Year" award.

    I have been munching thru foam this evening and all I can say is "I am in awe". Watching this machine tear thru a sheet of foam like no tomorrow and pop out dead on accurate is definitely cause for celebration!

    While building and afterword as I observed many of the little things that one might not realize were important but each and every one were spot on.

    For instance, I forgot to add a little wire clamp on the gantry and as I was watching the gantry travel back and forth on the Y axis, I noticed the wire dropped down behind the stepper and caught on it. Had I continued traversing the length of the axis, I would surely have broken the wire. I am thinking this isn't working. Maybe I need to add a rubber band to keep the wire from catching on the stepper. Then I remembered.... oh yeah, Mark designed a clamp to hold the wire out away from the stepper so it doesn't drop down and catch on it and I forgot to put it on!

    It is attention to details like this that make this an exceptional machine and at a price point that is well worth the money!

    Everywhere I looked, there were innovations like this.

    I just want to give Mark and Trish a great big hug and a very big THANK YOU! :mrgreen:
     
  3. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    Couldn't have said it better myself Flash.

    I was really impressed with the MK I. Ithen really liked the capabilities of the machine when I added a belt drive to my MK I. Then comes this machine. Taking nothing away from the MK I as it is a GREAT machine, but the thought and preparation from start to finish of the PP /// Makes the MK I look like a tinker toy. The addition of the over head gantry is just another GREAT reason I love this machine. Product of the Year??? Naaa Decade :D
     
  4. kram242

    kram242 Administrator Staff Member

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    WOW guyz. Reading your comments make us feel really good. Thank you so much!! We do carefully choose each item on the machine and we often wonder if it's worth the time and effort it takes to decide on, research and source, and then test each and every part. Your comments here have confirmed that we are doing the right things.

    You guyz are so awesome for posting these really nice comments. They have made our day!! Thank you Flashsolutions and rcav8!
    Mark and Trish
     
  5. blindflight

    blindflight Moderator Staff Member

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    Really nice job there Flash, could you post some part #'s & cost of the "4 switches on the right side; E-Stop, Power, Spindle, Vacuum and plug receptacle used "?
    Thanks
     
  6. Flashsolutions

    Flashsolutions Active Member

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    I bought the switches and covers at Skycraft in Winter Park, Florida. It is a surplus house with bins of parts throughout the store and I just picked up the DPST switches and covers out of the bins.

    I think the switch was $3.50 and the cover $1.50 or $1.75. I wasn't really watching what the prices were as I was loading up on bits and pieces of things I need for this and that. Managed to spend a little over $100 and left with a grocery bag full of goodies.

    They have a website, http://www.skycraftsurplus.com but I didn't see the switches listed at first glance. Maybe if you call them they can help.
     
  7. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    FWIW I got my switches and covers here: http://www.mpja.com/products.asp?dept=62

    I got the double throw single pole switches, as I wasn't sure which way they key for the safety cover went to break the circuit for the stepper limit over ride. I am using these only as the stepper limit over rides, but they are rated for house current/voltages.

    I also got some lighted A/C switches at the hardware store for arming the Roto-tool and vac as I'm also using the relay board. I also used one of the lighted switches for powering on the driver board.

    Here's a pic of my setup: viewtopic.php?f=148&t=2245&start=25
     
  8. AlanFlorida

    AlanFlorida New Member

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    Flashsolutions was kind enough to let me stop by his house and see his Phlatprinter III. All I can say is WOW. He explained the complete process from sketchup drawing to cutting. I am so appreciative of him opening his shop and spending hours with me. His build and upgreades are awesome and the machine works great. I think the visit is going to cost me a lot of money. I must have one of these machines! THANK YOU!!
     
  9. jkarnacki

    jkarnacki Member

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    Good work Flash! I think you need to start going on missions - ya know - convert some people :roll:

    - Jeff
     
  10. kram242

    kram242 Administrator Staff Member

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    I love this place! On our last trip to Fl (old stomping grounds) this was our first stop :D It was a rainy miserable, beautiful day all that mattered is we made it! :D
    [​IMG]

    Glad to hear it Alan! Your right once you get bitten by the cnc bug its hard to go back to hand cutting :D
    Thank you Larry, this is one of the coolest parts of this project, all the networking and help you receive from others.
    There is a referral program set up to help encourage telling others. 25$ VISA card when you check out! :)
    Mark and Trish
     
  11. Flashsolutions

    Flashsolutions Active Member

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    Today was a milestone and cause for celebration. I was finally able to cut precision cuts in 36" Balsa strips using a 1/32" bit cutting both 1/16" and 1/8" Balsa ribs.

    The ribs each have 4 small diameter circles, which have been troublesome since day one. But now that I have setup Mach 3 to remove backlash, the circles are perfect and the matching indents in the I-Beam all align perfectly.

    A set of newly added guide rails provided additional accuracy which kept the Balsa tracking to the tight tolerances required for this wing design.

    Even though this is my third year working with the Phlatboyz CNC machines, there was much still to be learned as I found out. There are many factors which contribute to how well you can fine tune a machine.

    For me, there is more to CNC than just cutting foam planes. I have always believed this was the machine that could do it. The overhead gantry was a must for doing the things I saw as important.

    The small footprint is an obvious big plus since my shop does not have much room to spare.

    Today, those dreams have been realized.

    I invite you to come have a look and take a tour of my finished (till the next mod) Phlatprinter .

    http://flashsphlatprinter.blogspot.com/2011/01/flashs-phlatprinter-video-tour.html
     
  12. kram242

    kram242 Administrator Staff Member

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    Great looking build Flash! Looks like you have it dialed in now. :)
    Thanks for taking the time to make this cool video tour. This will be a benefit for those who want to take the Phlatprinter beyond foam.
    Mark and Trish
     
  13. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    Nice little video tour. I didn't think I would need a fence setup for balsa, but after seeing the video I think I'll add one as a little extra insurance.
    I don't know how, as I'm usually the one to get the one bad piece of anything when the other 20,000 are good, but (and I don't want to say this too loud or my PP will hear) but right out of the box mine cuts perfect circles with zero skewing. I ran the circle tests, and pieces of FFF back and forth.
     
  14. gben

    gben Member

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    Flash, thanks for putting this video together. Lots of good ideas.
     
  15. 3DMON

    3DMON Moderator Staff Member

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    Good stuff Larry.
     

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