Project Pneupack

[FiXeL]

Thank you for the offer, but i doubt the NC would be easy to adapt. We use the metric system over here, and allthough you could easily convert it to metric values, the CNC code cannot easily be changed to Heidenhain dialogue programming. We use that on our CNC machines, while ISO programming is more or less the standard. (and nowadays the newest ISO controls also come with ISO dialogue programming) But those 2 are not compatible with eachother. It can be changed, but programming it manually would be just as fast. (one of the great benefits of dialogue programming, the TNC askes what you want to do and you answer)

I also have mastercam installed on my computer, but i only use it for generating engraving programs that would be too hard to program manually. The difficulty with the lowers is not roughing it out with a small mill, because im allready roughing it with a 16mm (5/8") Rippa mill, and contouring the rest out with the long 6mm carbide mill. (and adding a finishing pass) I could have done it in one go, but i've decided to add a finishing pass trough the pack to make the walls a bit more smooth and hopefully this will be a good thing when inserting the milling jig inside.

The best way to make a part like this would be using extruded aluminum parts, but since making a mold would be too expensive, i'll have to go this route.. The emag battery casing is also a extruded part, and perfectly done i might add.

[FiXeL]

Mini update!!

I wasnt able to do much, but atleast i made some progress.



The milling jig (fill block) is ready and fits perfectly.



It's a bit of a loose fit, but it should be ok. Also i have a special treat.... I wanted to save this one for last, but since i wanted to make a test piece first to see how it looks...



I'll be running around the field yelling "Frostmorne hungers.." "Now! Frostmorne!" and "Your pain shall be legendary!" In case you are wondering if i lost it, check the background and some would remember the previous game...



Closeup. I've took a image i downloaded a while ago from google, and edited it, printed it, drew some extra things, scanned it, touched it up, mirrored the manually drawn parts and then vectorised it with Raster to vector. The .DXF file was then opened with mastercam and after positioning and rescale the NC was generated for the mill. I've milled this during lunchbreak and took about 15 minutes to mill.



All in all i'm very happy with the result. Due to the programmed settings and the actual tool used i was afraid i would have lost some detail (programmed with a 0.2mm mill and milled with a 1.5mm ball mill 0.1mm deep) but it turned out great. For my personal pack i will be milling it 0.05mm deep, since this will give less overlap, and the detail still stays crisp.

CNC file for the sword can be downloaded here: http://members.chello.nl/u.haarsma/Damocles.zip
Please read the readme file in the zip!

[TwilightG]

That etching is sick! Not really into WoW but cool nonetheless

[FiXeL]

Another update!!

My neighbour co-worker was once again off today so i could use his machine to mill my pack lowers. The milling jig worked great, and the resulting workpiece is very light indeed. It's almost done, but the slot for the macroline still has to be milled.



I also did the engraving for my personal pack... Looks great and im very sathisfied with the result. This time i've milled the engraving 0,05mm deep and it pretty much gave the same result.



Is it light? Well you decide. I could have made the walls thinner, but since there is no battery pack inside that fills the void, i decided to beef up the thickness a bit. Don't want this to dent, so im hoping this will be enough. An extrusion would be best for this part, but for a run of this size it would be too expensive. It took quite a while to mill this all out, i'm guessing over an hour to mill this from both sides.



And it fits like a glove. I can't wait to have everything finished, but i still have to mill one more part - The endcap. When thats all done i can focus back on milling my Emag rail and Intelliframe im using for this project. I'm also thinking of making this a e-pneu marker, but i'm not sure yet. The one thing i like about pneumags is the lack of batteries, and shoot fast, even with their cons. And i have other e-markers... well we'll see.

I hope you enjoyed the update... More to come hopefully next week.

[Spider-TW]

Excellent image transfer!

I've been wanting to do something like that to an old stainless valve, like a 'field rental' valve.

Normally, It would be difficult to handle the shape of the valve surface. How many axes do you have there?

[FiXeL]

Its a 3-axis CNC and a 4th and 5th axis could maybe be used. (the connections are there, but i'm not sure if this option is installed on the TNC) Also we dont have the NC controlled rotary table that is needed for this. And i'm unable to program on rounded or curved surfaces yet with mastercam. And there are limitations when milling a rounded surface with a 3-axis machine.

Btw, this is the one of the mills i'm using:



My own machine is the same make and model.

3-axis milling is pretty much straigtforward, but when you add more axis it becomes very complicated. The other machine i sometimes operate is also a 3-axis mill, but the head can be rotated so that the mill points in -Z (default) +Z (very rare, but possible) -X, +X and -Y And then there's the rotary table (A axis)

It's quite a challenge to operate if you are using multiple head rotations in one setup... I have a vid of it milling:



Its a very slow machine, for big workpieces... In the vid i'm milling a bronze pump casing that weighs in about half a metric ton. The bigger it gets, the slower it goes.

[Spider-TW]

I can almost smell the chips!

I worked a little in a lab/shop where some of the nicer pieces were 6 inch hydrostatic bearings in aluminum-bronze. They came out so sharp and shiny and I love the color.

[FiXeL]

Funny, the part i've milled in the last vid is also made of aluminum-bronze... I hate that stuff. Normal bronze you can drill quite easily, but this stuf tends to schrink abound your drill bit and locks it up. We grind drills off-center so they drill the hole a bit bigger in this stuff...

[Warwitch]

Stay fresh. Cant wait for an update!

[Chris Nearchos]

hmm

hmm, seeing you can do the work needed.....what would it take/cost to get some nice new fresh raw Emag battery casings from the Netherlands?

-Chris

[Warwitch]

hmm, seeing you can do the work needed.....what would it take/cost to get some nice new fresh raw Emag battery casings from the Netherlands?

-Chris

More than from the states.

[Chris Nearchos]

More than from the states.

not true.

and considering AGD is out of them, PTP only has a few left, and probably the same for tuna. what other option would there be? plus could possible get some nice milling on them too for something special.

-Chris

[MANN]

iirc he does not do commercial work.

[Chris Nearchos]

iirc he does not do commercial work.

dang, your right. stated right in the first thread at the bottom. i should have paid more attention. but it never hurst to ask i guess.

-Chris

[Warwitch]

If you ask nicely he may sell you the one time use rights to the CADS. Then you could have any shop do the milling.