Cutting Using the Medium CNC Mill - Rotary 4th Axis

Yale School of Architecture Lab Tutorial Written by: John Eberhart

Attaching the Rotary Axis Accessory, and Setting up the Axes:

Bolt the Rotary Axis attachment to the table, using the provided wrenches from the 6th Floor DM Office.

Mill Rotary Axis Accessory

Load your piece into the Rotary Attachment. Make sure the piece can freely rotate. Equal Spacing

Note: You need to center your piece equally between the two ends of the Rotary. If not, your milling could be offset.

Setting the A Axis (Rotary Axis) Origin:

You need to level your material using the controls on the front of the mill. Once level, you need to record that position as the origin point for the Rotary. Step One: Press and hold the "Jog" button to change the display from Y axis to the A axis. Use the arrows on the mill to rotate and level your piece to the correct position. Note: You can use the round dial to adjust the rotary for fine controls. Step Two: Once level, click the XY/A button on the control panel. The menu will read Set A Axis Origin Hit Enter Key Press the Enter key to set the origin.

Setting the Y Axis Origin on the Rotary:

You need to set the Y Axis on the mill in relation to the rotary attachment. Note: You MUST do this every time you attach the Rotary Attachment to the Mill Step One: Remove the Cover Plate on the Rotary Sensor.

Rotary Sensor Cover Plate Rotary Sensor Itself

Step Two: Install an end mill (a bit) UPSIDE DOWN, in the collet. Note: Using the sensor with the End Mill correctly installed will give an erratic reading on the sensor. Use the solid metal shaft for the sensor reading.

Insert End Mill Upside Down in Collet

Step Three: Using the mill control panel, position the shaft of the end mill, so that it is located in the center of the sensor and approximately 1/8 above the sensor. Locate End Mill 1/8 Above Sensor

Step Four: Press the Exit button to go to the main menu on the mill. Step Five: Using the Dial on the mill scroll through the menus until you see: "12 Rotary Control, then press the Enter button on the mill. Step Six: Rotate Dial until you see: "4 Y Center Mode Press the Enter button on the mill. Press Enter on the mill to Confirm. The mill will start moving. When it Beeps, the Y Axis Centering is done. Step Seven: Press the Exit button on the mill twice to return to the coordinate readout on the mill. Note: The Y Axis centering needs to be done only when you first attach the Rotary Accessory, or if you shut off the power to the mill.

Setting the Z Axis Origin on the Rotary:

Note: This setting will set the location of the end of the end mill relative to the center axis of the Rotary accessory. This MUST be set EVERY TIME you change an End Mill, adjust the bit in the collet, or shut off the power to the Mill. Step One: Insert your end mill in the correct orientation.

Step Two: Locate the tip of the end mill so that is located approximately 1/8 above the center of the Sensor.

Step Three: Press the Exit button on the mill to go to the main menu. Step Four: Using the Dial on the mill, scroll through the menus until you see: "12 Rotary Control then press the Enter button on the mill. Step Five: Using the Dial on the mill, scroll through the menus until you see: "2 Z Center Mode then press the Enter Button on the mill. Step Six: Press and Hold the -Z Button on the mill until you hear the mill Beep. The mill will then rise back to the Maximum Z Up position on the mill. Step Seven: Hit the Exit button on the mill twice to return to the main coordinate read out window. Step Eight: Return the Sensor Cover plate.

WARNING: Return the Sensor cover or else the mill will behave erratically while running.

Loading Your Model, Setting Up the Job, and Sending it to the Mill:
Save your 3D Model as either an STl (Stereolithography file) or an IGES file. Also make sure the Z axis is pointing up. (Maya uses the Y axis as the up axis). Open Modela Player 4. The following window will appear:

Select File>Open, and select the model you wish to import.

Material Selection Multi-Surface and Angled Cutting Selection Cut Control Setup Created Cut List

Cut Control Manager Submit to CNC Mill

Verifying the Machine Selection and Activating the Rotary Axis:

Click File>Select Machine. Make sure you have the ZS-650T/TY machine selected.

Finally make sure you have the correct printer driver selected: Roland MODELA MDX-650(RML-1)

Check on the Rotary Axis Option.

Set either inch or Metric units

Setting the Model Information:

You need to setup your imported model settings. Click on Set>Model, the following window will appear:

Check Model Length, Width, and Height

Orient the Model to its top Surface

Set the Model origin Start point. Set the origin point to the CENTER of the model. This will ensure that the part is coordinated on all sides of the cut piece.

Setting the Model Cutting Parameters:

Click Set>Model Form:

The following settings will affect how the model is cut. This needs to be set for every model.

This sets the cutting margin around the model you are cutting. Use the default Margin.

This sets the depth of the cut for your model.

Click the Center button to position the cutting depth to the exact center of your piece.

When the rotary axis unit is on, the slopes for the modelling form are always 0. This is to prevent the model from separating form the workpiece during cutting.

This window shows you the final size that will be cut taking into consideration the tool size, any sloped angles, etc.

Setting up Material Properties and Loading New Bit Information:

Modela has a number of bits already loaded along with their cutting parameters. However, you will most likely need to add your own Material and Bit parameters. From the DM Online website, you can reference default bit sizes from the following web site: www.architecture.yale.edu/dmonline/Equipment/mediumCNC/mediumcnc.htm

The material Library will appear. Click the New button to load a new tool. Type in a name for the tool, and set the diameter of the tool. As well as square or round. Match the shape of your bit with the picture shown.

Click on the Cutting Parameters Button. The following window will appear.

Select the material you are going cut from the material library. Click the Set Parameters button. Input the Cutting Parameters for this material and Bit. Rules of Thumb: XY Speed: The faster you go, the harder it is on the bit. Z Speed: Set the same as XY Speed Spindle: Set to 8000 RPM Cutting-in Amount: 1/2 the Diameter of bit. In this example, set it to 1/8 (.125) Path Interval: Set to 2/3 the Bit Diameter. In this example set to .20 Finish Margin: Leave at default Stay at Hole bottom: Leave at default Click Register Button. This will register this bit with the selected material.

Set the number of surfaces you wish to cut 1, 2 or 4 Verify the material you are cutting. Set the Side wall cutting angle. Setup a Cutting Process

You can select 1, 2 , or 4 cutting surfaces.

Click the New Process Button

Choose the type of Cut to Perform. Note: You have to perform a Rough Cut before you can perform a Finish Cut You might want to perform a surfacing cut to ensure your piece is flat before proceeding.

Select the top surface. Then click Next. When cutting multiple surfaces, you will have to generate multiple cutting Processes

Select the correct tool you want to use. In this case I am going to select the 1/4 bit I setup earlier. Note: If you dont see the tool you created, then it was not registered correctly in the tool and material setup. Refer to Page 10 for registering your bit with the material you are going to use.

Verify the cutting area and depth. With all selected, you part will be fully cut. If you want to adjust this setting, then click the Partial Button, and you can adjust the cutting volume.

To see and adjust the cutting depth, click the depth button.

Set the Tool path generation settings. Scan Lines: Back and forth motion over the surface. Options: X, Y, or X and Y Unidirectional: Cutting bit makes the same direction pass each time. Contour Lines: Bit follows shape at a set increment in depth. Set the Cutting Start Position. Keep it on Lower Left by default.

This is a quick review. At this point you can adjust the settings. When done, click Next.

Give a name for this particular cut (example: top). If you want to generate the tool path now, then click Right Now. If you want the computer to generate it later, then click later. Click the Finish Button.

A New Process must be created for every surface you are cutting. (Example: The next process you would create would be for the bottom surface).

Model with the calculated tool Path:

Created Process: One is created for each surface. If you expand the process, you can adjust the settings.

Calculate the Tool Path for a Process Turn Off a particular Process Delete a Process

Cut Button: Click this to start the actual cutting process. Preview Cutting: Click this button to Simulate the Cutting of the Part. Setup the Work Piece: This is used to input special cutting parameters for the material you will be cutting.

Setup the Work Piece: Note: Do NOT Set the origin points for your work piece like you would with the 3 Axis Cutting method.
Click the Setup Work Piece Button. The following setup will appear:

Measure your work piece, and input the dimensions for the various Axes.

If you havent already done so, fix your piece into the rotary axis. Make Sure you have the piece centered, so it is evenly spaced on either side of the clamps. Position the mill bit over the center of the work piece. Make sure you have the tip of the bit touching the surface. Read the X,Y, and Z coordinates off of the Mill, and input it in the box.

The tool up Height is the distance the tool will raise to before moving vertically. If you have fasteners holding down your material on the mill, then you must input a height that is HIGHER, than any fasteners.

Click the Cut Preview Button to Simulate the Cutting Job.

Estimate the cutting time:

Verify the Printer: Note Make sure it is the Roland Modela 650-MDX (RML-1)

Hit Enter to Confirm the Correct Printer Driver.

When ready Click Continue The job will be sent to the printer, and the mill will start cutting.