CNC Machines
There are two CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines available for use in the Makerspace.
Toolpaths must be checked by a Makerspace employee before use.
PocketNC
Pocket NC
The PocketNC is a small 5-axis machine suitable for soft materials like plastic, wax, wood, and aluminum. There is 5 inches of travel in the Y direction, 4.55" in the X, and 3.55" in the Z. Tooling in the Makerspace includes flat and ball end mills and some engraving tools.
Aluminum milling is a possibility on the ShopBot.
ShopBot
The ShopBot has an 18x24 inch bed for computer aided 3-axis milling operations. Wood and aluminum can be milled on the ShopBot. The gantry style machine has an aluminum deck with various clamps. Sacrificial material must be used for any through cuts.
- Always set your origin on the top of your stock
- Be sure to consider workholding methods while designing your part
- The Desktop CNC has 24" x 18" x 5" of travel
- Post your NC code as .sbp files. Fusion 360 has a post library for ShopBot that allows you to do this.
- Simulate your NC code using Penta Machine Co.'s simulator.