cnc hacks

913 Articles

Second CNC Machine Is Twice As Nice

January 12, 2025 by 10 Comments

[Cody Lammer] built a sweet CNC router. But as always, when you build a “thing”, you inevitably figure out how to build a better “thing” in the process, so here we are with Cody’s CNC machine v2.0. And it looks like CNC v1.0 was no slouch, so there’s no shortage of custom milled aluminum here.

The standout detail of this build is that almost all of the drive electronics and logic are hidden inside the gantry itself, making cabling a lot less of a nightmare than it usually is. While doing this was impossible in the past, because everything was just so bulky, he manages to get an ESP32 and the stepper drivers onto a small enough board that it can move along with the parts that it controls. FluidNC handles the G-Code interpretation side of things, along with providing a handy WiFi interface. This also allows him to implement a nice jog wheel and a very handy separate position and status indicator LCD on the gantry itself.

When you’re making your second CNC, you have not only the benefit of hindsight, but once you’ve cut all the parts you need, you also have a z-axis to steal and just bolt on. [Cody] mentions wanting a new z-axis with more travel – don’t we all! – but getting the machine up and running is the first priority. It’s cool to have that flexibility.

All in all, this is a very clean build, and it looks like a great improvement over the old machine. Of course, that’s the beauty of machine tools: they are the tools that you need to make the next tool you need. Want more on that subject? [Give Quinn Dunki’s machining series a read].

Simple Pen Plotter Rolls On The Table

November 29, 2024 by 6 Comments

Pen plotters are popular builds amongst DIY CNC enthusiasts. They’re a great way to learn the fundamentals of motion control and make something useful along the way. In that vein, [Maker101] has created a neat barebones plotter for tabletop use. 

The basic design relies on familiar components. It uses a pair of MGN15 linear rails as the basis of the motion platform, along with NEMA 17 stepper motors to run the X and Y axes. These are assembled with the aid of 3D-printed parts that bring the whole frame together, along with a pen lifter operated with a hobby servo.

The neat thing about the design is that the barebones machine is designed to sit upon an existing tabletop. This eliminates the need to integrate a large flat work surface into the plotter itself. Instead, the X axis just runs along whatever surface you place it on, rolling on a small wheel. It’s likely not ideal for accuracy or performance; we could see the machine itself skating around if run too fast. For a lightweight barebones plotter, though, it works well enough.

If you dig building plotters, you might like to step up to something more laser-y in future. Video after the break.

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Large gears on a bridge in Geneva, Switzerland

Gear Up: A 15-Minute Intro On Involute Gears

November 21, 2024 by 10 Comments

If you’re into CNC machining, mechanical tinkering, or just love a good engineering rabbit hole, you’re in for a treat. Substack’s [lcamtuf] has written a quick yet insightful 15-minute introduction to involute gears that’s as informative as it is accessible. You can find the full article here. Compared to Hackaday’s more in-depth exploration in their Mechanisms series over the years, this piece is a beginner-friendly gateway into the fascinating world of gear design.

Involute gears aren’t just pretty spirals. Their unique geometry minimizes friction and vibration, keeps rotational speeds steady, and ensures smooth torque transfer—no snags, no skips. As [lcamtuf] points out, the secret sauce lies in their design, which can’t be eyeballed. By simulating the meshing process between a gear and a rack (think infinite gear), you can create the smooth, rolling movement we take for granted in everything from cars to coffee grinders.

From pressure angles to undercutting woes, [lcamtuf] explores why small design tweaks matter. The pièce de résistance? Profile-shifted gears—a genius hack for stronger teeth in low-tooth-count designs.

Whether you’re into the theory behind gear ratios, or in need of a nifty tool to cut them at home, Hackaday has got you covered. Inspired?

Towards Solderless PCB Prototyping

October 6, 2024 by 17 Comments

When we think of assembling a PCB, we’re almost always thinking about solder. Whether in paste form or on the spool, hand-iron or reflow, some molten metal is usually in the cards. [Stephen Hawes] is looking for a solderless alternative for prototyping, and he shows us the progress he’s made toward going solderless in this video.

His ulterior motive? He’s the designer of the LumenPNP open-source pick-and-place machine, and is toying with the idea of a full assembly based just on this one machine. If you strapped a conductive-glue extruder head on the machine in addition to the parts placer, you’d have a full assembly in one step. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

[Stephen] first tries Z-tape, which is really cool stuff. Small deformable metal balls are embedded in a gel-like tape, and conduct in only the Z direction when parts are pushed down hard into the tape. But Z-tape is very expensive, requires a bit of force to work reliably, and [Stephen] finds that the circuits are intermittent. In short, Z-tape is not a good fit for the PNP machine.

But what [Stephen] does find works well is a graphite-based conductive glue. In particular, he likes the Bare Conductive paint. He tries another carbon-based paint, but it’s so runny that application is difficult, while the Bare stuff is thick and sticky. (They won’t tell you their secret formula, but it’s no secret how the stuff is basically made.) That ends up looking very promising, but it’s still pretty spendy, and [Stephen] is looking to make his own conductive paste/paint pretty soon. That’s particularly appealing, because he can control the stickiness and viscosity, and he’ll surely let us in on the secret sauce.

(We’re armchair quarterbacking here, but the addition of a small amount of methyl cellulose and xanthan gum works to turn metal powder into a formable, printable metal clay, so it might make a carbon paste similarly adjustably sticky.)

We love the end-goal here: one machine that can apply a conductive paint and then put the parts into the right place, resulting in a rough-and-ready, but completely hands-off assembly. You probably wouldn’t want to use this technique if the joint resistance was critical, or if you needed the PCB to stand up to abuse. There’s a reason that everyone in industry uses molten metal, after all. But for verifying a quick one-off, or in a rapid-prototyping environment? This would be a dream.

We’ve seen other wacky ways to go solderless before. This one uses laser-cut parts to hold the components on the PCB, for instance. And for simply joining a couple wires together, we have many more solutions, many thanks to you all in the comments!

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Laser Cutters: Where’s The Point?

August 14, 2024 by 31 Comments

It is funny how when you first start doing something, you have so many misconceptions that you have to discard. When you look back on it, it always seems like you should have known better. That was the case when I first got a low-end laser cutter. When you want to cut or engrave something, it has to be in just the right spot. It is like hanging a picture. You can get really close, but if it is off just a little bit, people will notice.

The big commercial units I’ve been around all had cameras that were in a fixed position and were calibrated. So the software didn’t show you a representation of the bed. It showed you the bed. The real bed plus whatever was on it. Getting things lined up was simply a matter of dragging everything around until it looked right on the screen.

Today, some cheap laser cutters have cameras, and you can probably add one to those that don’t. But you still don’t need it. My Ourtur Laser Master 3 has nothing fancy, and while I didn’t always tackle it the best way, my current method works well enough. In addition, I recently got a chance to try an XTool S1. It isn’t that cheap, but it doesn’t have a camera. Interestingly, though, there are two different ways of laying things out that also work. However, you can still do it the old-fashioned way, too. Continue reading “Laser Cutters: Where’s The Point?” →

Proxxon CNC Conversion Makes A Small Mill A Bit Bigger

August 10, 2024 by 10 Comments

The Proxxon MF70 mini-mill is a cheap and cheerful, but decently made little desktop mill. As such, it’s been the target of innumerable CNC-ification projects, including an official kit from the manufacturer. But that didn’t stop [Dheera Venkatraman] from sharing his Big Yellow take on this venerable pursuit with us!

This isn’t simply a CNC modification, it’s a wholly 3D-printed CNC modification, which means that you don’t already need a mill to make the usual aluminum pieces to upgrade your mill. And perhaps the standout feature: [Dheera]’s mod basically doubles the Y-axis travel and adds an extra 15 mm of headroom to the Z. If you wanted to stop here, you would have a bigger small manual mill, but as long as you’re at it, you should probably bolt on the steppers and go CNC. It’s your call, because both models are included.

[Dheera] also built a nice enclosure for the MF70, which makes sense because it’s small enough that it could fit on your desktop, and you don’t want it flinging brass chips all over your bench. But as long as it’s on your desk, why not consider a soundproof enclosure for the MF70? Or take the next step, make a nice wooden box, mount a monitor in it, and take the MF70 entirely portable, like this gonzo hack from way back in 2012.

A person putting a screw into a CNC spoil board on the left of the image. Their drill is chartreuse and black. Clamps hold a rectangular board down at all four corners. The spindle of the CNC is just visible on the right hand side of the image.

Workholding Options For The Beginner CNC Operator

July 23, 2024 by 6 Comments

Designing a file to cut on a CNC is only part of the process. You also have to keep it in place while the machine does its work. [Garrett Fromme] walks us through five different work holding techniques.

Since every project is different and stock material can vary from thin veneer to much larger pieces, there’s no one right work holding method for every project, and not all methods are applicable to all materials. A vise is great for small projects that need to be held very securely and won’t be damaged, vacuum tables can make switching pieces quick in a production environment, fasteners will hold a piece securely at the expense of your spoil board, clamps are fairly versatile but fiddly to setup, and tape and CA glue are quick but require more consumables.

[Fromme] does a quick demonstration of setups with these different methods and their limitations, which is a great place to start for the beginner CNC operator. Just like 3D printers, CNCs are a far cry from the replicators in Star Trek that can automagically create what you ask it to, but proper workholding lets you waste less material and operate the machine more safely.

Our own [Elliot Williams] had a look at how CNCs aren’t as automated as you think. If you do need some CNC clamps, you might try these printable parametric clamps, or if you want something more beautiful, give these metal toe clamps a go.

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