At home, making a CNC from a printer is not at all difficult. It is enough to have at hand all the necessary tools, as well as failed equipment, which will not be a pity to disassemble for spare parts. Experts note that a powerful CNC machine can be made with a stepping motor. With the help of the finished unit, it will be possible to engrave various workpieces made of plastic, wood, as well as some metals. Home-made CNC units from the printer are capable of providing high speed processing of various materials - up to two millimeters per second.
Description
To make your own CNC from a printer, you need to disassemble the failed equipment in advance in order to have high-quality parts at hand:
- Disc drive.
- Printer guide pins.
- Controllers.
- Materials for fasteners.
- Particleboard or plywood to create a solid body.
Resulting CNC machines from printersbe able to implement different ideas of users. The final functionality depends on the mechanism that will be located at the output of the machine. Experts note that most often inkjet printers are used to make a CNC milling machine, drilling machines for creating high-quality printed circuit boards, and a burner.
The basis is always a wooden box made of durable chipboard. The master must take into account that electronic components, as well as controllers, will be hidden inside the container. For reliable fixation, it is better to use self-tapping screws. The work that will be performed by the future machine, and the processes that occur in the milling and drilling mechanisms, are very diverse and accurate, so the master will need a reliable controller and driver.
Characteristic
The mini CNC machine common in everyday life compares favorably with the fact that each person can create three-dimensional structures of complex shape from wood at home. This unit has many positive features. It is worth noting that he does not print in the usual sense for everyone, but cuts out various shapes from an array with a cutter. Industrial models are quite expensive, which is why not all users can buy them. That is why it is better to make a CNC with your own hands.
Basic work
If the master has already decided that he will design a CNC machine from a printer with his own hands, without the help of a special kit, then you need to opt for a standard scheme.
As a basis, you can take an old drilling unit, in which the main working head with a drill replaces the classic cutters. The main difficulties may arise with a mechanism that guarantees the movement of the tool in three independent planes. This mechanism can be assembled on the basis of classic carriages from a non-working printer. Due to this, the product will move freely in two planes. It will be possible to connect the actual software control to such a unit.
The only drawback is that such a product can be processed blanks made of plastic, thin sheet metal and wood. It is quite simple to explain this effect, since the carriages cannot boast of sufficient rigidity. In order for a home-made unit to perform full-fledged milling manipulations with workpieces, a fairly powerful stepper motor must be responsible for moving the main working tool.
For the timely transfer of force to the shaft of the milling device, it is advisable to use not standard, but more advanced toothed belts. Only these products are guaranteed not to slip on the pulleys. CNC manufacturing must be approached as responsibly as possible, it is best to use proven drawings, which will need to be strictly followed.
Preparation of tools
To make a homemade CNC machine, you need to have the following materials on hand:
- Bearing 606 (3 pieces).
- Strong plywood (used forcase manufacturing). The thickness of the slab must be at least 15 millimeters.
- M9 nuts (2 pieces).
- Secrets for connecting the main parts.
- Dremel.
- Aluminum corners.
- Rubber hose.
- Glue.
- Linear bearings (4 pieces).
- Bracket 80.
A high-quality machine will not work if the master does not have a screwdriver, pliers, a file, a vice, a hacksaw, side cutters. The work will be much easier if you use a powerful electric drill.
Basis
A high-quality home-made CNC machine can be built from a conventional dot-matrix printer. Experts note that you can use any office equipment that is available. The manufacturer and brand does not matter. For high-quality control of the unit and efficient operation of the devices, it is necessary to remove other parts: carriages, motor, guides, toothed belts, various gears.
Classic technology
It is necessary to cut out the walls of the future case from plywood: two side 37x37, back 34x37 and front 9x34. For fastening blanks, ordinary self-tapping screws are suitable. Corners can be used as guides. For a more precise installation, a 3 mm tongue is made in the right place.
The work surface can be formed from corners 14 centimeters long. One bearing is fixed at the bottom, the other two are fixed at the top. At a distance of 6 cm from the bottom, a hole must be drilled to connect the stepper motor.
On the front panel, the master needs to doa small 8 mm notch, which will be needed to install the lead screw support bearing. You can build this unit from a construction stud. It is worth noting that only the stepper motor connection diagram will help to avoid the most common mistakes. Finished carriages are mounted on the axis. To make the base as strong as possible, you need to use PVA glue. Instead of the usual spindle, a dremel with a bracket holder will be installed in a makeshift wall. Only after assembling all the elements of the axis are they carefully mounted in the housing.
Common pyrograph
This unit boasts a completely automated processing of wood of any kind. Experts note that this product is intended for universal laser burning. In terms of external parameters, the device is more reminiscent of a classic plotter. Unlike milling machines, the pyrograph has only two degrees of freedom and is able to apply any image on a completely smooth wooden surface.
More powerful models can burn through the wood, creating intricate carved lace. Compact installations cannot boast of such parameters. In the household industry, the master can burn relief patterns on any surface.
Multifunctional 3D printer
The burning of the desired pattern is based on the careful observance of certain rules. The material to be processed is placed on the work surface.machine. Most often it is a sanded board, a small plywood sheet, glued timber, fiberboard or MDF. When the material has been laid and the maximum accuracy of the position has been checked, it is fixed using vacuum clamps. Before starting the machine, the device must be set to the starting point for printing. The movement of the laser emitter and its intensity are set by the system, which is very practical.
Electronic equipment
If the master has already decided to make a CNC machine from a printer, then he needs to prepare a soldering iron, solder, flux, magnifying glass. In order to avoid mistakes, you need to understand in advance all the microcircuits of office equipment. You can find printer control boards from the LB1745 and 12F675 series. With a little work with these details, you can create a CNC control board. It is necessary to fix the product to the back wall of the machine.
The power supply is better to take the one that was previously installed in the printer. If the master does not want to mess around for a long time, then he can use a ready-made factory CNC machine controller. The most popular is the five-axis controller model. Of course, off-the-shelf electronics have numerous advantages, but the price of such products is often too high. There are universal models on sale that allow the final user to connect three types of end motors, a quick disconnect button.
The principle of unit control is absolutely automated. The CNC burner is powered from an old printer using a regular USB cable. It is worth noting that in a home-made unit, it is necessary to connect a control board based on office equipment chipsfrom the machine's power supply. The product will function well if the stepper motor has a power of 35 volts. Under other conditions, the CNC runs the risk of simply burning out.
The power supply must be carefully removed from the printer. Using normal wiring, you need to connect the power element to the on / off toggle switch, dremel and controller. A wire from the computer must be connected to the main control board of the unit. Otherwise, the user simply will not be able to download all the necessary tasks.
To get a good result, you need to download a program for drawing sketches. It is worth noting that a home-made CNC machine can cut textolite up to 4 mm, plywood up to 16 mm, and wood with high quality. The finished product cannot be more than 35 centimeters in length.
