We are building a lab for our new FRC team, and we need to give the architect cut sheets and measurements of the tools we will be putting in there. So far we have been looking at threads here and have talked to some local teams (4159, 254, and 2144), so we know the kinds of machines/tools we need but haven’t looked at specific models yet. If anyone has cut sheets of these machines or recommendations, it would be super helpful.
The machines we’re currently looking at getting are:
a drill press
horizontal and vertical band saw
CNC lathe
CNC Mill (we’ve already got one)
laser cutter (we’re looking at the epilog mini 24)
Recommendations for machines/tools not on this list would also be very helpful.
A CNC router is typically optimized for cutting sheets of material, and often has a larger space in that regard (for example, the ShopBot at the school 2667 works out of cuts 4’x8’x6" of material). They really are very useful, and high quality ones can cut through aluminum in addition to wood, plastics, or foam. They’re really quite nice, and often have different use cases than a CNC mill.
CNC router is the work-horse of 1678, followed by our manual mills, followed by our CNC 2 Axis Bridgeport, followed by our manual lathes. Then bandsaw, drill press, and chop saw.
Since most FRC work is lighter duty cuts, it’s a substantially larger work area which is easier to fixture sheet to. This lets you nest many gussets/plates into a single run easily.
Also, it’s nice to take advantage of their long travel and build a long vice-style fixture for holding tubing so it can be machined quickly.
A good router can be had for $5k (if good discount), and $15k will get you something pretty solid for FRC.
You’re going to have an incredibly tough time getting the same bang for your buck out of a CNC mill in that price range.
+1
Our ShopBot has been a tremendous help…for prototyping and especially when iterating components. In 2013 we probably made a dozen versions of our shooter plates.
Nothing to do with FRC, it started before I got involved with FRC, and mine was aimed at cutting wood and was never intended to be used for aluminum. The tolerances are probably nowhere near good enough for detailed robotics work.
Still, if I ever get it done, I wonder if my team would find it handy…
Plasma cutters are pretty low tolerance and are generally for steel. I would probably buy a cnc router and a manual lathe then cnc mill. Those are my go to machines in the shop.
A good CNC router is far better than a CNC plasma cutter. A CNC router has miles better accuracy and precision. Aluminium is just not a great material to plasma cut, it has a strong tendency to warp due to its thermal characteristics.
We have a router on order. We asked 1678 what they had and searched the threads to see if other teams liked it. I don’t want to comment my thoughts cause we have not received it yet. I will say being local to our vendor is very nice, they seem keen on helping us out and was the primary reason for our choice.
We have a Zenbot 24x48, it’s alright. For about $2500 you can get it fully operational, with a controller, Mach3, etc. You will need to get a CAM package as well, HSMworks is free and what we have been using. We just got a licence for CAMmaster that I’m going to start playing with (We asked them very nicely).
For an inexpensive solution I’d look at the X-carve. It probably won’t handle any think cuts in aluminum out of the box but will probably get the job done for a fraction of the price of most routers. There have been several mods to make it cut better, like changing the spindle to the same router we use on the zenbot. I know a few teams have bought one this off-season hopefully they will chime in as they start cutting. The X-carve has a free CAM/controller software suite as well that may be some what limited but is also probably easier to use. Seeing as we get most of our competition parts made by our sponsors laser cutter this definitely were I would have started had it been available a few years ago.
These options won’t do full sheets of material or anything but they are smaller and cheaper which will better fit some shops and budgets.
I would recommend VeloxCNC, they have a wide selection of bed sizes and are well built for a reasonable cost(10% educational discount too!). It’s also easy to knock the cost down if you are willing to make your own table surface, stand to keep it off the floor and what not. Tell them 1678 sent you.