Plywood/ Surface

In regards to the “roughing” portion of the first model, the diameter of cutting tool I used was “1/2″ Square End”.  Therefore during some of the passes it would rip out chunks of the plywood thus ruining the final surface.  I believe that this was not only caused solely by the size of the tool, but was also caused by the material properties of the plywood itself.  Due to the fact that it is a manufactured piece of lumbar that has no consistent grain, but rather is a bunch of pieces of wood that are glued and pressed together.  So for my second attempt I used a smaller diameter cutting tool which was “1/4″ Square End” allowed me to create the surface I wanted.  In regards to the “finishing” passes, during my first attempt to create my surface model I used 15% “Step Over”.   Choosing this number proved to be a waste of time because it took a long time to complete all of the passes, and with the chunks missing from the poor roughing process, the finishing passes could not clean up the model enough.  So for the second attempt, since I used a smaller more precise roughing tool, I was able to get away with using a bigger number (20%) in “Step Over” which was able to give me a nice smooth finished surface in less time.

Kristin/Parisa “Project 1”

Shown are our final iterations for the ‘pleats, please’ project. The first pattern is a translation of a simple triangular fold. Because of the relationship of the mountain and valley pleats, the design allows for a complete collapse into a one-dimensional plane. The second folding pattern is a derivation of the first; the original triangles are copied and rotated around an axis and repeated.  The nature of the second, more complex, pattern prevents its complete collapse, thus the form is only able to move from a single dimensional plane into the three-dimensional folding pattern.

Kristin, Parisa

Initial Study : Error Reporting

Here is a compilation of images from our first iteration of a CNC surface. The errors that occured during the milling included the inability for the blocking to hold down the stock. As the tool dove into the dense plywood it created enough tug to slowly pull it up and result in lines that streaked the face of the surface and eventually led to breaking of the bit. Also the NC code was mysteriously posted wrong so that the some circles featured deformations that should not have occured.

-Team “Ramrod” Plywood

Lines : Tool Paths

Above are the updated tool cut paths for the Line job type. Using the Mop curve machining in the 3-axis menu, the lines were assigned to different Mops based on elevation at a .125″ step down to .625″ yielding 5 total operations. This is an effort to avoid safety issues and broken bits. Also the clearance plane was increased to 1″ above stock for additional safety.

-Team “Ramrod” Plywood