Logo options?

kling&allen said:
Yep, for small curves and letters you need to use a v bit and tell easel.
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I got it to somewhat do what I want it to do, not sure yet though if it's to my likings on small test pieces. Trying to turn the shaft when I pause it and it get it right seems impossible right now. Need to get a carbon tube similar in size so I'm not wasting a shaft to a screw up LoL.

Encase this doesn't work out, have you tried a laser with it?
 
PracticeChampion said:
I got it to somewhat do what I want it to do, not sure yet though if it's to my likings on small test pieces. Trying to turn the shaft when I pause it and it get it right seems impossible right now. Need to get a carbon tube similar in size so I'm not wasting a shaft to a screw up LoL.

Encase this doesn't work out, have you tried a laser with it?
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I don't think you will be able keep a suitable zero by manually rotating the shaft unless you can somehow mount a good indexing headstock. I would experiment with different logo sizes and cut depths/types to see if you can get something suitable with rigidly holding the shaft while the CNC moves on its 3 axis. That's how I do inlays on butts for example.

You could also swap out one of the x or y axes for a rotary axis, but you won't be able to (easily) use easel for that design.

I don't have a laser for my 3018 but I know they have a few good ones. I have a DIY laser but have never used it on a CF shaft. Depending on your logo design, the laser might have the same problem as the v bit, it's going to be brighter (deeper) on some parts of the logo than others.
 
kling&allen said:
I don't think you will be able keep a suitable zero by manually rotating the shaft unless you can somehow mount a good indexing headstock. I would experiment with different logo sizes and cut depths/types to see if you can get something suitable with rigidly holding the shaft while the CNC moves on its 3 axis. That's how I do inlays on butts for example.

You could also swap out one of the x or y axes for a rotary axis, but you won't be able to (easily) use easel for that design.

I don't have a laser for my 3018 but I know they have a few good ones. I have a DIY laser but have never used it on a CF shaft. Depending on your logo design, the laser might have the same problem as the v bit, it's going to be brighter (deeper) on some parts of the logo than others.
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To maintain consistent depth with a V bit on a cylindrical surface you have to stay on the Z centerline and use X and a Rotary Axis rotation, and being that the engraved area is likely not cylindrical, but rather conical, then ideally the shaft needs to be set up such that it's centerline is perpendicular to the cutter centerline, so angled. Even with a perfect set up with the shaft, I'd be very surprised if your software would generate true rotary axis code.
 
Renegade_56 said:
To maintain consistent depth with a V bit on a cylindrical surface you have to stay on the Z centerline and use X and a Rotary Axis rotation, and being that the engraved area is likely not cylindrical, but rather conical, then ideally the shaft needs to be set up such that it's centerline is perpendicular to the cutter centerline, so angled. Even with a perfect set up with the shaft, I'd be very surprised if your software would generate true rotary axis code.
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Yes, there is no easy way to use easel to generate cylindrical code (although there are tutorials online on how to do it). Fusion 360 and the like are designed for the task.
 
No need to use cylindrical code. As suggested connect your Y axis to a rotary axis and as far as Easel is concerned you have a flat surface.
 
billsey said:
No need to use cylindrical code. As suggested connect your Y axis to a rotary axis and as far as Easel is concerned you have a flat surface.
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You can do that with any 3 axis software, even 2 axis to a degree, but any cut off centerline will be shallower, making the width of cut narrower.
 
billsey said:
No need to use cylindrical code. As suggested connect your Y axis to a rotary axis and as far as Easel is concerned you have a flat surface.
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You might need to scale your easel drawing based on the steps of your rotary axis compared to the steps of your x/y axis. E.g., one step of the y axis might be more or less distance on the workpiece than one step on the rotary axis (one is moving in a line and the other is rotating in degrees). There is an equation for this you can find online.

My advice for the OP is to find a logo size and cut depth that works with the standard x, y, ,z axes even if the depth of cut is not uniform.
 
kling&allen said:
You might need to scale your easel drawing based on the steps of your rotary axis compared to the steps of your x/y axis. E.g., one step of the y axis might be more or less distance on the workpiece than one step on the rotary axis (one is moving in a line and the other is rotating in degrees). There is an equation for this you can find online.

My advice for the OP is to find a logo size and cut depth that works with the standard x, y, ,z axes even if the depth of cut is not uniform.
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I actually got two back to back clean cuts on my test piece and then I went for a third and it just cut out a rectangle with no letters 🤷🏻‍♂️, makes no sense
 
PracticeChampion said:
I actually got two back to back clean cuts on my test piece and then I went for a third and it just cut out a rectangle with no letters 🤷🏻‍♂️, makes no sense
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Welcome to the great world of cheap CNC machines. If you are using your laptop hooked up to the 3018's controller, check your USB cable. Glad you're making progress though.
 
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