Speeds and Feeds Used to Improve CNC Efficiency

Wondering about ways to improve your CNC efficiency while still getting clean cuts and reducing down time?  Use the following speeds and feeds settings from LMT Onsrud and also MultiCam as a starting point and play around with them until you get the right combination for the router bits you are using and also the CNC machine.

By varying the speeds and feeds and chip load settings, you can produce either chips or dust when routing Precision Board HDU.  Here’s some tips for maximizing routing time and saving wear and tear on your CNC machine.

speeds and feeds

Cutting tools play an important role when using a CNC router. The right cutting tool when combined with proper speeds and feeds can cut your machining down dramatically and increase the life span of your cutting tool.

Coastal Enterprises has partnered with LMT Onsrud, a cutting tool manufacturer, to provide the most up-to-date speeds and feeds information for routing Precision Board HDU.  Part of this partnership includes a database maintained and updated by LMT Onsrud to help choose the right cutting bit for the right material.

Why is it so important to set your router to certain speeds and feeds for each bit?

The proper cutting tool used with speeds and feeds information lets you achieve optimum chip load. Proper chip load allows the cutting tool to move in and out of the material quicker, leading to more efficient CNC machining.

You can optimize your chip load by setting the feed rate and cutter speed to yield the largest chip that produces the desired surface finish. Precision Board HDU is non-abrasive, which also prolongs tool life.

Here’s a useful formula from LMT Onsrud, manufacturer of router bits and cutting tools:

Chip Load = Feed rate/ RPM x # of flutes

To increase chip load:

Increase feed rate
Decrease RPM
Use a cutter with fewer flutes

To decrease chip load:

Decrease feed rate
Increase RPM
Use a cutter with more flutes

With a little experimentation you’ll become an expert at machining Precision Board. Proper cutter selection and machine setup will produce a smooth cut, leaving chips that fall to the ground and do not become airborne. And because we’ve added an anti-static agent to Precision Board, chips don’t cling to your work or your equipment.

Using optimal settings for your CNC router is also important.  That’s why we have also partnered with MultiCam, manufacturer of CNC routers, to provide another set of speeds and feeds settings for routing Precision Board HDU using their CNC machines.

CNC is an acronym for, “Computer Numerical Control.” Essentially, CNC machinery is a computer operated mechanism which precisely cuts or engraves complex shapes in HDU, metal, plastic, stone, wood, and a range of various medium types. In order to accurately cut or engrave a design, a programmer must map a numerical code through CAD (Computer-aided Design) and/or CAM (Computer-aided Manufacturing) software which is interpreted by the computer and used as a blueprint or tool path.

speeds and feeds

MultiCam used their APEX3R CNC Router to cut different shapes and patterns out of our Precision Board HDU. Settings varied depending on what density they were machining. You can see those specific settings below and in the videos on our YouTube Channel. MultiCam used their own router bits to cut the HDU material.  They used a 3/16” Ball Nose (Part # 95-00047-52-260B) and a 1/2” End mill (Part # 95-00047-63-790).

By experimenting with these different speeds and feeds settings, and using the chip load formula, it’s possible to produce chips or dust and determine the optimal settings to maximize your CNC efficiency.  Using a variety of tools and settings will also add life to your CNC machine and save wear and tear on your cutters.

You can view all of our speeds and feeds videos on our YouTube Channel under the “Routing / Machining” playlist.

LMT Onsrud is a premium cutting tool manufacturer servicing the metal working, composite, wood and plastics (HDU) industries.  Their tooling can be found within various industrial markets – aerospace, medical, composites, plastics, woods – and are used in making the products you use on a daily basis.

MultiCam is a global supplier of innovative CNC cutting solutions for industries ranging from sign making to digital finishing, sheet-metal to plate-steel processing, hardwoods to cabinet making, thermoform trimming to plastics fabrication, as well as a wide variety of aerospace and automotive applications.

Coastal Enterprises manufactures Precision Board HDU, a versatile, cost-effective and eco-friendly urethane material that is particularly effective for applications in signage, theming, modeling, aerospace, automotive, marine and industrial.  It is a closed-cell rigid substrate that does not rot, warp or crack.  You can request free samplesget a quote or sign up for periodic newsletters packed with helpful information.

MultiCam CNC Speeds and Feeds for Precision Board HDU

One of the more frequent inquiries we receive at Coastal Enterprises involves questions about CNC machining of Precision Board HDU. Typical questions include, “what type of cutter works best,” “where do I start with my speed and feed settings,” and “what should my chip load be?” We asked our friends at MultiCam USA to rout shapes with a CNC Router into PBLT-15, PBLT-30, and PBLT-40 densities of Precision Board and let us in on what speeds and feeds settings they used to achieve maximum results.

multicam

CNC is an acronym for, “Computer Numerical Control.” Essentially, CNC machinery is a computer operated mechanism which precisely cuts or engraves complex shapes in metal, plastic, stone, wood, and a range of various medium types. In order to accurately cut or engrave a design, a programmer must map a numerical code through CAD (Computer-aided Design) and/or CAM (Computer-aided Manufacturing) software which is interpreted by the computer and used as a blueprint or template.

MultiCam used their APEX3R CNC Router to cut different shapes and patterns out of our Precision Board HDU. Settings varied depending on what density they were cutting into. You can see those specific settings below and in the videos on our YouTube Channel. MultiCam used their own router bits to cut the HDU material.  They used a 3/16” Ball Nose (Part # 95-00047-52-260B) and a 1/2” End mill (Part # 95-00047-63-790).

In addition to the MultiCam router bits, a wide variety of HSS cutters commonly used for wood and plastics work very well for machining Precision Board HDU, and a wide range of settings will produce great results.

If you are not getting the desired results, try adjusting your settings. Different densities of Precision Board will require different settings, much like different grades of wood will have different settings.

Chip Load

You can optimize your chip load by setting the feed rate and cutter speed to yield the largest chip that produces the desired surface finish. While Precision Board HDU does not conduct heat and is non-abrasive, this will ensure that heat is carried away from the cutter, prolonging tool life. Here’s a useful formula from LMT Onsrud, manufacturer of router bits and cutting tools:

Chip Load = Feed rate/ RPM x # of flutes

 To increase chip load: 

  • Increase feed rate
  • Decrease RPM
  • Use a cutter with fewer flutes

To decrease chip load: 

  • Decrease feed rate
  • Increase RPM
  • Use a cutter with more flutes

With a little experimentation you’ll become an expert at machining Precision Board. Proper cutter selection and machine setup will produce a smooth cut, leaving chips that fall to the ground and do not become airborne. And because we’ve added an anti-static agent to Precision Board, chips will not cling to your work or your equipment.

Settings for Zeus (PBLT-15)

o FeedRate: 500
o RPM: 18,000
o Chipload: .0277

multicam

 

Settings for Long Horn (PBLT-30)

o FeedRate: 350
o RPM: 16,000
o Chipload: 0.19

multicam

Settings for Dragon (PBLT-40)

o FeedRate: 500
o RPM: 8,000
o Chipload: .0625

multicam

 

MultiCam is a global supplier of innovative CNC cutting solutions for industries ranging from sign making to digital finishing, sheet-metal to plate-steel processing, hardwoods to cabinet making, thermoform trimming to plastics fabrication, as well as a wide variety of aerospace and automotive applications.

Precision Board HDU can be cut with a router, waterjet or laser and can also be hand-carved. It is also eco-friendly with, “green” urethane components. It has a certified “Carbon Balance” of 3 to 1 and a “Rapidly Renewable resource Content” of 23.9%.  Learn more green facts here.

Need help with a quote? Click here or call us at 800-845-0745. We’d love to hear from you!

Smooth-On and our amazing ISA show!

ISA 2018 was a really big deal for us. More than ever, our samples were featured in booths from Smooth-On, Multicam, Coastal Enterprises, and SAi EnRoute. We also presented in the EnRoute booth and showed some people how we do what we do. In all, we had 15 pieces on display at the show this year.

Our crowning piece on top of our Sign Invitational piece was our Gear sign that we produced for Smooth-On. It was one of 5 pieces displayed in their booth, but was easily the most eye catching. Smooth-On agreed to lets us have an awesome amount of creative control over all of the samples, so it made it a dream build for us. Judging from the crowds we saw in their booth, I would say it was an overwhelming success.

Products Used:

Smooth-On Freeform Scuplt Epoxy clay
Smooth-On Freeform Habitat Epoxy clay
Smooth-On Smooth Cast Onyx Casting Resin
Smooth-On Moldstar 15 Silicone Mold Rubber

Precision Board Plus 30lb HDU

Here are the pics!

Enjoy

-Jim

Published with permission from Synergy Sign & Graphics. Source.

Thats a wrap! The Sign Invitational 2018.

Back in 2015 when Dan and I sat on a grassy hill at the EnRoute summit in Denver Colorado, I would have never guessed our crazy ideas would turn into an amazingly fun event. The premise, Invite the best of the best in the sign industry and see who answers the call. The challenge, set some rules and see how creatively people can break them. That my friends is exactly what we have seen in the past 3 years. 24 amazing entries later, I would like to think we have done our little part in helping the visionaries in this business dream a million dreams. The best part is we are not done yet!!!

This year’s Sign Invitational may have been small in participants, but there was no lack of fan involvement or passion across the entries. Competing were Dan Sawatzky (Imagination Corporation), Gary Johnson (Great American Sign Co), Douglas Hancock (SignPro of North Florida) and myself, Jim Dawson (Synergy Sign & Graphics).

Everyone showed up with amazing creations that were true reflections of themselves as well as creative solutions to the guideline limitations.

In end, 567 fans had voted for their favorite and Dan Sawatzky took the crown home for the 2nd year in a row.

Next years contest is going to be extremely interesting. Stay tuned for some major announcements including 2 divisions and something that is surely to be a show stopper!!!

Check out the video here! The Sign Invitational 2018

Thanks again to our amazing sponsors.

Video Here

Multicam
Coastal Enterprises
Smooth-On
EnRoute Software

Published with permission from Synergy Sign & Graphics. Source.

Enroute Summit 2017.

A couple of years back, I attended my first EnRoute workshop in Denver Colorado. I had and amazing time with some old friends and made some new friends along the way. When EnRoute announced it was holding a competition leading up to the 2017 Summit in Salt Lake City, I climbed all over it. Up for grabs were cash prizes, advertising opportunities, and free trips to the summit.

I’m happy to say that we placed 1st in the Novelty category with our gear set.

So, for the next 3 days, I get to hang out with the best of the best. I can’t wait to see what new things I learn.

-Jim

Published with permission from Synergy Sign & Graphics. Source.