Hi All, first post in here and really hoping for some advice.
I’m trying to cut my material which is pulp cardboard (very similar to beer mats) with my albeit rather limited CNC experience.
The machine is cutting through like butter but leaving a terrible finish. The material is being torn and frayed, on the edges. I want it to be a smooth flat finish I’ve tried both bits that came with the Snapmaker and found the single flute flat end mill was the best of both of them. I also tried out a 2 flute straight router bit with a 2mm diameter which was recommended to me but this is even worse.
I’ve attached a few photos of the outcome with the settings I’m using. I’ve seen a few people using ‘Fusion 360’ does this have any other capabilities that might help?
The cardboard is dry with no moisture inside. The material is my only option to use too.
I have tried a die cutting craft machine in the past but had no luck which is why I turned to CNC.
Thanks for stopping by, any help is much appreciated.
How are you clamping it? Looks like part of your problem is that the material is vibrating during the cut.
It’s unlikely you’ll ever get a really smooth cut with this material; it’s too fibrous and not tightly bound to itself. If it’s smooth edges you’re looking for, try applying gum tragaranth and burnishing. Works well for leather; haven’t tried it on paperboard. You can user your SM as a power burnisher. Chuck a carbide bit in backwards, so no cutting surface is showing, into the milling head and manually position it into place. Be sure to clean the shank well before you mount it into a collet after that.
I agree that part of the problem is it vibrating.
You might have to sandwich it beneath one or between two materials and cut through both.
It also might work better with a really tiny bit, like 1mm or even smaller. Maybe something that has more of a burr cutter like these:
But that might make it worse. Have to play around.
-S
Another option that’s somewhere in the middle of the other suggestions: spiral downcut bit with sacrificial board under - will sever the top fibers cleanly.
