Hey everyone. I JUST pulled the trigger on an artisan to make custom parts for in my workshop. Specifically I was looking at the 3d printing to help make forms and moulds, CNC and laser cutting both to help cut parts to size, and laser etching to help customize cut parts.
However this afternoon as I was starting to pull the trigger on some materials, I realized that despite the materials I need to cut with cnc being under the 400x400mm work area size, the stock that I can get has a default size of 435mmx290mm. Can I still use that stock on the artisan? Or would i need to cut it down to 400x290 and then I’d be able to cut it?
I find reddit posts saying it can’t be done, but it seems like the posts were asking more about whether or not the bed could move back and forth.
I am a complete beginner so hopefully this isn’t too obvious.
35mm isn’t very much over the limit. Try mounting the material, then manually jog the X and Y axis around to the limits and see if you have enough clearance. Obviously stop if you’re going to cause a collision. If you can move everything to the limit without an impact, I think you’ll be fine.
I don’t have an enclosure, and the only impact I’d worry about would be the Z axis. But you might have to be careful with your cable management to avoid snags in the future.
Adding to what clewis said, several people have run very large workpieces with the Snapmaker machines, letting them stick out to the front or back (may need additional support for the weight). The hard limitation is the width, as the portal shape of the machines is nothing you can work around. An issue might be if you want to use the laser, as the firmware insists on having the enclosure door closed and may stop you from running jobs. A while ago the workaround was to run the machine without enclosure - not sure if this is still possible. and of cause if you do so, you’re strongly encouraged to use suitable eye protection for anyone who might be close to the machine.
Thankfully in my case I will only be using this for CNC and NOT laser (laser items I will be cutting/etching are much smaller). The parts I need to cut with CNC are usually around 280x280, but as I mentioned, the stock is normally 435x290 or a little longer from the manufacturer (about 10x19 is the largest). So long as I can leave it sticking out the front and maybe put up a shroud to limit dust, I think that would work!!
Thank you, your post gave me a good bit of reassurance about my purchase!
Thank you so much for your response. Once I get the unit set up I’ll do just that!
I made the stupid mistake of looking at the size of the parts I need to cut, but I didn’t think about the size of the stock from the manufacturer. Your and Hauke’s response definitely make me feel a bit better. Especially if I can just leave the stock hanging out the front (with a little support, which I’m sure the 3d printer function will be able to craft for me).