I cannot find any documentation on how to cut a large piece (like the astronaut) with multiple passes of the carving bit, nor multi passes with a large roughing bit then a precise v bit to cut down the ridiculous cutting times I am getting.
I can’t even find one article on cutting rectangular blocks like the ones clearly in this advert. Definitely Luban does not have a cube setting to cut, only cylinders…at least not one that I can make out.
Well, you can treat a rectangular block as a cylinder with a diameter equal to the block’s corner-to-corner measurement. You’ll waste some time cutting out things that aren’t there, though.
The only way I’m aware of doing stock modelling and factoring in material removed during the roughing pass is to pay for Solidworks CAM or Fusion360 or mastercam or similar. Luban just does not have that level of sophistication.
I always get a chuckle when someone recommends fusion360. They separated the 4th axis rotary carving from the lathe and so now if you want to carve it will cost a cool 1,600 per year for that function. It is now part of a machining package, and you cannot just buy that particular function.
Ive tried the Aspire and it really works great, but the Post Processor does not work and it makes crazy tool paths for now.
I still would like to know the process that Snapmaker used to cut the eiffel tower and astronaut. Has anyone come across any article of video of this?
And it is actually possible to use the Free version of Fusion360, but it takes some extra work. Small manual edits to the gcode, but definitely doable. The trick is to use multiple origins and it’s not really rotary cutting, but you can relatively easily mill from different sides.
That is another way to skin that cat, but the advertising sold it as a doable cut out of the box, and not having to do crazy wizard spells to accomplish it. This is more where I feel it is misleading advertising on Snapmaker part.
It should be possible to multipass with different bits, the point is that you have to set the bit to the exactly same height like the bit before, this was to set the work origin.
I think about a cube on a defined z-position.
From this point, carve the first pass with a bigger bit and make a rougth surface with less work steps like a v-carve bit.
After the big bit, it should be possible to do big z-height steps for the fine finish with the carving bit.
To avoid having to measure the length of the bit every time you change it, you can use the following tools.
Is perhaps at the beginning a little more effort to measure all bits, but then you have in any case all bits at the same height!
I did a small write-up of my Fusion experiments with the rotary module so far:
I was hoping it would have been more of a success story, but I needed to document it so I wouldn’t forget it myself either, so I decided to make it a post
(and I think it deserved its own topic)
For all the Rhino Users out there: I am currently working on some Grasshopper Definitions to create GCODE for 3 axis Milling. Like real milling based on a 3D model and blank object.
It will feature a rough pass using flat end bits and a smoothing pass using ball end bits.
The next thing will be a definition to create GCODE for the rotary module.
So watch out tor that, i’ll create a new thread once i’m done with something i have tested myself first!
I have been looking at doing a carving of a statue similar to those in the picture at top. Even when using the “linkage” setting the simulated image is exactly the same where there is no gaps between the legs or the arms and the body. How is this achieved or do I need a better software than Luban?
