Re: Commercial CNC vs. Homemade CNC Router

Out source.

I had some alum parts laser cut. it was a couple hundred parts, but
the cost was little more than the price of the metal locally.

http://www.jobshopshows.com/

I would first find who is within driving distance if your parts are
too big to ship, then prepare your FINISHED CAD drawings to send to
them ALL, machine, laser, water, punch, etc for quoting.

to get quotes, send a few requests out, then call and discuss with
each to find out what you left out, ask if you added some
requirement that drove up the price. in my case, I specified a neat
exotic aluminum. seems that only doubled the price and by changing
to a readily available version the price came in great. the hardness
I wanted was just .02 different so there was no compromise on my part.

they even bent my parts to my finished sizes.

then get quotes from them all.

be as specific as you can, material thickness, type, hardness,
coatings, bending radius of bends, etc.

when thinking of building, realize that your machine will be around
for a long time. the larger the more expensive. consider your
largest finished part, then consider a router that size. if you are
chopping up that 4x8 sheet into 6" x12" parts then you would find it
MUCH MUCH easier to make a stiff machine in the smaller size, much
easier to find e-bay parts, and find the accuracy is even easier to
obtain. it's easy to align a one foot section to within a tenth, but
aligning an 8 ft section is intensive.

Consider also that bending is another part, and that will throw off
your holes unless you bend exactly.

for home brew and rivets, I would suggest you use a smaller drill
(not much chance on that here) and then match the parts and finish
drill each pair of matching holes. do they make Cleco's in that tiny
of a size ?

Dave











--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "asennad <asenna@S...>"
<asenna@S...> wrote:

> I wish to produce parts for a watercraft that I am building. It

requires pr=

> ecisely dilled holes in thin aluminum sheet metal (.016 – .040) for

the purp=

> ose of riveting.
>
> I have been monitoring this forum for ideas on building my own CNC

router. =

> I would require a machine that would accept 4 x 8 feet sheets.
>
> I am looking for your honest, informed opinions. Should I consider

constru=

> cting my own CNC router or would I be better off outsourcing this

work. It s=

> trikes me that the construction of such a machine would take some

time and m=

> oney.
>
> What I wish to do is compare the costs of building a machine and

available =

> CNC services.
>
> Where can I get work done for me at reasonable prices? What about

commercia=

> l sign makers? Many advertise CNC systems, would that be a viable

low cost =

> solution?