Re: CNC MILLING SCULPTURE/BUST

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "abramhatch"
<abramhatch@y...> wrote:

> If you have a good 3d image say from an expensive scanning machine,
> what kind of a cnc milling machine do you need to make a sculpture?

You cannot carve well from a 3D image. You need a 3D cad file. The
cad file has a 3D definition of the entire surface of the target.

With this data you can use a CAM program to create toolpaths and a
CNC program to command a CNC machine to carve the shape. The upper
left image on this page: http://www.imsrv.com/deskcnc/ shows a 3D
model of King Tut (the black triangles), upon which toolpaths have
been placed (in blue).

The machine required will vary depending on the size that you desire
to produce and what material you plan to use for the sculpture. If
you want to produce a lifesized statue of a human, in marble or
granite, a large sturdy (this means expensive) machine will be
required. If you want to produce bas relief faces embedded in wooden
plates, an inexpensive CNC router can be used.

Unless you are planning to cut in metal, you may not want to consider
a milling machine. Hobby class milling machines, up to and including
Bridgeport mills are for the most part much too slow for serious 3D
contouring in soft materials. Both the feed rates and the spindle
rotation are much too slow for effective cutting of wood or plastic
materials. This means that it may take days, not hours, to carve a
small but detailed bust, which will then still require extensive hand
finishing.

Fred Smith - IMService

$75 Spring software sale and discounts
http://www.cadcamcadcam.com/hobby