Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff
Cheap CNC Machine to Cut Front Panels?
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RCHRDM:
Cutting square or rectangular holes in plastic project boxes for LCDs and other items is not easy to do neatly.

Has anyone tried using a cheap milling machine such as this one for cutting these openings?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07169D9JQ/?coliid=I3D6B58EHVQUJE&colid=1J8Z8WV7SG33J&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Richard
jmelson:

--- Quote from: RCHRDM on September 11, 2018, 05:45:28 pm ---Cutting square or rectangular holes in plastic project boxes for LCDs and other items is not easy to do neatly.

Has anyone tried using a cheap milling machine such as this one for cutting these openings?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07169D9JQ/?coliid=I3D6B58EHVQUJE&colid=1J8Z8WV7SG33J&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Richard

--- End quote ---
Well, the first thing to know is that you cannot get sharp internal corners with milling!  You will get an internal radius that is no smaller than the radius of the cutting tool.  The machine doesn't look TOO BAD, but the spindle looks quite flimsy, and may deflect a lot, even in plastic.

Jon
rstofer:
You can always rough cut the rectangular openings and then do the final trim with a smaller diameter bit.
The motor is fairly high RPM and this is a good thing when cutting plastic.
I don't imagine it will hold very tight tolerances but it will probably be good enough for panels.
Benta:
Great for Balsa wood, and that's it.
Concerning motor speed: no, high speed is not good for plastic, it makes it melt. What you need is a sharp milling tool at moderate speed with a relatively thick chip. This mandates a machine that's sturdier than this one.
t1d:
One trick for electronic panels is to create the panel as a PCB and have a cheap board house make it for you. There are many advantages, as you can imagine. Generally, you create a board with no copper. But, sometimes, for designs needing RF isolation, etc., you might use a copper plane/pour and connect it to the shield. Drilled holes are precise, in location and diameter. Labeling is done, via the silkscreen. Bitmap graphics can be added. YouTube has some videos...

Video #1. And others?
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pcb+front+panel
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