Marco Jonsson Project 4: Desktop CNC

Process:

For this project, I decided to keep things simple in order to make a desktop wallet and key pocket. As someone who always loses my keys since they fall off my desk and under my bed, I wanted a dedicated spot for my valuables.

I opted not to use the topographical feature from the tutorial as it would prevent keys from sitting flat inside the pocket cutout.

The process was relatively simple: I created a fusion file with a body made from a circle and a tangent rectangle (3 edges tangent, one edge as a diameter) as shown below. I then created an inner copy of this shape to make the inner border layer. 



I then extruded the shape upwards and added small fillets on the outer corners, and a large fillet on the inside to make a cup shape.



Then I added the tool paths. There were 3 tool paths I needed, one for the main roughing operations, and two for the chamfer cleanup and clearing the roughing gaps. I then sent each of these off to individual download files to run on. the StepCraft.
 
 

Result:

I was pretty happy with the final result. The cuts could maybe have been a bit smoother with a smaller roughing depth and more steps, as well as maybe a smaller round headed bit. The pocket bit was really good at clearing volume quickly. I was also pretty happy with the final size of the holder, as it fits my key-wallet pair pretty snugly. Unfortunately, one of the tool passes had a strange calibration issue meaning it didn't smooth out the surface as much as I would have wanted. One thing I would have changed would be to add a partition in the middle for the wallet and key separation, simply as an aesthetic choice.


Reflection:

I personally am not a fan of the StepCraft machines, since they are quite a bit more hands-on than the 3-D printers. And even though I enjoy working with materials directly like in the woodshop, I don't like the more finicky aspects of setting the parameters for the material. A LIDAR sensor for depth on a
CNC machine like what the Bambu Printers have would be game changing.

 

 

Comments

  1. Ryan HodgeApril 8, 2025 at 8:19 AM

    A lidar type system would be interesting. Before the bambu's we had an array of problems 3D printing. Not as challenging as CNC machining but not a print and walk away process easier. We do have a tool length calibrating probe on the StepCrafts but the issues you experienced are more tool pathing types (I think). CNC programming just takes experience and practice. That is until until AI takes it over. Even with all the issues, your tray came quit nice.

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