bit wear on corian

[wynpotter]

I've actually gotten farther along in understanding the CW system and how it works than I thought. It seems that the bits need to be as sharp as possible for the best results, so what type of life span do bits have,in a rough comparison for materials like corian doing lithopanes. This material seems to be about as tough on bits as one could get and hardwoods like cherry might be similar.
One of the other areas of my pottery is tile making and I'm looking at making masters out of some other material.
Are there other plastics beside acrylics, some thing that will mill easier but be useful for pressing into clay for tiles.
This machine will be a large expense so I'm looking at many income sources tied into what I'm already working with.
Thanks Wyndham

[DianMayfield]

In the tips and tricks section, there are a few unique approaches to using the machine. One that may apply to your tiles is this one for concrete forms :)
http://www.carvewright.com/concrete-casting/

As it is not as easy to find at the moment while they finish the redesign, here are the tips and tricks:
http://support.carvewright.com/tips-tricks-archive/

I think you will really enjoy exploring the different ways it will extend your current business. I encourage you to read all of the maintenance materials. To be happy with the machine, you will need to be comfortable doing a bit of tech work. And budget in for a dust collection system - not a shop vac, but the inexpensive ones from harbor freight work great. Keeping the sawdust contained is critical for a happy machine.

[CarverJerry]

One very important issue with milling plastics...make sure it is going to cut clean, meaning most plastics will melt and get stuck to the bit as well as sticking to itself. With the high speed of the CW a lot of heat is created. When ordering acrylic for lithopanes it is highly recommended to use "Cast" and not "Extruded" There is a lot of discussions about this on the forum here. I have machined (manually) using a bridgeport a lot of different materials, from lead to stainless steels and everything in between including plastics and nylons, even using lower bit speeds and coolants most plastics want to melt.
Just my 2¢ worth...good luck

[wynpotter]

Thanks to you both. I have a thought about the lithopanes using something entirely different. When a potter like myself makes a piece from clay, whether round or flat, it must be dried. After drying there is a first firing called bisque, which changes the clay to a semi hard stage at 1800 deg f. At the bisque stage, the pottery will absorb a glaze which is a water slurry, but the clay is weak,not the hard final firing that comes next.
At the bisque stage, if it were a flat tile, one could carve into the surface with some difficulty but never the less carve able.
This is where I think the CW could, with the correct bit,carve out a lithopane, then fire this to maturity(2300 deg f). Of course there would have to be a robust vacuum system for the dust. The other issue , which would have to be addressed might be chipping but if there were a fine grinding bit, somewhere in the 1/16 or 1/32 this might be an area that could be viable. I'm thinking also about pendant size cameo type images using this method.
I'd like some feedback on this as once again I maybe wandering off in far left field :)
Wyndham

[Dale]

Not sure how the bisque would carve but would it let light shine through it?

[wynpotter]

The original litho's were made with slip cast porcelain clay. Some porcelain clays fire to a translucent white at 2300 deg f.
Does anyone know if smaller bits for Dremel tools might fit in the CW chuck or is there an adapter?
Wyndham

[bergerud]

How about carbide burrs used with air grinders? They have 1/4" shanks.

Edit: there is an adapter - search ER11M adapter.

[wynpotter]

just looked at Grainger's site it looks like some of those should work fine if the shapes are compatible with CW software.
Wyndham

[kool69sporty]

Wyndham, currently stone-like materials are routinely carved or machined in industry, albeit not on the CW. I think the caveat to a successful carve with the CW on bisque will be that "robust vacuum system" you mention. But I just cringe thinking of the repercussions with open drives and open electronics. FWIW. Joe

[bergerud]

I would be willing to give it a try if I knew what to carve, I have a different DC system which would not have a problem with the dust.

(my Dust Cap http://forum.carvewright.com/showthread.php?18608-To-Carve-the-Dust-Cap&p=158744#post158744)

I have carved aluminum before with my CW and picked up all the dust.

[wynpotter]

Here's what I can do. I can make a couple of pieces of porcelain about 2in x 2in x3/8 in thick and bisque them. It will take several weeks to plan this and get it ready as well as a jpg image. You could make a small jig for it when you receive it and see if it cuts, I'll fire and post results.
I saw a vacuum system for another cutter that enclosed the cutting head. It looks as it was made from heavy clear flexible plastic and had a skirt that allowed the enclosure to trail back and forth as the cutting head moved. Because of the design of the CW it would have to be a bit different but isolating the vacuum area to a small area around the cutting head would keep the dust from migrating to other parts of the machine. Just a thought
Wyndham

[bergerud]

I saw a vacuum system for another cutter that enclosed the cutting head. It looks as it was made from heavy clear flexible plastic and had a skirt that allowed the enclosure to trail back and forth as the cutting head moved. Because of the design of the CW it would have to be a bit different but isolating the vacuum area to a small area around the cutting head would keep the dust from migrating to other parts of the machine. Just a thought
Wyndham

Did you follow my link?

[wynpotter]

Thanks, no I missed it as I ran in from one task , grabbed lunch and out again to another.
That looks like it will do the job.Just have to sell enough pots to start a new rabbit path, as if I don't have enough irons in the fire as it is. :)
Wyndham