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Ideas for CNC Machined Parts

Nedreud

Nedreud

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Feb 12, 2013
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Aldershot, UK
I've recently obtained part-time access to a flat-bed CNC milling/engraving machine, similar to this but able to do a piece up to the size of a sheet of A2:

CNCMillingMachine.JPG

In about 3-6 months time I'll also have access to a larger machine that would be able to machine a new playfield (!), but in the meantime I'm wondering if there are any parts that folks find difficult to obtain that could be re-created on a machine like this? I'm generally thinking of bits that could be cut from flat sheets of either wood, steel, aluminium or plastic, rather than complex 3D parts.

For starters, I've looked at parts I need whilst restoring my Paragon. Simple stuff to start with like fibre or plastic flipper links:

GottliebFiberFlipperLink.jpg WilliamsTaperedFlipperLinks.jpg

Coin drop plates in stainless steel:

CoinDropPlate.jpg CoinDropBlankingPlate.jpg

Plastic protectors in Vivak (PETG) or Makrolon/Lexan (Polycarbonate):

SlingshotProtector.png

Lower-level clear playfield plastics:

ParagonSubPlasticWaterfall.jpg ParagonSubPlasticValleyOfDemons.jpg ParagonSubPlasticTreasureChamber.jpg

Any ideas greatly appreciated. If my home tinkering works out well I was thinking of making stuff to sell. The really obvious thing would be plastic protector sets for less well-known games not already available as I could just cut them to order (I'll definitely be doing Paragon and Vector), but I'm sure there are thousands of other things too...

Regards,

Peter
 
Custom plastic protectors? YES!

I'd buy those for any game that they are not already commercially available for. Got to protect those plastics, especially for the older games where the plastics are long since unavailable
 
lukewells said:
Custom plastic protectors? YES!

I'd buy those for any game that they are not already commercially available for. Got to protect those plastics, especially for the older games where the plastics are long since unavailable
Click to expand...
Hi Luke,

The first time would require a set of plastics for reference. How would you feel about providing yours (sent and returned via registered and insured courier, of course!) and getting them done at cost of materials and postage?

As I said I'll be doing PARAGON and VECTOR, and if I ask nicely I'm sure I could get scans of half a dozen others from a friend.
 
abaxas said:
Not sure a mini cnc will do steel and might even throw a wobbly on ali too :(
But it'll love plastic.
Click to expand...
It definitely does steel! It's beefier than the one shown above, I just popped that photo in as that's roughly what it looks like. It belongs to my next door neighbour. He's an audio engineer and he's set up his own business doing professional sound installations. As part of that he often has to install custom patch panels - steel plates that have sockets, lights and switches. He uses the CNC to cut the holes and engrave the labels. The CNC is very slow going through steel and he admits that it's only just up to the job, which is why he's getting a larger, more powerful setup. Currently it takes 6 passes to go through 3mm steel as it only mills 0.5mm deep at a time - and it's air-cooled so has to go slowly. A typical panel with 18-20 sockets takes around 4-6 hours, so he starts it up in the morning and leaves it to get on with it through the day. But the quality is superb!

Like you said though, through plastic it'll be like a hot knife through butter! ;)
 
"In about 3-6 months time I'll also have access to a larger machine that would be able to machine a new playfield (!)"

Nice!
 
dave said:
"In about 3-6 months time I'll also have access to a larger machine that would be able to machine a new playfield (!)"

Nice!
Click to expand...
Yeah! And you know where I'm going with that... ;)

I'm having a complete playfield overlay decal made from a NOS scan for my Paragon (the tester arrived last week) so I started to think about the process of stripping and preparing the playfield. But I'm a sentimental old fool and started to feel bad about destroying the original artwork. So my solution will be to attempt to make a whole new blank playfield. Luckily PARAGON only uses standard round inserts; no weirdo lightning bolts or arrows. If I **** it up I've only ruined a sheet of new plywood and if I get it right I can hang the original on the wall next to the machine.
 
"Luckily PARAGON only uses standard round inserts; no weirdo lightning bolts or arrows. If I **** it up I've only ruined a sheet of new plywood and if I get it right I can hang the original on the wall next to the machine."

Haha
Will it be difficult to make them kind of cuts then?
 
CNC is so accurate it would probably be just fine, but a circle is an easy pre-defined shape, just place the centre point and set diameter. Anything else is a custom shape. Easiest thing would be to put them in a flat-bed scanner then use edge-tracing to find the outline and convert to a vector. But there's always a subtle difference in the real world and I would definitely do plenty of test cuts and insert fittings before committing to a whole playfield! An insert should have a nice "interference" fit: neither too loose or too tight; snug with firm push or gentle tap without resorting to repeated hammering ;)
 
Nedreud said:
Hi Luke,

The first time would require a set of plastics for reference. How would you feel about providing yours (sent and returned via registered and insured courier, of course!) and getting them done at cost of materials and postage?

As I said I'll be doing PARAGON and VECTOR, and if I ask nicely I'm sure I could get scans of half a dozen others from a friend.
Click to expand...


Absolutely mate, sounds like a great deal!
 
lukewells said:
Absolutely mate, sounds like a great deal!
Click to expand...
Super! Just don't hold your breath... need to do some experiments first such as testing different plastics (Vivak, Lexan, Makrolon, etc) and different thicknesses (2mm, 3mm and maybe even 4mm). Because both PARAGON and VECTOR use those little rubber "acorn" nuts to hold on plastics I don't think I'll be able to use anything thicker than 2mm, but a friend has several DMDs that mostly use Nyloc nuts and seem to have more thread available, so should be able to road test 3mm too.

I also read some comments online from people using LED lighting for the GI that protectors have a very pleasing glow around the edges.
 
Nedreud said:
Super! Just don't hold your breath... need to do some experiments first such as testing different plastics (Vivak, Lexan, Makrolon, etc) and different thicknesses (2mm, 3mm and maybe even 4mm). Because both PARAGON and VECTOR use those little rubber "acorn" nuts to hold on plastics I don't think I'll be able to use anything thicker than 2mm, but a friend has several DMDs that mostly use Nyloc nuts and seem to have more thread available, so should be able to road test 3mm too.
Click to expand...

You could recess the hole around the mounting points which would let the acorns go in to catch the thread but you will still have thicker lexan or whatever. Or recess the underside so the lexan sits on top of the posts and goes down them abit (if that makes sense)

Cheers
Ian
 
Test sheet of 2mm Makrolon ordered today!

The system uses some sort of CAD package but I recall my friend saying you can pass in black and white images and it will mill out filled black areas. Basically I think it's pretty flexible and you can be as simple or clever as the time you're willing to invest. I just thought for starters I'd go for things that were pretty much 2D and just cut from flat sheets, hence my suggestion of obscure plastic protectors.
 
Save yourself a lot of hastle (re different plastics and thicknesses) and read up on CPR reproduction plastics.
 
CPR use PETG, but I didn't see any mention of thickness. PETG is great stuff - but it's not as tough (around 70% impact strength) as Polycarbonate. PETG is easier to work and can be heat vacuum-moulded, and is also slightly cheaper. For me though, in this application, i.e., living in an environment of constant bombardment high-velocity steel balls, Polycarbonate being tougher is better. Being easier to work isn't an advantage as we're simply cutting out flat shapes.

We'll see...

...but now I've started to research screen printing on to plastic... ;)
 
You might want to research UV printing too I think? I'm pretty sure that's how some of the repro plastics i've got have been done.

All sounds really interesting though - good luck with it :)
 
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