MetalworkingFun Forum

I owe you another thanks Tom. The polycarbonate is way easier to machine and so much cleaner than the plexiglass. The chips seem to stay put and are easily vacuumed up, the plexiglass went everywhere. Now I have to backlight all these panels though?

I was wetting the chips with wd40 and didn't have any issue with melting


I roughed the surface with sandpaper, washed in soap and water and then painted with a spray can of paint intended for plastic. As long as this stuff engraves as well as it cuts I think we have a winner.


Shawn

Looks good Shawn. It sounds like there are some LED's in your future for the back lit panels. They work well because you can make up a piece of perf board to fit behind the panels and hot glue the LED's exactly where you need them.

Tom

That was the plan Tom but I am going to look at using led light strings to simplify the wiring.

Try saying " led light strings" 3 times fast.

I have three panels cut and painted but will give the paint a week to fully cure before trying to engrave. This panel won't be backlit so I was able to make it from aluminium and powder coat it. It's the first panel specifically for the helicopter side of the pit. The hydraulic switch will activate a couple of small linear actuators. These will be set up to clamp some friction rings. My hope is that I can somewhat realistically simulate the added force required to move the controls when you lose hydraulic assist.



Shawn

Autopilot panel prior to paint and engraving. I got some 1/8" single flute endmills in the mail the other day and they work great on the Lexan sheet. No WD40 and just the occasional blast of air to remove any chip buildup on the bit.




Shawn

Best knurling job yet . Turning to the right diameter sure helps.

Nice job Shawn,

DaveH

Thanks Dave, it's been a steep learning curve with the cnc mill. Everything I have done previously with regards to feed rates has been by feel, the engraving depth has taken some trial and error as well.



It's going to be one of those projects where by the time I'm done I'll want to do everything over again to get it right.

Shawn

Nice work Shawn. By the end you either be selling these for big bucks or being closed down by the local authorities!