Hi all,
new user to the Shapeoko CNC which I use at a community Makerspace. Our Pro 5 unit has several upgrades so the profiles (feed rate, plunge rate, depth per pass) for the included router bits is often lower than it could be. Using the IDC app seems even more futile.
I wish that CC had different profiles for the different size spindles and/or any other upgrades that might affect feed rates.
again as a new user its one the more frustrating aspect in the learning curve. would be nice if CC has their own App!
The included feeds and speeds for a Shapeoko have to be reasonable for every model, from a Shapeoko 3 w/ belt-drive Z-axis, up through an SO5 Pro.
We have a bit on feeds and speeds at:
and @Julien has written:
The new/heavy duty model is the Shapeoko HDM and some folks have used those successfully on an SO5 Pro w/ a VFD spindle by reducing the Depth per Pass to half or so.
You are asking for a magic bullet that does not exist. C3D publishes conservative feeds and speeds to ensure the novice user can successfully operate them machine without harming the machine or person. Feeds and speeds depend completely on the material you’re using, one piece of walnut for example could be milled differently and of a different grain structure than another piece of walnut. The conservative feeds and speeds are to allow the user to learn the machine characteristics and then change the feeds and speeds as the user feels more comfortable.
I’m certainly not trying to give you a hard time, there is knowledge to be gained by using your machine with defaults and as you learn how it operates in different material and then you can adjust as needed. You can adjust the feed rate in Carbide Motion as you are cutting and hear the difference on the router or spindle to ensure your not overloading it. Use these adjusted values to set in your tool paths going forward.
And remember, you should still not exceed the manufactures feed and speeds.
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Not exceeding manufacturer’s feeds and speeds is mostly a consideration for tooling — usually, the recommendations there are for a heavy/industrial machine and are intended to allow the tool to work well w/ coolant (if in metal) or quite good dust collection and possibly an air blast to keep the tool cool (if in wood/plastic).
Note that there is a “Feed Rate Override” button, so one has a built-in adjustment for one of the variables, and once one is familiar with what a good/conservative cut sounds/feels like, that makes experimentation as easy as pressing a button.
Another set of feeds and speeds which may be of interest are those for our “El Ocho” line of tooling:
which since they are set up with an assumption that they will be used in a VFD have the potential for increased material removal rates.
The basics are:
- each machine has a given step dimension (1/40th of a millimeter for a belt-drive machine, correspondingly smaller dimensions for the axes/machines w/ lead/ball-screws)
- for a given RPM, the machine is turning the tool and presenting the cutting surfaces against the volume of surface which needs to be removed to travel the distance specified for a given time unit (multiplied by the number of flutes)
- at a given feed rate/distance moved per second/speed (RPM) with each presentation of the tool the machine will try to remove a chip of a specific size (chipload)
- it is the number and size of chips being removed in a given period of time which determines how much the rigidity of the machine and the torque of the spindle are being taxed given a specific material
There are tools for this, chipload calculators, unfortunately, the author of one, G-Wizard recently passed away, but he did author a pair of guest blog posts:
https://carbide3d.com/blog/feed-and-speeds-part-1/
https://carbide3d.com/blog/feed-and-speeds-part-2/
which may be of interest.
When you select a tool for a toolpath you can change spindle speed, feed rate and depth of cut just for that tool path.
You can always adjust to feed rate in 10% increments in carbide motion.
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