What to purchase?

CNC Machines Shapeoko
1

I am looking at the Shapeoko 4 for machining polycarbonate up to 1/4 in and aluminum sheet maybe up to .050 in.

Would it be able to handle this? What all should I purchase in addition to the machine itself to do what I want and also accessories that would make life easier (mill accessories, bitsetter, etc.)?

2

Hello! Welcome to the forum!

First question, is this for fun or work? The Shapeoko 4 is capable of cutting both of those things but you may want to invest in some things depending on your budget and your answer to that question.

3

Yes, that sort of thing should be quite doable.

What else you need depends on what you wish to do and how you wish to approach it.

A BitSetter is good if you need to do parts which require multiple toolchanges

A BitZero is good if you need to set origin relative to rectangular stock

From the unofficial FAQ on the wiki:

  • eye and hearing protection: Safety Requirements - Carbide 3D
  • Additional assembly tools: Flush cut pliers (or scissors — fingernail clippers can also be used to cut a short zip tie with a nicely rounded edge), Needle nose pliers, Tape measure or ruler, Level, Pencil; possibly also Easy-peel masking tape, such as blue painter’s tape (nothing that leaves a residue behind), Adjustable wrench, Flashlight
  • a trim router (you can order with a machine, but Carbide 3D only has our Carbide Compact Router, but if you prefer you could get a Makita RT0701/0700, or if getting an SO3/XL/XXL w/ the 69mm spindle mount a DeWalt DWP611/D26200)
  • some endmills (one is included with the machine, but they’re consumables: Shapeoko Endmill Starter Pack – Carbide 3D ) If one is starting with just a 1/4" collet:
    • three 2-flute 1/4" straight endmills (such as the #201 endmills from Carbide 3D — one will be included with the machine, a pack of two will fill one out with: 1 for initial experimentation/roughing, 1 for finishing passes, and 1 spare — if cutting wood or plywood a downcut endmill such as the #251 is recommended.
    • two 2-flute 1/4" ball end endmills (such as the #202 endmills from Carbide 3D) — if one wishes to do 3D modeling or cut parts which have rounded profiles along the bottom (often a good idea in woodworking for increased strength)
    • two 90 degree V-bits such as the #301 from Carbide 3D — if one wishes to do V-carving or cut joints which use this angle
  • If you wish to do small-scale or precision work you may want a 1/8" precision collet (we sell one for the Carbide Compact Router (also works for the Makita): Precision Collets for Carbide Compact Router – Carbide 3D and is now bundled with units sold directly from Carbide 3D):
    • five 2-flute 1/8" straight endmills (such as the #102 endmills from Carbide 3D
    • two 2-flute 1/8" ball end endmills (such as the #101 .125" Ball Cutters from Carbide 3D)
    • two smaller straight endmills (say 2 mm or so) (such as the #112 0.0625" endmills from Carbide 3D)
  • Additions:
    • V-carving bits (say 30 and 60 degrees) — these are excellent if doing text
  • you should already have ​a place to set the machine up (the Shapeoko is more suited for use in a shop environment) — note that you’ll want to have access to the front and back of the machine so that you can feed material in from end and out the other if working with oversized material (you can process an entire 4x8 sheet by cutting it into thirds and feeding it incrementally into an XL or XXL — an SO3 would require 1/6ths). See: Torsion Box for Shapeoko XXL and Instructions
  • ​dust collection suited to the material which you are cutting (at least a shop vacuum — many of our customers rig up dust shoes and formal dust collection) — you’ll want to tie into existing dust collection if you have it — Carbide 3D offers Sweepy V1 – Carbide 3D which will fit many smaller shop vac / dust extractor hoses
  • ​workholding (some way to hold the material in place — we have a T-track and clamp kit: T-Track and Clamp Kit – Carbide 3D but many folks work up their own — we have a pair of tutorials: Hold Down Clamps - Carbide 3D and DIY Shapeoko Wasteboard - Carbide 3D)
  • calipers
  • pendant option of some sort
  • good quality square for assembly or positioning parts
  • tools to break stock down
  • tools to post-process stock (files, deburring tools, &c.)

​and of course, material and designs to cut. I recommend that folks start by drawing up a design (follow along in one of our tutorials: Tutorials - Carbide 3D and watch our videos: http://carbide3d.com/carbidecreate/video/ and read through: http://docs.carbide3d.com/assembly/carbidecreate/userguide/ ) and working up toolpaths all the way through 3D simulation — if that effort seems workable to you, you should be in a good place to get a machine.

4

It would be for work, but not full time. It’s making clamping fixtures for automated sewing machines, so we may be talking 10 hours a month. I.e. it’s not the primary money maker of the business, but it’s facilitating it.

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5

I’ve ran both a fair bit on my SOPro and SO4. Worked great. Most sheet aluminum comes in 5051 as it is generally bent, not machined. 6061 is much better to machine. But I’ve ran 5051 a couple of times. It’s gummy, but with a single flute endmill and a shallow depth of cut and fast feed rate, it still cut well.

I’ve also cut a fair bit of acrylic and polycarbonate. Cut nice with a single flute and same strategy as aluminum. Fast feed rates and a shallower depth of cut to reduce load.

6

Will gave a nice list of all the things to think about. I would add that some sort of enclosure may be necessary depending on the area it will go in. Chips tend to get everywhere.

7

Thanks everyone for the comments. It was very helpful for me to place my order. The community around shapeoko was the main reason I chose it.

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