Completely New - Flat Pack Furniture

Good evening all,

Firstly what a great forum with a huge amount of info.

My name's Paul and I'm looking for a bit of help on which cnc router machine to buy for manufacturing camper van furniture. I've done many conversions and I'd like to move things on further.

I've done as much research as I can but figured it's best to ask the experts before I commit to something.

So my budget is up to 13k plus vat. The pre laminated wood sheets I'm working with are 2500 x 1220 x 15 and one of my main requirements would be not to have to cut these down.

I've looked at a few machines to date but really not sure what is best for me. From the UK I contacted bionica systems which have a machine at 13k plus vat without any vacuum extraction. The model that will be large enough to work with the above sheet size is the F105. Below is a link

http://www.bionicasystems.com/supermill-freestanding.php

Having read a fair bit on here, I see many are using Chinese machines, in particular the Quick CNC k1325. It seems many have delt with Taney Tang so I sent an email onky to find out he has now moved on from quick cnc and can offer alternative to the K1325. The machine suggested was the yishun ys1325.

I must be honest I'm not sure if these are over or under spec'ed for 2d router work? Is there any other options I should be considering? I do have some plans to do some sign making work also so that may have to be taken into consideration perhaps...

One last question is I'll need to learn the design package, I've worked with alot of software offshore so hopfully with time I can pick it up fairly well, however which package should I put my efforts into to successfully design the furniture to be cut on the CNC router.

Any help is much appreciated and I look forward to hearing you guys feedback.

Many thanks
Paul

That machine looks a bit flimsy at larger sizes.

Given you want to work with full sheets, the machine will need to be a tad over-size. Consider the weight bearing capacity. If you have not used CNC before, when you start, the first realisation things that occur are along the lines of wow!, and why didn't I start using this CNC stuff before? Having said that, do not undersell yourself on what you think you need.

In addition to the machine, you'll need some tooling. Perhaps vacuum holding and dust collection, jigs and various other stuff. Many of these can be made on the machine but they take time and effort so consider this as part of your time/availability budget too. Also, you'll probably be drilling lots of holes? If so you will want full control over spindle speed so a good VFD spindle with the right CNC controls.

Think about expansion and the future use you might be able to get when you get familiar.

Sign making needs some fairly close/consistent tolerances WRT DoC to get good results for engraving/etching, especially if using composite materials.

There are software products out there that address sheet use/production (SheetCam comes to mind but never used it). Other products may be just as useful for your needs, some Opensource and some not. Lots of research for you to do, then perhaps ask more questions.

I'm sure you realise this, but products made from sheet material (flat-pack concept) are sort of like a jigsaw puzzle, so some simple 2.5D software may be adequate.

Have a look at a 2.5D software product called SImplyCam from MR-Soft Nc Software Tools - you can download and have a play with drawing stuff quickly and easily without a license (which is only about $50 anyway), but it would be ideal for the type of work you describe (I have no affiliation other than being a Customer).

Apologies if this raises more questions than answers...


Cheers,

HarryE.
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I must be honest I'm not sure if these are over or under spec'ed for 2d router work? Is there any other options I should be considering?

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For perspective, we use a $150,000 machine for our 2D cabinet parts.
IKEA use multi-million dollar equipment to cut and machine their flat pack furniture.

$13K is at the very low end of a machine of this size, and basically gets you a hobby grade machine. A chinese machine can get you a much more solid frame, but they can be hit or miss regarding quality. Many people buy them for the frame only, and replace a lot of the electronic components, and other work.

Basically, the more you spend, the faster the work gets done, and the better the finish quality will be.

For design, you could get away with Vectric's V Carve Pro. If you need 3D models of your furniture, then maybe Sketchup or Fusion 360. There are several options for importing Sketchup parts into V Carve Pro. Fusion 360 has it's own integrated CAM.

The sheet size quoted may be a bit of a problem.I have encountered a few odd sheets of that size over the years and while it can be handy to have a little more material to work with,it does put you outside the envelope of an 8'X4' machine.When you say you contacted the company and they quoted without vacuum extraction it confuses me a little-are we discussing vacuum hold down or chip extraction?

For design work you need to determine what level you would like to operate at once you get up and running.A lot of router controls will work from a .dxf file of the object you intend to cut out and these can be created very easily and even the free 2D packages like Libre Cad will generate a .dxf. If you are intending to get a bit more ambitious and model the item in 3D before extracting the shapes of the individual panels you need to move to a higher level.Lots of people are enthusiastic about Fusion360,I've never used it and know nothing about it.I wouldn't think you really need to go to the extent of Solid Works which I know is hugely capable.

Obviously you need to convert your panel shapes to the best format for using the sheet and keeping grain alignment where necessary.It may be that some of the individual pieces need rebates or holes and this goes beyond just cutting an outline.You might look at Turbocad or Rhino I suppose and then you need to decide on whether or not to look at CAM packages.Vectric do a few and if you look a bit further it might be that Meshcam would be useful.For myself I use Freecad since the name hints at the price and it deals with both creating panel shapes and generating toolpaths while having a post processor I can make use of.I won't sell it too hard as it isn't the most intuitive package.One thing you do need to be aware of is that the CAD/CAM field is not free from the sort of people who should be selling dodgy second hand cars-maybe they aren't all rogues but some are out there.Beware annual licences and maintenance fees as they soon add up.

Hello Paul,
I think you would be hard pressed to find a machine in the price range you quoted that would do what you need commercially. The investment and step up to a CNC router is a steep staircase. May I suggest that you look for a cabinet manufacturer near you and have them cut your parts for a while so you can learn the best approach to make your products. Perhaps they would work with you on how to best do your cutting. Yes it will be a bit more expensive than having your own machine and cutting parts yourself but you will not have made an investment in a machine you will regret later. When you learn more you will be better able to chose the correct machine for your product.
I wish you great success
Karel

Hi Paul
If you do go down the route of getting them made I have quite a few customers in the UK with routers that would be able to help you