Custom gaskets.....cut by CNC machine used for crafting. Anyone use one?

[Scooterbum]

Look up vinyl sign cutter.Much better machine and you can interface with a PC or Mac and use a variety of software programs to draw your gaskets.
Forget a scanner just use a digital camera. A lot faster and just put a ruler in the pic for size scaling.

Most machines will cut with up to 500 grams of down force. More then enough for gasket material.

 

[Walt41]

Anyone looker into the open source RepRap 3D printer? I keep coming back to it and thinking there is going to a future there for making obsolete parts, how cool will it be in a few years to just print up whatever we need?

 

[2stroked2smoke]

My mother used to own a scrapbook store and has one of them cricuts. I never thought about using it for gaskets. Great idea! I manage a NAPA store, so gasket material is easy to come by.

 

[Streblerm]

I hate to burst your bubble on the Cricut machine but I don't thing it would be useful for gaskets. My wife has one and uses it pretty regularly.

The first problem is going to be with the thickness and toughness of the gasket material. The cricut machine uses a needle to make a series of perforations to cut out shapes, just like a plotter. It is fairly lightweight though to make it inexpensive. Most gasket material is thicker and tougher than your typical construction paper. I suspect that it may not cut through most gasket material

Second, The machine is designed to run off of cartridges only. It doesn't work exactly like a printer. That is kind of the "scam" with them. The machine is fairly inexpensive but the cartridges are $40 a piece and proprietary to Cricut. There is some software called "design studio" but it more or less just takes fonts and pictures from the cartridges and lets you modify them slightly. It definitely isn't CAD. You can't just design something on your computer and cut it out. You need to start with a design from a cartridge first.

It is a good idea but would probably require something more like a "commercial" plotter to make it happen.

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

Anyone looker into the open source RepRap 3D printer? I keep coming back to it and thinking there is going to a future there for making obsolete parts, how cool will it be in a few years to just print up whatever we need?

Yes I've been to that site many times.....I have a 'start' on a machine. I haven't gotten very far.....(I'm not very good with electronics...I understand most of them...but putting them into practice is where I get lost) I stripped two identical inkjet printers. I have the X and Y kinda figured out..... I'm trying to get the controller cards to quite thinking like a printer and just be a stepper motor controller. It's been a while since I've had that project on the bench.

What stage are you in? Do you have any strengths (mechanical/electronics/computer)? I'm more on the mechanical side....I can work my way through some of the computer stuff.

I don't know how serviceable the parts would be from this machine since the part is built in layers and may not be strong enough. I think they'd be an excellent mold pattern....for say lost wax casting...

Thanks for the post!

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

Look up vinyl sign cutter.Much better machine and you can interface with a PC or Mac and use a variety of software programs to draw your gaskets.
Forget a scanner just use a digital camera. A lot faster and just put a ruler in the pic for size scaling.

Most machines will cut with up to 500 grams of down force. More then enough for gasket material.

What are your experiences that have brought you to these suggestions? I'm asking because I always try to be open minded to new/different ideas/techniques. It looks like you've done some vinyl cutting/designing.

I find with a scanner it's easier to get a straight on perspective. Digital cameras, at least with my experiences can skew a part.

Yes....a vinyl cutter probably would be better application....how much does a used one go for? I'm keeping the $$$ factor in mind here.

The software I use for designing the parts for the plasma cutter is was intended vinyl for design. I was just reworked for tool path layout.

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

I hate to burst your bubble on the Cricut machine but I don't thing it would be useful for gaskets. My wife has one and uses it pretty regularly.

The first problem is going to be with the thickness and toughness of the gasket material. The cricut machine uses a needle to make a series of perforations to cut out shapes, just like a plotter. It is fairly lightweight though to make it inexpensive. Most gasket material is thicker and tougher than your typical construction paper. I suspect that it may not cut through most gasket material

Second, The machine is designed to run off of cartridges only. It doesn't work exactly like a printer. That is kind of the "scam" with them. The machine is fairly inexpensive but the cartridges are $40 a piece and proprietary to Cricut. There is some software called "design studio" but it more or less just takes fonts and pictures from the cartridges and lets you modify them slightly. It definitely isn't CAD. You can't just design something on your computer and cut it out. You need to start with a design from a cartridge first.

It is a good idea but would probably require something more like a "commercial" plotter to make it happen.

Bubble is still intact! LoL! Thanks for the insight on that particular machine. Do you know the setup/function of other brands?

I know some of the machines can cut cardstock....kinda the same gauge as gasket material.

"You can't just design something on your computer and cut it out." That is in their current configuration...

If a gasket was cut out with little holes......it's still cut out....????

 

[Scooterbum]

What are your experiences that have brought you to these suggestions? I'm asking because I always try to be open minded to new/different ideas/techniques. It looks like you've done some vinyl cutting/designing.
About 12 years so far.I have a handful of cutters I run all day.Were a Ford Licensed company.

I find with a scanner it's easier to get a straight on perspective. Digital cameras, at least with my experiences can skew a part.
The newer high resoluton cameras work real good. Just keep a good distance away, then crop to your item.

Yes....a vinyl cutter probably would be better application....how much does a used one go for? I'm keeping the $$$ factor in mind here.
There relatively cheap. Just stay away from the cheap chinese crap that's out there.Go for a unit that uses servo control instead of stepper motors. A lot more accurate.Ebay is a good source for used machines.

The software I use for designing the parts for the plasma cutter is was intended vinyl for design. I was just reworked for tool path layout.
I use Corel Draw mainly or Adobe Illustrator, also have various sign programs like Flexi-Pro.They can be configured for virtually any kind of output.