File prep for CNC milling work (LOTS OF LAYERS!)

Rhino
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1

Hi! I am trying to stack layers of CNC milled MDF sheets to create such organic shape. And I would like to know about some knowhows on preparing the file.

The height of the piece ‘B’ is 1 meter long, and I will use 6mm MDF sheet. That means it’ll take about 166sheets. I’d like to know the efficient way of preparing the file for the CNC milling. My CNC working size is 1250x1250mm. And I’d like to fit the contours on a MDF sheet that’s about the size of CNC machine.

And, some of the very top surfaces I’d like to keep the height of it, meaning I’d like to make use of the CNC to egrave the depth of those top surfaces. Is there a way to separate those parts from the 2D contour files?

I’m a newbie in this so any entry tips will be an immense help!

Cheers!

Artboard 1
Artboard 11366×768 224 KB

Artboard 2
Artboard 21366×768 192 KB

2

This seems terribly inefficient compared to an additive method (3d printing).

Why would you want to do this in 6mm slices of MDF when you would need a registration method for the layers and then have to spend significant time sanding after assembly to remove the steps?

3

Umm, that’s going to be very heavy in MDF, like impractically, alarmingly, this-sounds-unsafe heavy.

4

Yeah, that too, if they were laminated prior to machining.

Although, I imagine the layers would be cut separately, rather than laminated together as a block, so you would not need a 5 axis machine.

5

Whether it’s machined in a block or laminated after it’s going to be so heavy as to struggle to hold itself together and to challenge whatever structure will be holding it up. I would do it out of foam.

6

I was thinking of shelling, so most of the inner area will be empty

7

Do you have any recommendation for a foam?
Dont need much detail as it is just a contour

8

Hi Kym,

How do you intend to join one layer to the next?
There would be some registration method from one layer to the next, maybe pins or a keyed shape?

If you are shelling this there would be very little surface area for gluing, so you would have to use a mechanical method in addition to glue for strength of connection as well as for registration, in my opinion.