The challenge for this project was to create a maze out of foam using the CNC router. There were certain parameters we had to follow regarding path size and wall thickness, but it was up to us beyond that. I chose to just create a simple rectangular maze, but I'm glad I did because it ended up being more difficult than I thought.
The first step when working in Inventor is, as always with these projects, to start a 2D sketch.
I created the base for my maze and extruded it.
Next I had to start creating the channels for the ball, which was very tedious. I made the mistake of doing too large of a chunk at first, so it was difficult to properly extrude. I also had to make sure that the channels were all the same, and that the wall thicknesses were the appropriate size.
Here is where I had to be very careful. I had to make sure that I capped off all open ends and missed spots so that it would extrude, and of course, it was difficult to see.
Next I extruded to cut away what I had done. This was a huge step forward in clearing up the canvas so I could see, but I wasn't sure why those few remaining dimensions were still hanging around, and I couldn't get them to leave.
Now that I made it easier to manage, I could go back to creating more paths.
I segmented it into smaller bits this time, I wouldn't have as much trouble as I did before.
I finished up the last I had to do, apparently with a very close up shot.
This is the final Inventor version.
Next I had to upload it to Fusion 360, which is the program we would use to load it into the router.
I outlined the paths so the router would know where to go. This part took me almost two days because it would not cooperate, and I didn't know why.
This part was insanely helpful. It showed you the path the router would take when you put it in the machine, and it would keep running through without routing all paths. I had to keep going back and fixing it, and when it finally routed everything I almost cried tears of joy.
I finally finished. The yellow around the maze in the first image is the entire stock that the maze would be cut from.
Next I checked for the proper settings of the router to make sure I wouldn't break it.
Next, I took my flash drive down to the router, and loaded my file. I set everything up, and ran the machine. It came a little close to the wood border, but it didn't hit anything major. This is the final product. It took a lot to get there, but it turned out alright.
What I learned from this project is that you will not be able to do everything by yourself. I was struggling a lot with Fusion 360, and I eventually reached a point where I was out of ideas and things I thought to try. I got help from Mrs. Proctor, and her help got me a lot farther than I would've been able to get on my own.