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Announcements & Issues / Re: What happened to 'insert attachment' button?
« Last post by RussellT on November 12, 2025, 08:04:09 AM »I can see it. I checked, I can also see it on a new topic.
Russell
Russell
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New from Old / Re: Fitting Vee Guides to the Fanuc Tapecut Model M Wire EDM
« Last post by awemawson on November 12, 2025, 08:03:07 AM »Two more big boxes have just arrived but they are staying as is until the EDM is fully sorted.
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New from Old / Re: Fitting Vee Guides to the Fanuc Tapecut Model M Wire EDM
« Last post by AdeV on November 12, 2025, 06:16:25 AM »So I've bought a Bambu Labs P1S Combo - half of which arrived this morning
I know nothing about the Cetus (except it's a bed-slinger, IIRC, not a core-XY), so the Bambu is going to prove to be a world apart from it. In a good way.
IIRC, the "Combo" is shipped with the AMS unit inside the printer, so it's probably all arrived, not just half of it...
I struggled to justify the price of a Bambu (plus they'd just recently announced that they were going closed-shop with their software, and that if you wanted to use all the features of the printer you had to use their online services), so I went for a Qidi Plus 4 instead. Superb machine, and now I have their equivalent of an AMS, I can do most things a Bambu can do - also slightly bigger, although the Qidi experience isn't as polished as the Bambu one...
It replaced an Ender 3, and it's just so much better I actually threw the Ender away!
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Project Logs / Re: Titivating a Wire EDM Machine
« Last post by AdeV on November 12, 2025, 06:13:14 AM »My spark eroder is of the falling electrode style, so the best I could do would be to etch your initials into the file...
QQ Andrew - how is the stock material held in your wire eroder? Does it rest on a mesh, a bit like a plasma cutter, or is it clamped at the edges, or something else? Reason I ask; I was wondering if it would be able to cut really small parts (say 70mm long, 4mm wide, 1mm thick stainless steel)?
QQ Andrew - how is the stock material held in your wire eroder? Does it rest on a mesh, a bit like a plasma cutter, or is it clamped at the edges, or something else? Reason I ask; I was wondering if it would be able to cut really small parts (say 70mm long, 4mm wide, 1mm thick stainless steel)?
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Announcements & Issues / What happened to 'insert attachment' button?
« Last post by sorveltaja on November 11, 2025, 06:36:06 PM »I was about to post a new topic, but couldn't attach images to it. I've tried it with Waterfox and Firefox, same result with both.
I wonder is it on my end, or has something changed, like forum software update or something like that?
I wonder is it on my end, or has something changed, like forum software update or something like that?
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Project Logs / Re: Titivating a Wire EDM Machine
« Last post by awemawson on November 11, 2025, 04:48:17 PM »This is getting surreal Steve !
I bet that you didn?t know that Wormwood Scrubs was emptied of convicts during WW2 and was used as a base for MI5 for Military Intelligence purposes.
I bet that you didn?t know that Wormwood Scrubs was emptied of convicts during WW2 and was used as a base for MI5 for Military Intelligence purposes.
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Project Logs / Re: Titivating a Wire EDM Machine
« Last post by vtsteam on November 11, 2025, 04:27:19 PM »How about cutting a file into three layers and assembling a birthday cake out of them?
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New from Old / Re: Fitting Vee Guides to the Fanuc Tapecut Model M Wire EDM
« Last post by awemawson on November 11, 2025, 10:40:54 AM »Today I hot pressed the M4 screw sockets into the 99% solid PetG 3D printed guide mount using a soldering iron, and then went ahead and mounted up the new Vee guide assemblies.
Doing a trial threading of the wire it was very obvious that the wire was not vertical - heart sinking moment
But then I thought - hang on the upper mount can be controlled to set the wire to the angle you want - is in the range of movement - yes very easily. I set it vertical to my eye with very minimal movement of the U and V slides (X & Y axis for the top of the wire). So one of my measurements of the lower mounting block is obviously slightly out, but it looks like not worth re-printing as it can be adjusted out.
So once I'd wired up the contact blocks (upper and lower) and made a couple of plumbing connectors for the de-ionised water I gave it a 'powered up' run and nothing went bang
Now I need to read up on using the verticallity jig to re-set the wire dead nuts on (theoretically simple - the jig has upper and lower neons that light up when the wire touches them - I've done it before but its a good ten years ago.
Meanwhile a distraction arrived. All this 3D printing reminded me that although my Cetus 3D printer has given (and is still giving) sterling service I'd always intended to upgrade to a totally enclosed machine to keep out the workshop draughts and dust. So I've bought a Bambu Labs P1S Combo - half of which arrived this morning - but I'm being very good and not touching it until I've finished the Fanuc Tapcut Wire EDM.
Doing a trial threading of the wire it was very obvious that the wire was not vertical - heart sinking moment
But then I thought - hang on the upper mount can be controlled to set the wire to the angle you want - is in the range of movement - yes very easily. I set it vertical to my eye with very minimal movement of the U and V slides (X & Y axis for the top of the wire). So one of my measurements of the lower mounting block is obviously slightly out, but it looks like not worth re-printing as it can be adjusted out.So once I'd wired up the contact blocks (upper and lower) and made a couple of plumbing connectors for the de-ionised water I gave it a 'powered up' run and nothing went bang
Now I need to read up on using the verticallity jig to re-set the wire dead nuts on (theoretically simple - the jig has upper and lower neons that light up when the wire touches them - I've done it before but its a good ten years ago.
Meanwhile a distraction arrived. All this 3D printing reminded me that although my Cetus 3D printer has given (and is still giving) sterling service I'd always intended to upgrade to a totally enclosed machine to keep out the workshop draughts and dust. So I've bought a Bambu Labs P1S Combo - half of which arrived this morning - but I'm being very good and not touching it until I've finished the Fanuc Tapcut Wire EDM.
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PowerSports / Re: Ebike trike conversion
« Last post by BillTodd on November 10, 2025, 10:25:56 AM »Bike now sold so project shelved
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New from Old / Re: Fitting Vee Guides to the Fanuc Tapecut Model M Wire EDM
« Last post by awemawson on November 09, 2025, 10:22:42 AM »Removing the upper guide assembly was just a case of removing four bolts along with the water feed and electrical connections. It is surrounded by two stainless steel splash guards that keep the upper 'U&V' servo drives dry - they were FILTHY !
Mounted on this assembly is the redundant 'wire cutter'. When made this machine had automatic threading of the wire (sheer luxury) but it was so unreliable it was removed apart from the cutter.
Had enough today - back tomorrow for more fun.
Mounted on this assembly is the redundant 'wire cutter'. When made this machine had automatic threading of the wire (sheer luxury) but it was so unreliable it was removed apart from the cutter.
Had enough today - back tomorrow for more fun.