3D Milling

[chodges]

I own a sign company, and we were recently approached by a large firearms manufacturer to consider making wood pistol grips for them.

They have given us both a .dxf and an .igs drawing of their pistol grips.

Our CNC engraving machines don't have motorized Z axis, and our laser wouldn't work for producing these (except for checkering them).

I would REALLY appreciate some thoughts on how practical a ShopBot would be for this purpose: about how long would it take to machine both sides of a pistol grip, etc.

Thanks!

[harryball]

Check out Cut3D by Vectric.com

I don't see why it wouldn't be practical but I'm not heavy into 3D stuff and can't give you a time estimate. Perhaps someone else cuts something similar and can give you some ballpark estimates.

Robert

[ryan_slaback]

I have not tried this yet, but I have been thinking about doing a gun stock by making a wood rotary table for the bot. It would allow me to mill one profile and then flip it over without removing the stock (no change of offest) and machine the other side. Perhaps you could use the same idea.

[Brady Watson]

Charles,
I do 3D laser digitizing and I have several customers who I have done grips for...guns, bows, even automotive type shifter handles. I have in some cases cut the grips on my ShopBot and in most others, setup files for them to cut on theirs. A ShopBot has a motorized Z axis and will do what any other 3 axis CNC will. Any of the ShopBot models regardless of size will be equally up to the task of cutting grips.

As for time, it is hard to say without seeing the actual grip and knowing how much detail needs to be captured (EG are the handles 'waffle ironed' ?), how large the parts are and what material the parts will be cut from.

Nearly anything is doable...

-B

[zeykr]

Check www.gripus.com (http://www.gripus.com)
The fellow behind it posts either here or on vectric forum sometimes. Don't remember details for sure, but think he carves on a cnc (shopbot or ?) and decorates on a laser.

[kfitz]

This would be a piece of cake; since one side is flat, you only have to machine one side. Since I assume this will be high-volume production work, the software you use to produce your tool paths, and your fixturing/hold-down setup will be the two key factors in production rate.