hello all im really new on cnc routers world.
from vinyl cutters to cnc routers i found myself in the middle.. vinyl c. i read can only cut really thin materials, and cnc routers
iv only see them work on wood/heavy materials/drilling.

my goal is cut cardboard cuz im an architecture student, so i would like 4example: work my 2D planimetry passing through a machine that cut windows,doors,contourns,etc so later i can join pieces and build 3d scaled model.

(to me sounds easiest that creating a 3d figure, dont know if is the same to the machine:( )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cardboar...tes_Labeled.jpg here a picture of material i would like cutting.
(specially "N" type).

i read on this forum a topic about cardboard,, but still having doubt cuz its really hard find info about this topic.
my budget is low, about $500 us...u think zenbot $499 form ebay can work for me??.

also.. i work on archicad,3dmax,sketchup,autocad,photoshop but no idea exporting to cnc router code, to hard?
to many lost in translation? to many time?.

if u have any video about cutting cardboard or cnc routers+ architecture it would be heaven to me:)))


thanks a lot!.

It's not too hard at all, unfortunately it can get expensive quickly. You need a "CAM" (Computer Aided Manufacturing) program. You'll import your 3D/2D drawing into the CAM program, then use the lines/geometry to create "toolpaths" that the machine will follow.

There's a few free ones out there, but they're apparently not very good (I've only played with them a little myself). If you're willing to pay for them, there's a few "low" cost ones (~$200). Check out www.vectric.com and www.grzsoftware.com, each have demos that you can try (I think MeshCAM even lets you export g-code with the demo, a rare feature). CAM programs can get insanely expensive. There's a bunch of choices in the $1000 range (www.mecsoft.com and www.dolphincadcamusa.com are a couple favorites). There also may be specialized CAM programs that have better tools for cutting paper/cardboard.

A few more threads for some more info...
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26705
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=27059
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=25903

thx a lot for fast reply. im guessing software shouldnt be a problem, hardware on the other side...
still dont know witch way go: router cnc+dremel $499 zenbot or vinyl plotter cutter..or any of those.

im constantly reading: "on cnc routers its hard and you get round corners" .. and "vinyl plotter cutters cant cut cardboard"
but dont know what to believe.

and its almost impossible get an image or video of cncrouter+ cardboard works. (googling,youtubing,etcetc).

Far from being an expert here, but a vinyl cutter uses a sharp blade that gets dragged to cut the vinyl. It won't have the downforce to cut through card, no way, without modification. That modding wold be very hard, since the entire machine would need upgrading, imo. It's like asking a plotter to do it.

A proper CNC machine would have no such issues. However you would have to find some sort of cutter to do what you want. A small router type bit will give you rounded corners, but only a few mm of rounding, tops. Basically, the larger the cutter diameter, the bigger the rounding you will see. For cardboard, I doubt that on a box you would see or even notice a few mm rounding, especially once folded. However, I know that a large part of the battle is the fold lines, and for these you need a rigid system that can press hard enough to produce a pressure line in the card without cutting it.

Sadly, I've never been to any of our box manufacturers to see what they use!