MPCNC Needle Cutter 

Thanks!

The ESC controlling the motor has a built in BEC, which powers the servo tester. To power the ESC, I ran 12 V from the same power supply that powers my mpcnc (one of those $20 supposed "30 Amp" 12 V DC power supplies from Amazon)

Thanks! This is foamboard (aka foamcore). I could see it cutting polyethylene foam at a low travel speed. How thick is the PE foam are you hoping to cut?

I'm thinking carpet pad might be a little too dense for the needle cutter to handle, but I'm not too familiar with the material. I couldn't go over 10 mm/s without the needle dragging a bit in the foamboard. Also, getting it working and not flinging needles across the room or destroying the tiny bearings took some trial and error (eye protection is a must!). I had really good luck with a 1/8" upcut endmill running conventional milling in EVA foam. Might that work in carpet pad too? If you want to give it a try, look for dkj4linux in the V1 engineering forums: He made the original and has a ton of experience and thorough build logs. It's been a while since I've done this, but here's what I can remember from the parts list: 12VDC with an XT-60 connector 2S-4S ESC with built-in BEC with XT-60 connector A servo tester for getting a PWM signal to the ESC Generic brushless motor from a quadcopter or RC place

@@GeoffintheGarage thanks for the thoughtful reply. I'll give the end mill a try!

Thanks! It is! I have cleaned up the electronics so it's easier to swap between the laser and needle cutter. I am also adding a vacuum table to hold down foamboard for cutting without having to place weight on top of it. There will probably be a video of that later this weekend.

Cardboard might offer a little too much resistance to the needle. I think a drag knife would be better in this case.

​@@GeoffintheGarageUnderstood, thank you

There is a hole in a small piece of plywood attached it to the bottom of the mount. I screwed a welding tip into the hole to act as a guide and heatsink for the needle. The tip would get really hot, but the wood insulated it enough from the mount not to melt the plastic.

@GeoffintheGarage correct but I had the main issue when cutting eps foam. The eps woul melt at the needle and jam everything.

@@puchomoreno Ah, I see. I never tried cutting eps foam, so I’m not sure how to fix this. A hot wire cutter or hot knife tool might work better.