Back from the other side. Welcome @Scepterr!
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Think this is making sense. Looks like I need Diamond end mill and keep the chip load high with good feed per tooth to avoid heat.
Once I give it a go I will post my recipes and results back here.
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I’m sure you probably know but rigidity is everything for something like this… Try to have the entire deck, especially around the area you’ll be milling, clamped down pretty hard.
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@ducktaperules
For a one-off project will be way more practical to use a dremel and route the holes.
A diamond end mill is the way to go on the CNC, I never routed the trampa decks and the material I’m using is way more aggressive on the bits than the trampas.
Good luck.
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It’s a “one off” project but I need to modify the tip shape on both ends as well as running motor cables along the top of the deck, front and back.
Also need to do a batch of 5 decks so I feel like it will be worth the time to get it setup right on the CNC.
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I have cut this material with a jigsaw, it is extremely hard wearing on HSS, so the advice to use carbide tooling is a good one. Slow speeds & if you have coolant that would help any heat melting of the epoxy.
The material would appear to be a blend of basalt fiber.
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Tell me about, I was doing some wire channels on my Trampa deck and with about 1/8 of the milling done my bit is gone, completely rounded at the tip
Will see what Dremel has to offer on carbide bits
EDIT: I’ve found 3 options, any recommendations? From the cheapest to the more expensive
https://www.dremel.com/en_US/products/-/show-product/accessories/7123-diamond-wheel-point
https://www.dremel.com/en_US/products/-/show-product/tools/9901-tungsten-carbide-cutter
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Since asking my original question here i have had some success with cutting my deck.
After doing some reading I found that ideally the correct cutter for this type of material is a diamond pattern cutter like shown below.
this type of cutter allows for large amounts of material removal without causing tearing or de-lamination of the fibres.
The Setup
I used screws through the truck holes into some holes i drilled in the bed using the CNC, this ensures alignment with my CAD model.
Also remember to always wear a mask, glasses and avoid contact with this stuff. Its itchy as fuck.
I happened to find a 2mm diamond cutter in my box of random cutters. Whilst this is smaller than i would have liked its what i had so its what i used.
I read that ideally you want to keep the RPM fairly high with these types of cutters and keep a reasonable feed rate so that you don’t cause to much heat in one spot and melt the epoxy in the composite. Additionally your better off taking deeper cuts with smaller step-over so that you don’t cause unnecessary wear on the bottom tip of your tool.
The Recipe
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Roughing was done with an adaptive tool-path
** 2.75mm Depth of cut with 0.5mm fine step down
** 0.8 mm Optimal Load
** 2000 mm/min
** 0.5mm axial stock to leave
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Finishing was done with a parallel tool path
** 0.2mm step-over, both ways.
** 2000 mm/min
I adjusted the feedrate override and RPM till i found something that sounded like it was cutting well. I ended up running most of the program at around 80% speed and around 20k RPM.
The Cutting
This is after the second 2.75mm pass. Cutting into a £225 deck made of a material you’ve never worked with is incredibly stressful. kept the vacuum hose close to avoid to much itchy dust.
This is the whole process for one tip.
And a close up of the finishing pass. After this a light hand sanding was all that is needed to get this back to a good finish that matches the edges of the board.
The Result
Close up of the scalloped area shows the smooth finish. Shame trampa sent me such a scuffed deck as a starting point.
Overall really happy with the result, it turned out better than expected.
The Next Time
Whilst the tips are finished i still need to route the channels into the top surface to hide the cables. I think next time i will use an even larger depth of cut and shallower step-over. Additionally if i can get hold of a larger diameter (therefor more rigid) cutter i think i would be able to run these tool paths with a much higher material removal rate, either larger step over or higher feedrate.
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Its not a composite, its some plastic i think
I guess some wood end mill and a bit slower feedrate so it doesnt melt
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@ducktaperules nice findings, will see if I can find something similar locally
@Acido whatever it is it’s fibrous and abrasive, just this cut made resulted in this on a brand new bit
This is not true. the trampa deck is 100% a composite.
" The TRAMPA™ deck is made from a re-enforced glass and plastic thermo composite." - https://www.trampaboards.com/mountainboards-c-234.html
As far as im aware the the trampa deck uses a thermosetting pre-preg material that contains borosilicate glass fibers.
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Just used my column router, way easier, I can’t say if the bit suffered any wear, but I don’t care since it’s done, only the rear portion will be done on the dremel due to clearance
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I’ve never really considered routing the edge like that, it’s a great idea for wooden decks
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It’s more due to the location of the outlet on my battery box, in a wood one I think it would be a bit risky, right in the middle would be safer
Or maybe two smaller seperate channels?
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What are the latest designs for decks can anyone share some pictures?