CNC Mountain Range
I taught myself how to CNC and a topographic mountain range seemed like a fun way to challenge myself to improve my skills.
Skills - CAM, CNC Milling
A short timelapse
I also decided to make a timelapse of this project after seeing all the online videos of CNC time-lapses while teaching myself how to CNC. The machining was done on a Tormach PCNC 440 and took me about 6 hours (this could have been way more efficient, I know).
Doing a test run
Before machining the final project out of aluminum, I did a trial run using a block of machining foam. I wanted to test out the toolpaths and resolution before doing the final version, the result is the image you see here.
Writing some toolpaths
The CAM for this project consisted of 3 operations. First squaring the stock using a single tooth flycutter, second a roughing pass using a 1/4” endmill to remove most of the material, and third a finishing pass with a 1/8” endmill.
And its done!
There are still some layer lines that could be smoothed with a sandblaster, but I left them to give it that true topographic look. This project taught me a lot and made me a lot more comfortable with different CNC operations