Die Cutters

[David B]

Does anyone have experience of (or have they considered) die cutters such as the Silver Bullet or KNK Zing? They won't cut the thickness Paul Townsend & David Bigcheeseplant mention on the Dartmouth thread, or match a laser cutter for the range of work but could they be a cheaper, less fragile alternative for a lot of modelling needs?

There are lighter and cheaper ones (than those above) which will cut thinner material such as the Sillhouette Cameo which may be adequate for architectural pieces.

[David Knight]

There is a long thread in RMweb on the Silhouette Cameo cutter
http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index. ... eo-cutter/

HTH

David

[grovenor-2685]

There is a long thread in RMweb on the Silhouette Cameo cutter

Indeed and it convinced Ron Heggs to buy one.
Here is the result of his first use of it.
Regards
Keith

[Terry Bendall]

These machines are known as plotter/cutters and have been around for a long time. I briefly described them and other CNC machines in the last part of my article on machine tools which was in Scalefour News 168 (July 2010). They are fairly common in secondary schools in the UK so those with children of the right age may like to ask their offspring, or their teachers what can be done. A good school project!

This is a cheaper solution than a laser cutter but obviously limited on the thickness of material that can be cut.

Terry Bendall

[David B]

What make / type of these cutters are used in schools, Terry? Can you give an idea of the maximum thickness that can be dealt? I suppose this will vary from machine to machine depending on the pressure they can exert.

[jayell]

These machines are known as plotter/cutters and have been around for a long time. I briefly described them and other CNC machines in the last part of my article on machine tools which was in Scalefour News 168 (July 2010). They are fairly common in secondary schools in the UK so those with children of the right age may like to ask their offspring, or their teachers what can be done. A good school project!
Terry Bendall

I have several items I'd like to commission for production as a school project

1) outside framed pre-1910 GWR vans and toad
2) a station building like this which looks to be an ideal subject for a plotter/cutter

toller-drawing.jpg

and this pic gives an idea of the depth of the framing

toller(blue_pelican_flickr7.1974)old5.jpg

john

[Terry Bendall]

What make / type of these cutters are used in schools, Terry?

There are several David, but one of the most common are the Roland range sold in the UK by Techsoft UK see details on page 11 of S4News 168 and at http://www.techsoft.co.uk/ No idea off hand of the thickness they will cut but the company will tell you. Most of these things should be able to cope with 20 thou thick

a station building like this which looks to be an ideal subject for a plotter/cutter

plastic sheet or card

It could work John but the depth of the framing may need two overlays, depending on the thickness needed.

Terry Bendall

[jayell]

a station building like this which looks to be an ideal subject for a plotter/cutter

plastic sheet or card
It could work John but the depth of the framing may need two overlays, depending on the thickness needed.

Terry Bendall

I'd be happy with either material, but think I'd opt for plastic sheet given a choice.

I used that drawing, which printed out at almost the correct size for 4mm scale on my laser printer, to make a mockup of the building using fairly thick photo-mount board. That put me off using card as a building material as it happens but using several laser/plotter cut overlays, as was done with the bridge in that RMWeb link, would make all the difference whichever material was used.

I need to visit Totnes, where the station building was re-erected a few years ago, to get detailed measurements of the outer framing, the door and window frames and so on, then I'll need to re-learn how to use a CAD program in order to create a dxf file for the plotter to import.

john

[JFS]

Following Terry's article mentioning these cutters I got interested and have been following the RMWeb thread with interest. Looking at what Mike Trice and Ron Heggs have done, it looks to have possibilities. However, you do get what you pay for and the Silhouette machines are pretty flimsy and are stepper motor driven (so move in steps!) Hence, looking closely at the results, circles look more like hexagons!

I think an altogether better machine is this one;-

http://www.thymegraphics.co.uk/products.asp?cat=102

It is much more robust, is servo motor driven, will handle much greater thicknesses and has a wider range of tools available.

It also has the advantage that the people selling it in the UK are based about 2 miles from me!

Of course it is a lot more than twice the price, but ought not to be beyond the means of a club or an AG to buy on a collective basis - which, given the amount of use any individual might have for it (all that panelling still has to be stuck to a coach!) might be the best option.

Best wishes,

[Terry Bendall]

Of course it is a lot more than twice the price

As with anything else you get what you pay for. The higher price machines will be more robust and should give better results. Also think about maintenace and repairs should they be needed.

Terry Bendall