Tools/boxford/induction
Some of the tools at the Hackspace are potentially hazardous to use, for these tools members are required to have an induction before they can use them. Inductions provide the most basic information on how to safely and effectively use the simpler functions of the tools, we appreciate that some members may have professional experience on some of these tools and in this case please tell your induction provider and the induction may be very reduced and just cover any risks or procedures specific to rLab. Some tools have multiple levels of induction in order to cover more advanced uses of that tool without making the basic induction take too long, higher induction levels will introduce some of the more advanced features of the tools but as with all inductions are only intended to provide basic information on the capabilities of the tools and how to use them safely. Some members of rLab may be willing to offer more detailed tuition beyond basic induction level or offer guided practice sessions in exchange for beer money or assistance on their own projects.
For all tools you are only required to take level-1 induction before use, after that you may perform any task that you feel confident you can do safely, higher levels of induction may be useful to you in performing more advanced operations but are not required before doing tasks covered in them so long as you're confident of your ability to handle those tasks without risk to yourself, others, or the tool.
PLEASE NOTE : All induction providers are volunteers who are providing inductions to the best of their ability but are NOT qualified instructors. Inductions are provided on a best-effort basis but you and you alone are responsible for your safety while using the tools and for satisfying yourself that you can operate the tools safely. There are professional training courses available from various providers in Reading and the surrounding area if you feel they are appropriate for the level of work you intend to undertake. Reading these notes is NOT a substitute for an in-person induction.
Note for wiki editors : Please do not edit induction pages unless you are one of of the people that gives that induction
Types of induction
The Boxford induction is offered in 3 varients
| Type | For? | Covers | Duration | Cost | Toolkit included? | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxford Workshop | People with no prior experience of milling or large CNC tools | Principles of milling, CNC programming, Workflows, Tool and work setups, Safety proceedures, Generating and running G-code, Shutdown and cleanup | 3hr classroom session, 2hr workshop session | Approx £40 | Yes |
|
| Full Induction | People who've used milling machines before but not skilled at CNC | 1hr Classroom session, 2hr Workshop session | £40 | Yes |
| |
| Mini-Induction | People with extensive prior experience of CNC milling and Fusion360 | 1hr workshop session | £20 | No |
|
- Full induction - This is for people who've no experience with milling machines or CNC and want to be shown how to use the boxford from scratch
- Small induction - For people who've used manual milling machines before and are already familiar with the basics of milling
- Minimal induction - For people with prior experience of CNC milling systems and Fusion360 and who only require the induction to cover the specifics of our machine
Induction Process
Induction for this tool is still being developed, at the moment the plan is to divide induction into 2 sessions. The first session will be classroom based and will cover how to design objects so that the Boxford can make them, and how to set up the CAM module in Fusion360 to generate code that the Boxford can run. The second session will be 1-on-1 and will be based downstairs and will cover actually operating the Boxford. There is going to be a charge for induction as the lab does not provide milling tools as a routine consumable. This is because it's easy for a clumsy operator to get through £200 of broken tools in an afternoon and that wouldn't be fair on other members. The cost is currently estimated to be around £30-£60 and will include some metal stock and a basic set of tools sufficient for most standard milling operations.
Limitations
This induction will take a user through the process of defining an example tool path, checking it looks OK, and the safe operation of the Boxford to run the program. This induction will not cover designing an object, or the more advanced tool path options that Fusion360 can generate. It is considered a starting point for the user to be able to go learn more about the topic without putting the Boxford or other rLab users at risk.
Requirements
Before you can take this induction you have to meet certain requirements. This is unusual for inductions at rLab as most do not have any prerequisites and are open to anyone. We've decided on this unusual course as the Boxford is considerably more difficult to use than most other tools in the space and requires a considerably greater knowledge of the process in order to get started. It's not something you can just walk up to and start work. At the moment the only workflow we have for the Boxford requires the use of AutoDesk Fusion360; there is a plan to add FreeCAD support in future but that may take quite some time. We will not be offering general tuition in the use of Fusion360 as part of this induction - we'll only be covering the detail of the manufacturing module but if you would like general help with Fusion then a number of our members are experts with it and are usually willing to teach. It is also going to be a requirement that you've had 3D printer induction and successfully designed something from scratch and printed it out. This is because quite a few of the skills and ways of thinking about manufacturing do carry across between 3D processes so making sure you are able to think and work in this way will save a lot of time later. You will also benefit significantly from having worked on a manual machine tool previously as in a lathe or mill.
Before you start
If you'd like to take the induction for the Boxford then the requirements before we start are :
- Basic familiarity with Fusion360 and an AutoDesk account. You don't need to be an expert user but you need to be able to do basic designs and navigate around the Fusion interface without help.
- Have designed something in Fusion360 from scratch, without importing any geometry or using the Mesh work-space as both of these can create issues for CNC operations.
- Have a laptop capable of running Fusion360
- Been inducted on the rLab 3D printer and successfully used it to print a design of your own making.
- Be able to use the compressor
- Pay an induction fee of £30-£60(tbd) which covers all costs of the induction as well as providing the material for your test piece and a basic set of tools.