How to make a stencil?

[Rob B]

I have been ask if we can duplicate a stencil for a local company. The stencil marks the name on a piece of hard plastic that is very small. The text for the stencil is .1875 in height and some of the spacing is only .012 wide. The outside of the letters are tapered about 3-5°. Remember the letters are protruding upward in order for the stencil to work. This means I will have to cut around the outside of the letters and leave a small flat at the top of each letter. Also, the wording has the letters "N" "O" "P" & "A" in it. As for the "N" when you get closer to intersecting lines, it appears there cutter has begun to retract as it gets closer to the intersection of the vertical and angled lines. I will try to upload picture shortly.

 

My question is how is this done. I have never made a small stencil. I don't know if they make tipped small tapped end mill.

Thanks

Robert

[crazy^millman]

Look at Harvey Tool and have one of there engraving tools ground to the angle you are looking for. Then you can come back with a .01 endmill to match as close as you can to the corners. It will be fine for what you are doing. I have taken .005 endmills and done detail lettering on Prototypes for people. Not that bad to use just do .002 depth and .0005 per rev feed rates and all should be good.

 

HTH

[ERIC14779]

You would have to use tapered cutters and be able to produce code that retracts Z in the "crotch" of the N A and P.

 

We have software called Enroute that does this.. It is sign making software.... I think Mastercam Art can produce this type of code....

 

or you may have to do a surfacing toolpath with a "pointed" tapered cutter....

 

JM2C..

[John Summers]

If you don't have ART, ROLLDIE.DLL will retract in the corners.

[3rdstring]

I would cut the letters into a piece of graphite & then EDM the stencil.

 

M2C

[K10LT1]

how would you use rolldie?

[John Summers]

When you use ROLLDIE, you must have a tapered cutter if you want to lift in the corners. You can use a point diameter of .001, and whatever cutter angle. Select geometry just like contour milling. Do NOT select ROTARY AXIS.

In the ROLLDIE parameters, select

CORNERS - SQ

MISC - 3 axis toolpath

PREROLLED - NO

ROLLDIE is a c-hook (ALT-C)

[K10LT1]

Kick a** thanks

[Rob B]

Need some help with fonts. I have decided to engrave a piece of graphite, then sink letters into my stencil. The problem now is the type of font that the customer wants engraved. They want me to use "English 111 Vivace BT". I can change font style ,but it needs to be close the above mentioned. They want a fancy style lettering. The problem is I want a single "stick" instead the double lines that is produced. I want to program with cutter comp off. This is very small letters(.1875 in height)cut .03 deep in graphite. The tool I'm using is .015 tip diam. with 10º taper. Can someone tell me how to change this to a stick type letter or a different font that uses stick type letters.

Thanks

Robert

[Ocean Lacky™]

use Offset and move it over half the width.

[Rob B]

That sounds easy, but look at the font. it is always changing width. Seems to me there should be a easier way to do this without having to do a bunch of offset and trimming. Even if I do offset and trim it still want flow from entity to entity smoothly. Here is a look at what I'm trying engrave.

 

[Ocean Lacky™]

I'm thinking, a 2D pocket toolpath is what you're going to have to do.

[Ocean Lacky™]

either that, or create surfaces and machine to those.

[Rob B]

I tried pocket but the cutter wouldn't go through some of the line gaps.