Acrylic Tiger LED Light CNC Hole Project using Amana Tool® Solid Carbide Spiral 'O' Flute Router Bits
For Your Safety
- The methods illustrated here are only intended for use with a CNC machine.
- Make certain that the workpiece is secured and that all components of the fixture are securely fastened to the table.
- Use a guard, eye and hearing protection at all times.
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Watch as we create this “Eye of the Tiger” design in 1/8” thick acrylic (plastic) using Amana Tool® industrial solid carbide spiral ‘O’ flute CNC router bits, specifically designed for creating plastic signs, displays and much more.
We purchased the tiger image from a stock photography website. The software used to generate the tiger image was a combination of Rhinoceros 5.0 (NURBS modeler) and a plug-in called Grasshopper (a parametric modeler). A grid of points (representing the circle center points) was overlaid on the image. A custom script was written which analyzes the greyscale value of the pixel located at each grid point and we used the greyscale value to control a circle radius that the CNC followed.
The 24” x 36” black acrylic sheet is secured to the ShopSabre 4896 CNC machine using 3M double-sided tape. Hundreds of 1/16” and 1/8” diameter holes are cut using Amana Tool’s CNC router bits to reveal the pattern of the Tiger’s head and shoulders. Once cut, the plastic sheet is placed face down and bright green 3M Scotch graphic film is secured over the eyes of the tiger. Bright orange graphic film covers the remaining face of the tiger.
We used a black frame LED light box which contains 100’s of LED lights to frame and backlight the Eye of the Tiger art piece for illuminating results!
Feed, Speed & Step Down Technical Information:
1/16” Dia Solid Carbide Spiral ‘O’ Flute Plastic Cutting CNC Router Bit #51415
Feed Rate (IPM): 45”
Speed (RPM): 18,000
Surface Feet Per Minute (SFM) 600-1,000
Chip Load (Per Tooth): .002” - .004”
Step Down (Per Pass): 0.0625”
1/8” Dia Solid Carbide Spiral ‘O’ Flute Plastic Cutting CNC Router Bit #51416
Feed Rate (IPM): 120”
Speed (RPM): 18,000
Surface Feet Per Minute (SFM) 600-1,000
Chip Load (Per Tooth): .002” - .004”
Step Down (Per Pass): 0.125”
Acrylic Tiger LED Light CNC Hole Project using Amana Tool Solid Carbide Spiral 'O' Flute CNC Router Bits, by ToolsToday, Your Source for Industrial Cutting Tools
Acrylic sheet purchased from American Plastics Distributor in Columbus Ohio.
3M Scotch graphic film purchased from B.C.I. Imaging Supplies, www.bciimage.com
3M double-sided tape purchased from www.amazon.com
Thank you all for watching, be sure to stay tuned to the end for a special announcement! I hope you enjoyed seeing a behind the scenes look of what goes into making and filming a project. Please let me know your thoughts, questions or comments on this down below, and be sure to subscribe to the channel so you see all of our future videos; there's a lot more to come. I look forward to seeing you guys on the next one! Have a great day!
Tools Used in Video:
- Amana Tool 51415 SC Spiral O Single Flute, Plastic Cutting 1/16 D x 1/4 CH x 1/8 SHK x 2 Inch Long Up-Cut CNC Router Bit with Mirror Finish
- Amana Tool 51416 SC Spiral O Single Flute, Plastic Cutting 1/8 D x 1/4 CH x 1/4 SHK x 2 Inch Long Up-Cut CNC Router Bit with Mirror Finish