Custom Cutting MDF On a CNC Router

CNC Router

The industry of interior design is growing with a high pace day by day. Thus, demands for better and new designs for increasing the aesthetics of the houses are becoming more and more. There are different factors which are essential for satisfying customers need in having beautiful livable facility. These factors include bedrooms, living rooms, kitchen etc. which can have effect on the human’s visual consciousness. However, these subjects cannot be singly effective. This means they need extra flavor and additional design in order to intensify the elegancy of a home. The characteristics of interior doors which are utilized for separating portions from each other, kitchen cabinet doors and other furniture are considered as the most important elements of the internal design.

Nowadays, wood and its substances products are very popular and widely used in giving the house a new breath. MDF is one of the materials which is extremely applicable for different interior projects. However, there are other products which can serve the cause with having the highest quality such as slab doors, flat panels and raised panels. These materials are mainly used for both kitchen cabinets and interior doors.

There are many types of furnishing products which can help the home builder to have more functionality and organizing system for equipment and cloths. These products are often made of wooden materials and include custom wall units, custom closets, custom kitchen cabinets etc. As it is obvious, having custom products is an essential factor for renovating a room or a house. MDF materials are perfect for producing this type of products due to their unique specifications. However, there are different methods for processing these materials. One on the methods which is very popular among the carpenters is using CNC routing machine for having custom cutting.

Steps of Custom cutting MDF on a CNC Router

Every manufacturing procedure which should be done on a specific material, requires knowledge and standards in order to have the best result with highest functionality. Most of the procedure in industry follow some predefined steps for producing a design or product. Followings are important steps to know before starting the custom cutting process.

Knowing and learning MDF material

First of all, the word MDF stands for Medium Density Fiberboard which is material with high affordability and versatility abilities. This material is an engineered wood product which can trump other materials in some cases due to its easy working specification. This substance does not have any knots, grains or warping and its smooth and flat surface allow the carpenter to cut it easily and quickly.

MDF is made of saw dust, shavings and other pieces of extra wood which are being dehydrated and then mixed with wax and resin in order to be formed as a board. These materials turn into compressed rigid boards with a hard shell after being under intense pressure and high heat. They have silky and smooth finish due to the last stage of manufacturing which is sanding these panels with giant machines.

MDF boards are generally darker brown and have the thickness of ½ inch or ¾ inch. If a board is marked or stamped with a blue or red marking, then it is considered as a fire resistant material. A green marker refers to moisture resistant characteristic.

There are many advantages which the fiber board brings with it. Working with these materials is as same as working with a natural wood. In fact, it is much easier to use CNC router on the MDF for custom cuttings and creating unique furniture. They are perfect material for small projects and applications such as bookcases and kitchen cabinets.

Having Information About The CNC Router Machine

CNC is short statement of Computer Numerical Control which is defined as a machine which has been incorporated into variety of manufacturing system and technologies. One of the most popular machines which is widely used in industry is the CNC router. It is a system which is very similar to handheld router which is utilized for cutting different materials. Greatest things about this machine is its accuracy, waste reduction, high pace and productivity.

CNC routers are extremely large in comparison to other cutting systems thus they can take a noticeable amount of space. However, many woodworkers prefer to use them for creating custom products. This machine works with numbers which are generated from the geographic coordinate of the placed MDF under the router which requires cutting and customizing. The CNC welding and cutting can create more accurate circles and squares in comparison to laser cut and it works for both 2D and 3D applications. These machines are also superior to other cutting systems when it comes to pocketing a material for a specific project.

Learning and Understanding Feed Rate, RPM and Chip Load

After knowing the basics of MDF material and the CNC routing machine, it is time to introduce the other important step which is understanding feed rate, RPM and chip load. The feed rate or cutting speed refers to the speed difference between the surface of the MDF which is being formed and the cutting tool. RPM is used for defining number of turns in period of on minute. Chip load is used to define the size of the produced chips during the cutting procedure. The goal is to reach the maximum load in order to increase productivity and reduce MDF and cutter heat and in addition prevent dulling. Typically, 18000 RPM is enough to have efficient cut of the material but the feed rate must be adjusted depending on the thickness of the product. Feed rate has a range of 7 to 11 m/min.

Top 4 MDF Cutting Softwares

MDF Cutting Softwares

In the world of carpentry, there are many tools that make the job easier. In the field of working with MDF and derivatives, it is imperative to observe the details and principles because both in terms of raw materials that are to be used, you will save, and you will have a beautiful and elegant final product that will be delivered jointly. To do the basics of working with MDF, you can get help from software, which has already been installed, and many software have been installed. In this article, we try to review MDF cutting softwares.

CutMaster 2D Pro

CutMaster is one of the most efficient MDF precision cutting software and shows the best MDF cutting modes.

This software is straightforward to work with and allows you to get the exact sizes of MDF quickly. For example, give the required value to CutMaster and then enter the dimensions we want to extract from MDF; now, with a short click, CutMaster shows us the best cutting modes.

It also provides other accurate statistics, and you can see different cutting MDF methods in the report section. No loss and no need for complicated calculations are one of the most critical features of this software.

CutMaster 2D software, due to importing information from drawing software such as CAD, CAM, has made it easy to import and use it in the software by designing in the main space such as AutoCAD.

CutMaster 2D Pro software uses various machines, including CNC, to allow users to cut accurately, ultimately, and optimally.

CutMaster 2D Pro Software Capabilities:

  • Accessible to use and environment
  • Very high accuracy in measurements
  • Provides several different modes in MDF cutting
  • Cost savings chart 
  • Save with all formats
  • Output in XML and DXF
  • Import XML and Excel files
  • Measured in feet, inches, meters
  • Possibility to adjust the thickness of the cutting blade
  • Preview patterns and reports of cutting
  • Rearrange before cutting manually

SmartCut pro

SmartCUT software is one of the software in the CutMaster family, but there are some differences between the two software; one of the leading and distinctive features of the Cut Master is that it allows you to select the cut’s priority. This means that in practice, you can choose the sizes in terms of length and width.

Selecting the automatic option will give the best cutting layout, simplifying the cutting and having the highest efficiency. Select the fast calculation option to finish with the least number of cuts.

Receive adjustable colour output that reduces cutting errors and dramatically increases the accuracy of the work.

Working with this software is simple and has no extraordinary complexity. With the help of this software, you can easily create your cutting designs.

SmartCut Pro Software Capabilities:

  • It has a unit of measurement of inches and feet
  • Easy import of panels via keyboard
  • Quick cut calculation in less than 10 seconds
  • Accurately calculate the panel size for the given parts list
  • Ribbon calculation
  • Design preview
  • Ability to save the design in various formats
  • Adjustable cutting blade

Sketch Cut pro (Fast Cutting)

The point to be considered in use is that this software automatically calculates the cutting of rectangular flat sheets with minimal waste.

This software is designed to cut materials such as chipboard, MDF, Plywood, HDF glass, plastic, and wood.

It is one of the most beneficial software for designing three-dimensional structures. It can be used to create wooden systems, decorations, cabinets, tables, and chairs.

Sketch Cut Pro Software Capabilities:

  • Select and change cutting parameters such as sheet size, blade thickness.
  • Ability to receive order information, materials, order date, order delivery time.
  • Automatic cutting of sheets according to selected parameters.
  • It has two different algorithms used to calculate and optimize the design and select the best cutting method.
  • Can do the automatic calculation for cutting length area, edge strip length.
  • You can download the results in a PDF file for printing.
  • Metric and Imperial unit systems with a simple conversion

CutList Plus fx

The fastest time can calculate the number of raw materials for the project and their price and cost accurately. Select the desired parts and then proceed to advanced cutting.

Increasing waste can sometimes lead to damage to a workshop or factory. To prevent the increase of such destruction, the powerful cutting software CutList Plus fx allows you to make more accurate cuts.

This software helps you significantly reduce losses in your products by determining the cutting lines more accurately.

CutList Plus fx Software Capabilities:

  • Rapid production of precision cutting sheets
  • Save time in producing cutting lines
  • Ability to use a variety of materials
  • Use metric units
  • Produce less waste
  • Report the number of materials used for each project
  • Adjustable on the international SI system
  • Compatible with various versions of the popular Microsoft Windows operating system

Introduction to specific CNC wood cutting

custom CNC cutting

Many of us may have wondered how these intricate, uniform designs were created in so many woods. These cuts and engravings are not done by hand, but with a machine. CNC is the initials for computer numerical control. This means that the design given to the device is itself converted by the device into a set of numbers to be readable by the device. Only then can CNC read this pre-written plan or program.

During the work, for example during cutting, the fully automatic and programmed CNC goes to specific points and geographical coordinates defined on the design. In fact, for every point on the design, there is a point on three linear axes in the three-dimensional world on the material, and each motion is defined within the framework of these three axes. As a result, a three-dimensional or two-dimensional design is advanced point-by-point by a CNC machine. In this case, there is no need for a machine operator to perform the work, although a supervisor controls the work. This program and design can either be written by one person or designed by a software

The previous form of this device was called NC or numerical control and was made in the 50s of the 20th century. In this way, a motor was designed to move the tool so that the movement of the tool was controlled by the motor force. But soon after, the engine was equipped with digital devices and became the modern-day CNC.

The CNC machine can be applied on various materials such as wood, metal, plastic, ceramic, glass, fabric and composite. Also, different types of this device have been made for different tasks with different elegance and precision. There are different machines for different metallic and non-metallic materials or different types of metals, and this difference is related to how they work and cut. For example, milling cutters, gas cutters, water cutters, plasma cutters, which differ in the type of nozzle; Or 3D printers are examples of CNC cutting machines.

Also, for materials such as wood, for example, types of carpentry, drilling, cutting, engraving and turning are defined, which depending on the amount of delicacy and volume of work, to perform each of these tasks, a type of machine, especially the best choice Is.

Proper CNC machines to wood: Router CNC

One of the common machines for cutting wood is CNC router machines. These types of devices do not require an operator and work automatically. These CNC machines are used for large pieces of wood. These types of CNCs also define the design in three axes for three-dimensional work. Of course, since the number of axes defined for the device is one of the characteristics of the device, there are also router CNCs, which are designed in 4, 5 and 6 axes

Laser CNC

CNC laser cutter or laser cutter are similar in size and configuration to router machines, except that the main cutting work in this machine is done by a powerful laser with a small width. The low width of the laser is the reason for the ability to execute small and delicate designs by this device. Obviously, since the various strength and thickness of each piece of wood, different powers can be adjusted for the CNC wood laser. Cutting wood with the laser CNC delivers a clean output with smooth edges, which makes product payments in later stages quite minor. Another advantage of laser cutting is that it does not produce sawdust when working with wood. For this reason, the health of the people presents at the site and saving energy and money in cleaning the device and the environment after finishing work, can be considered as positive side points of this advantage.

Perforation CNC

For work such as wood drilling, one of the best choices that works best is working with a CNC drilling machine. In this case, a milling machine creates the desired hole or groove, both for the original design and for different ways of connection (such as elite).

Rotary or inlaid CNC

This type of CNC machine is the best tool for heavy wood inlay that performs three-dimensional and complex designs and all kinds of patterns and patterns for wood inlay. These types of inlays are usually used for bases or crowns of tables, furniture and beds, but they are also popular in decorative items.

Consular CNC

Console CNCs are made from a set of powerful processors and controllers to enable tasks such as drilling and inlaying and cutting and cutting at the same time. A variety of tools such as blades, drills, milling machines and other tools are included in this type of 3, 4 or 5 axis machines.

Flat CNC

These types of CNCs work on three main three-dimensional axes and are suitable for inlaying, engraving and turning on a wooden plate or wood product such as MDF.

Advantages of working with wood CNC machine

As it mentioned, the design for a material such as wood is made up of a set of numbers that contain the geographical coordinates of each point. As a result, with this precision of work, and with the narrowness of the cut lines, the delicacy of the output work is remarkable and also makes any kind of design workable. In addition, if the correct operation of the machine is checked, no mistake will be made and no damage will be done to the wood. Also, the power and speed of this work is due to working with the machine is high and a large number of products are produced in a short time. One of the most positive and obvious things about working with a device is that all the outputs are the same shape and uniform, and it is very difficult to find the difference between the outputs. As a result, it is possible to count on the integrity of wood outputs for specific tasks.

Application of wood worked with CNC

Because the CNC machine has a wide range of capabilities and includes a wide range of techniques and tools to provide wood outputs with different appearance and application, these types of wood meet different needs. They do. Furniture and bedding base and crown, construction industry, building facade, space decoration, decorative goods, building doors, cabinets, tables, dishes, lampshades and anything that can be made of wood materials such as wooden accessories and glasses Other examples are the use of wood polished by CNC cutting machines. Letters, typographies, numbers, serial and barcode numbers, geometric designs or Islamic designs, or 3D designs are all types of patterns that can be read and executed by CNC. Due to the fact that each of these woods requires a special technique, CNC machines can handle all of these methods and processes.