Making an 3d Printer Into a Cnc Machine

I will be making an an old 3d printer into a cnc at a low cost. I will be using a anycubic i3 mega if you are using a 3d printer make sure it is a sturdy one.

At any point if you need help there is a discord group here https://discord.gg/WyCWg4J6

parts needed

1. DC 24V Motor 775 double Ball Bearing
2. SainSmart Genmitsu 10Pcs Nano Blue Coat End Mill CNC Router Bits, 1.5-3.175mm, 1/8" Shank
3. 24V 10A Power Supply,AC110/220V to DC24V 240W Universal Regulated
4. i3 mega or something like that an ender 3
5. clamps
6. oasis foam or wax (I recommend oasis foam)
7. waterproof electric box
8. thick cable red & black cables one for live
9. optional
10. alex ikea tables
11. wooden dowls
12. pvc tubes
13. expanding foam
14. acrilic panels

1. Tools
2. 3d printer or 3d printing hire like jlcpcb
3. a laser cutter or jlcpcb
4. drill like a dewalt or Makita
5. a hoover
6. a laptop with 4gb of ram or more i would recommend

Take the build plate off to expose the

metal bed that was holding it down and unplug all the cables

the screw holes might be in different places depending on the printer you have

Next is to remove the hot end it should be quite easy but if stuck ever go to the printers wiki or message this discord https://discord.gg/WyCWg4J6

Next is to 3d print a custom mount so that it fits on the frame I used PETG tough because it is strong enough to take the weight

then to attach it and screw it where the hot end used to be and do the zip ties up that hold the belt.

the way it is attached may differ between core-XY,bed slingers, and delta printers

This step is optional but I had to do this because I am showing this to my school

first i sawed the legs off of the two Alex tables and insert the pvc tube in to the 8 corners then fill all around it with expanding foam DISCLAMER do this in a well ventilated area and not near fire

after the foam has hardened in place insert the wooden dowel in the pvc tube and get pipe glue or other glue and stick it in on one side of the two side 4/8 then once that is dry add the top half. Extra laser cut acrylic or some hard plastic and drill though the table legs and screw them on like I have done

First drill the holes for the clamp to fit in. then drill the mounting holes for it to connect to the metal bed then screw it on and check it is strongly connected not wobbly

Then move it around and make shore it is connected properly

Undo the chuck then insert the drill bit of your chose (the thicker the bit is the faster you can set it) in to the collet the screw the the chuck back up so it doesn’t wobble or fall out.

I don’t have any pictures for this

first get the box and cut a 5 holes in to it. one for the mains one for the speed dial two for the motor/drill and one for the printers power cable you also will have to cut a square box for the switch

do the cables the way you want but i do recommend connecting the printer inside the box.

This bit you will have to ask AI or go to the wiki of your printer to find what firmware you use and set up a new firmware using AI’s help (i would recommend Claude or Claude docs) next is software and i used 3 programs 1st step is an app witch works on mac or windows called Inkscape where you either import an png or svg or even create your own design then you export it as an svg once your done 2nd step is a website callled JSCut where you import the svg from inkeyscape and slice it like in ultimaca cura or orca slicer and set all of the parameters like the width of the drill bit and the depth of the cut

3rd step is a program called pronterface you use this program like you would use octo pi or the remote print on Bambu slicer it has what port is is connected to and what baud rate to set it too

i use 2,500,000 baudrate then you import the svg

next is to set the origin move the head to the origin point then in the terminal on the side write G92 0X 0Y 0Z then test your first cut on the oasis foam