Yodajammies
Well-Known Member
Well, I teased at it a couple months ago, but here it is. The progress thread for the first suit of armor robotically milled on a CNC table, and then molded and cast as per traditional methods.
Huge props go out to Nugget for his phenomenal speed and skill in 3d modeling. This project could have never succeeded without his expertise and knowledge. Minor shoutouts go to Vrogy for his CNC advising at the shop, and general all around snarkiness. (I hear he is milling a marine suit. oh exciting!)
Being a WIP thread, I figure I'll cover the basic process and procedure for anyone looking to explore this method of armor building.
D'con is right around the corner, so I'll be spending an inordinate amount of time in the shop trying to get this done. My hope is that I can pull several full suit casts for trade at the con. (I'm looking at you Adam. I want one of those assualt rifles)
Alright! Lets get started -
First, our own resident modeling virtuoso Nugget builds the 3d file which will get interpreted into G-code for the ShopBot CNC.
Next I take the 3d data and use it to develop G-code that the CNC actually uses to cut the part.
So then we get to the actual milling!
My new favorite shop toy (can you guess what it's cutting?)
For this project I used MDF as my milling material. It can't hold nearly the detail I imagined it could, but it cheap and abundant. Later down the line I may take a page out of Legendary Armor's book and use a high density urethane foam for milling. I've played around with a couple samples of it, and although the stuff is 4-5 times the price of MDF board, the resolution capable of being captured on the first past is fantastic.
So now we have a wooden master which looks a little something like this. The top cut is using a 11% stepover on the finishing path, whereas the bottom is stepping over 20%. You can see how much of a difference this makes to the finish of the final piece.
Now we go about making a "scrap mold" of this piece to produce a plastic copy for clean up. This is the extra step required to achieve the level of detail we can't get by using MDF. After sealing, priming, molding, casting, and doing a bit of clean up, we come to the final, moldable master. (please excuse the crappy cellphone image)
Now we are ready to mold the final piece and start production of these high quality handplates. Take a look at the differences between the preliminary mdf cut and the sanded secondary. It could use a little more TLC, but my production schedule is tight and I need to keep the ball rolling.
And now we come to painting and detailing. The plates first recieve a nice heavy coat of primer. I cannot stress enough how critical primer is to achieving a stellar paintjob on your armor. Next I laid down a coat of brushed steel. I'm going with a Colonial Red in honor of my alma mater - North Carolina State University. Go wolf pack. Yadda yadda yadda. I believe it was Thorisill who introduced the "Condiment Painting" technique here on the boards, and I decided to give it a test run on a pair of plates. I decided to go with a nice Kraft Ranch here, and I the results turned out quite nicely, or at least passable for the first attempt.
Finally, I'm using a basic black acrylic to add some filth to the final piece. Similar to the "panty hose and black spraypaint technique", but I've found that acrylic is a little easier to work with, and to edit in case you make a mistake or change your mind about how you want the final piece to look. I am no painter, and my technique is still fledgling, but I can see the potential for a fairly nice paintjob in this method. By the time I get to the final piece of the suit, I should have it down pat.
Now of course I haven't just finished one measly piece in 3 months. There are many irons in the fire, but I can tease with a couple other parts I have been chipping away at. Here is a prototype arm piece, the preliminary cod (or penis plate as Nugget calls it), and a test cut BR. Enjoy!
Huge props go out to Nugget for his phenomenal speed and skill in 3d modeling. This project could have never succeeded without his expertise and knowledge. Minor shoutouts go to Vrogy for his CNC advising at the shop, and general all around snarkiness. (I hear he is milling a marine suit. oh exciting!)
Being a WIP thread, I figure I'll cover the basic process and procedure for anyone looking to explore this method of armor building.
D'con is right around the corner, so I'll be spending an inordinate amount of time in the shop trying to get this done. My hope is that I can pull several full suit casts for trade at the con. (I'm looking at you Adam. I want one of those assualt rifles)
Alright! Lets get started -
First, our own resident modeling virtuoso Nugget builds the 3d file which will get interpreted into G-code for the ShopBot CNC.
Next I take the 3d data and use it to develop G-code that the CNC actually uses to cut the part.
So then we get to the actual milling!
My new favorite shop toy (can you guess what it's cutting?)
For this project I used MDF as my milling material. It can't hold nearly the detail I imagined it could, but it cheap and abundant. Later down the line I may take a page out of Legendary Armor's book and use a high density urethane foam for milling. I've played around with a couple samples of it, and although the stuff is 4-5 times the price of MDF board, the resolution capable of being captured on the first past is fantastic.
So now we have a wooden master which looks a little something like this. The top cut is using a 11% stepover on the finishing path, whereas the bottom is stepping over 20%. You can see how much of a difference this makes to the finish of the final piece.
Now we go about making a "scrap mold" of this piece to produce a plastic copy for clean up. This is the extra step required to achieve the level of detail we can't get by using MDF. After sealing, priming, molding, casting, and doing a bit of clean up, we come to the final, moldable master. (please excuse the crappy cellphone image)
Now we are ready to mold the final piece and start production of these high quality handplates. Take a look at the differences between the preliminary mdf cut and the sanded secondary. It could use a little more TLC, but my production schedule is tight and I need to keep the ball rolling.
And now we come to painting and detailing. The plates first recieve a nice heavy coat of primer. I cannot stress enough how critical primer is to achieving a stellar paintjob on your armor. Next I laid down a coat of brushed steel. I'm going with a Colonial Red in honor of my alma mater - North Carolina State University. Go wolf pack. Yadda yadda yadda. I believe it was Thorisill who introduced the "Condiment Painting" technique here on the boards, and I decided to give it a test run on a pair of plates. I decided to go with a nice Kraft Ranch here, and I the results turned out quite nicely, or at least passable for the first attempt.
Finally, I'm using a basic black acrylic to add some filth to the final piece. Similar to the "panty hose and black spraypaint technique", but I've found that acrylic is a little easier to work with, and to edit in case you make a mistake or change your mind about how you want the final piece to look. I am no painter, and my technique is still fledgling, but I can see the potential for a fairly nice paintjob in this method. By the time I get to the final piece of the suit, I should have it down pat.
Now of course I haven't just finished one measly piece in 3 months. There are many irons in the fire, but I can tease with a couple other parts I have been chipping away at. Here is a prototype arm piece, the preliminary cod (or penis plate as Nugget calls it), and a test cut BR. Enjoy!
