Hello Kingsolomon and Lefty,
Thanks! I learned facetting when i was 12y old from my dad. I learned cutting on a homebuild machine, i did my practice on tourmaline. I know the basics, only with a automatic machine you cant feel anything. So i need to setup my software with trail and error. Im going to use quartz and ruby's for test. Im going to program my own software for controlling my machine. I cant manual controll the machine. So if something is going wrong i can push the NoStop button
I could calculate everything, like pressure, speed, etc. But i first want to use the most general settings, witch lap, witch hardness, crystal direction etc. The rest is all trail and error, if it takes 10 seconds for cutting 0.2 mm for quartz i can set it up to my setup for quartz-a, i can creaty a database for every cutted stone i did and use the information for the next cut.
The problem for building a machine like this, you dont have mutch references becouse it is not from your own feeling. The only thing i could use out of my experiance is the sound of cutting. The rest is all standard. I thougth about setting up 4 laps so that i can cut in stages. I will need to test different lap materials for polishing, i used aluminium oxide for the tourmaline, dont know what size but i can check it all again. There is good information for polishing and again, i also need it from trail and error.
The first stages for me is testing testing testing. The first form will be a standard diamond cut. Just as first database setup. I could even program the output from gemcad for my machine for other forms.
To get a new faceting machine is not an option. A second hand machine is rare here in the netherlands. The first one i know that can cut good stones is my dad only he lifes in Germany thats a long ride on my bike
I know only 3 people in the Netherlands who can cut good. Only the distance is too far and they dont have time, they all run a shop.
If there are around 100 people in the Netherlands who can cut on a faceting machine, only 5 are pro's. (Dont think there are even 100 people that are cutting stones here in the Netherlands) This is a huge difference with Oz and US. It is realy a problem to find some one nearby that is facetting and sertenly some one who has his own faceting machine.
But! Im a quick learner for example: today i thougth lets take a aluminium plate of 20mm thick lets try. I learned today that my max drilling in aluminium is drill 6.5mm becoure the spindle has already got troubles at 6.4 but it just can go with it, i also tryed it with 8mm and it stopped. So 6.5mm is max! I spilled today 2 end mills today becourse i cannot mill deeper than the mill width. I used a 6mm end mill and needed to cut 20mm, the solution what i need to take is cooling. There are several way's to cool. Now i learned that if i dont cool down my end mill it will eat aluminium chips and get stuck/break. Solution, rappidly build something to cool my endmill en get rit off the chips! The end mills that get stuck i can throw away, becouse if i use them in wood, i will burn the wood and if i use them again in aluminium they will get stuck again. These end mills cost me about 20 euro each. But i need to learn with trail and error.
This is also an example how i need to build my faceting machine. There is no other way than try and error. If i break a Nubond disc, it be so. But i learned that i need more carefull with using my z-axis or my rotating axis. The machine has more power than i do
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This project is also a challenge. I saw many machines build on the internet. No one of them is like the machine i want to build exept one in Germany. It all comes to build one and then improve. I dont see a another way. I know the basics of facetting. I know what can go wrong. I know what to setup with different stones also the light setups these will all be variables in my software that i can change and store in a database. But there can always be unseen things and i need to learn to handle thos things.
Go learning again with a normal lapidary, is a good idea but i dont have any references for a automatic machine. The most of the time is learning polishing, digital and with the eye. I can not do this full automatic. A good eye is needed. But this does not take away i can make this semi-automatic! An example of how i want to do this is let the machine polish for a while, after automatic polishing, i can use the trinocular microscope while the stone is still on the dop and on the machine and select the facets that need to repolish.
Everything is on trail and error. Some things a fixed other thing must be variable. I dont know how how to tell you that it is impossible to do it on feeling, some things can, but not all.
Its something i cant explain but mayby the above gives you a idea?! It going to be a almost full variable machine. The sky is the limit
as we say!
Please dont understand me wrong. I know how to setup a stone on a standard lapidary but not on a automatic faceting machine. There is no info about that! There is information but they wont give/share it to you/me!
One more thoughts upon your thoughts witch i can imagine why is the quality and lack of weigth. 99% of the automatic machines are build for speed. My machine is not going to be for speed. I'f a good stone costs me a hour to cut, it will take an hour. I dont want to be into the mass production. I want to make my stones by the 'book'
Again please dont have wrong thoughts about my build! Its hobby not a must!!!
Christian