SETTING UP YOUR M2 AUTOMATED CUTTING MACHINE KIT The complete beginner assembly guide by Last Updated 1.18.2021 v2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE SETTING UP YOUR M2 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1. Introduction - 3 SECTION 2. Parts Needed - 4 SECTION 3. Assembling the M2 - 7 SECTION 4. Building the Frame - 12 SECTION 5. Calibration and Operation - 21 SECTION 6. Appendices - 36 This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license. 2 Last Updated 1.18.2021 Version 2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION Thanks for buying the M2 CNC Automated Cutting Machine, welcome to the Maker Made family! The following instructions are intended for beginners - with no prior CNC experience. We’ll be releasing an upgrade guide, as well as a paired down guide for experienced users soon. Here are some notes on the layout: 1. First off, I’m Drew and I took the lead on creating this guide. My notes are tips and tricks to help you along.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE SECTION 2. PARTS NEEDED This section contains information on what came with your M2 and other tools you will need to building and operation. Drew’s Note: Check out the M2 Video Playlist for an overview of what’s in the box and other how to videos! You’ll have to supply your own router for your M2. Here is the recommended list: Router Clamp Size Maker Made Tested Community Tested Bosch Colt 1hp (PR20EVSK) 71mm (included with M2) Yes Yes Bosch 2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE WHAT’S IN THE BOX? DUE v1.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE Bag B Bag C Bag D Bag E Bag F Bag G Bag H Bag Z Drew’s Note: Listed here are the contents of the bags. In the assembly portion, they will be referred to by their letter and number! Bag A A1. Cotter pins (2) A2. Chain sprocket (2) A3. Small nails (2) A4. Large nails (2) A5. White spacers (2) Bag B B1. Quick links (2) B2. Small screws (4) B3. Zip ties Bag C C1. Brick mounts (2) C2. Large carriage bolts (4) C3. Washers (4) C4 Wingnuts (2) C5. Locking nuts (2) Bag D D1.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE ASSEMBLING YOUR M2 The M2 kit comes in several pieces to assemble. It can be split into four main parts: Sled assembly, attaching belts and motor to Z-Axis Assembly, finishing the M2 assembly, and centering your router. It will probably take about 1.5 to 2 hours to build. Drew’s Note: We recommend reading this entire section before beginning. Check out this video on how to build the M2! This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE M2 ASSEMBLY PART 1: SLED ASSEMBLY (BAG C, BAG F, BAG G) 1. Attach three L-brackets to Sled by aligning with six small predrilled holes, tall side toward center, using Phillips screwdriver and G1 screws. 2. Attach three L-brackets to rectangular brackets on ring carriage, with the tall side closest to the middle. Insert G2 bolts from inside of ring bracket out through L-brackets, two per bracket and secure with G3 wingnuts. 3.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE M2 ASSEMBLY PART 2: ATTACH BELTS AND MOTOR TO Z-AXIS ASSEMBLY (BAG H) 1. Attach H1 Z motor bracket, but do not fully tighten (will tighten fully in Step 6), using H6 bolts and H9 Allen Wrench. 2. Attach Z motor to H1, with the motor shaft in the slot farthest from assembly, rotated with it’s bottom plug also toward the outside. Use H7 bolts and H9 Allen Wrench. 3. Attach H2 large gear to motor, just above shaft base, ensuring 4.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE M2 ASSEMBLY PART 3B: FINISH M2 Z-AXIS ASSEMBLY (BAG Z) Drew’s Note: The Z-Axis Assembly attaches to the sled with 1. Mount Z-Axis assembly to sled by aligning extrusion “legs” T-nuts. They are marvels of engineering that are specially with the two rail “feet” that are already attached to the sled. designed to turn sideways when being tightened. This fastens parts to aluminum extrusions at different angles. Sometimes, you have to loosen and retighten them to get them to turn.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE M2 ASSEMBLY PART 4: CENTERING YOUR ROUTER AND FINAL STEPS 1. Attach router bit to router, insert into router clamp, and tighten clamp with Z5 Allen Wrench. 2. Loosen bottom T-nuts with Phillips screwdriver and move sled back and forth until router bit is aligned with exact center of M2 Drew’s Note: It’s very important sled hole.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE BUILDING YOUR FRAME This Section is how to build your frame for your M2. It is split into six main sections: Building the wasteboard, building the top beam, leveling your frame and attaching your material, mounting the chains, mounting your M2, and connecting your DUE board. Drew’s Note: We recommend reading this entire section before beginning. This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license. 12 Last Updated 1.18.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE BUILDING YOUR FRAME PART 1: WASTEBOARD (BAG D) The next step to starting your M2 CNC adventure is to build the frame that will hold your material and the M2 while it cuts. The M2 mounts for your frame are included, but you will need to purchase the following from a local hardware store to build the standard 4’x8’ frame. If you already have a Maslow frame, you’re good to go! Drew’s Note: The four most important things to keep in mind when building the frame are: 1.
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BUILDING YOUR FRAME PART 2: BUILDING THE TOP BEAM AND ADDING THE X/Y MOTORS (BAG D, BAG E) 146mm [5.75in] 1. Measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of the stud mount. Attach the other wasteboard stud mount to the stud on the opposite side at the exact same height. Stud Mounts directly below first Stud Mounts 2. Lean your wasteboard against the stud mounts and arrange it until it is level across the top.
63.5mm [2.5in] 63.5mm [2.5in] 63.5mm 146mm 146mm [5.75in] [5.75in] 63.5mm 38.1mm Step[1.5in] 5:[2.5in] Attach Wasteboard to Legs 4pcs long wood 38.1mm [ 63.5mm2X [2.5in] 38.1mm [1.5in] 228.6mm [9in] screws in Bag D 63.5mm [2.5in] 38.1mm [1.5in] 63.5mm[1.5in] [2.5in] 38.1mm 63.5mm[1.5in] [2.5in] 38.1mm 63.5mm [2.5in] 38.1mm [1.5in] 63.5mm[1.5in] [2.5in] 38.1mm 38.1mm [1.5in] 63.5mm [2.5in] 38.1mm 63.5mm[1.5in] [2.5in] 63.5mm [2.5in] 63.5mm Step 5: Attach Wasteboard to Legs 4pcs long wood 38.1mm [1.5in] 63.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE M2 ASSEMBLY PART 4: MOUNT CHAINS TO FRAME (BAG A AND BAG B) 1. On left side of top beam, measure 6” (35cm) toward center and 2. Drape chains over the E1 motor sprockets, so they can loop 1” (2.5cm) from the top or bottom. Insert small A3 nail through toward the center as shown. loop in last chain link and hammer into that spot. Repeat process on right side, with either both on the top or bottom. 3. Measure about 31” (78cm) on right side chain from nail toward 4.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE M2 ASSEMBLY PART 5: ATTACH M2 TO FRAME Drew’s Note: We recommend wearing safety goggles and having a friend help mount the sled to the frame. The chain can slip off the sprockets, causing the spring to snap and hurt people, pets, and surroundings. It’s also important to insert the cotter pin into the second to last link, for extra safety of the chain attachment, as shown below. ROLLER BEARING CARRIAGE ROLLER BEARING CARRIAGE 1. Hold M2 sled against the wasteboard near the right chain.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE BUILDING YOUR FRAME PART 6: MOUNT AND CONNECT ARDUINO DUE BOARD AND SHIELD Drew’s Note: The M2’s brain is an Arduino DUE microcontroller. We recommend mounting the DUE to the wall behind your Wasteboard, but it can be mounted in any safe location where it won’t be stepped on or conflict with the M2 during operation. 1. Using included B2 screws, mount the control board in its case to the wall behind Wasteboard, helps to mount in middle for motor wires to reach.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE BUILDING YOUR FRAME PART 5: MOUNT ARDUINO DUE BOARD AND SHIELD 2. Plug in wires, USB, and power. The six-pin motor wires go to the motors, using the following diagrams. Connections will only seat in one direction. Ensure connections are secure and use one of the shorter blue wires. Use B3 zip ties for cord maintenance. Drew’s Note: A high-pitched whine is normal! That means your DUE board is receiving power. It will get louder when connected to a computer.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE CALIBRATION & OPERATION After the frame is built and the M2 is assembled, you are ready to use your new CNC! Drew’s Note: To better understand CNC, we recommend reading through this whole section before beginning the calibration process of the M2. This guide is for using standard bit diameters and does not cover V-bit usage. EXPERIENCED MASLOW USERS This section will be covering calibration with Makerverse 1.0.6.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 2. Open file: Once you login, load your design by clicking “File” > “Open” and selecting your .SVG file. 3. Choose depth: Click on your file and “cut” tab in the dialog box to choose how deep the M2 will cut. If your SVG is split into multiple parts or isolatable, you can select different parts of your file to cut different depths. This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license. 22 Last Updated 1.18.2021 Version 2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 4. Material dimensions: You can change material dimensions by clicking the “material” tab. Select the material you are cutting and the size to save it in the Gcode. 5. Resize/move: Once your model is selected, you can also resize it by dragging the small gray boxes around your file. See section 8 for instructions on homing your file to (0,0). This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license. 23 Last Updated 1.18.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 6. Change Bit Change the bit settings to the same bit that is on your router. Click the “bit” tab and select your bit. There are preset bits for the X-carve, but the best way to change it for the M2 is to scroll to the bottom of the tab and manually type in your bit size. This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license. 24 Last Updated 1.18.2021 Version 2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 7. Change depth per pass The safest and cleanest way to have a clean cut is to change your depth per pass to half of your bit diameter. Here, we have a 1/4in bit, so we changed our Depth per pass to 0.125 inches. You can leave the other values as they are for now. 8. Arrange: When you create your Gcode, your M2 will start cutting your file based on where X,Y both equal zero millimeters (0,0). You can arrange your file to start based on where you home your M2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 9. File management: To keep track of the Gcode files you create to use them again, we suggest naming the file with the bit size and thickness of the material. Click “untitled” in the menu bar to change the name. This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license. 26 Last Updated 1.18.2021 Version 2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 10. Generate Gcode: To generate your Gcode to cut, click “Machine” > “Advanced” to bring up the Gcode menu. Then click “Generate g-code”. This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license. 27 Last Updated 1.18.2021 Version 2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE Then “Export g-code” to save the Gcode. You will upload this Gcode into the Machine Control Application. You can leave the other default setting alone until you become more comfortable with your M2. You finished exporting and are ready for the next stage! This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license. 28 Last Updated 1.18.2021 Version 2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE OPERATION & CALIBRATION PART 3: CALIBRATION AND HOW TO USE THE MACHINE CONTROL APPLICATION MAKERVERSE 1. DOWNLOAD: You need a machine control application (also known as a Gcode sender). We suggest our Makerverse for your M2 and many other CNC machines. It’s based off the open source CNCjs software. Coming soon to the Windows and Apple Stores, you can download it for your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer here: http://www.makerverse.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 5. CHOOSE SLED: Choose the “Standard 18-inch Circle” for your M2. 6. CONNECT YOUR M2: Plug your M2 USB into your computer and the power plug into the socket. Click the drop down menu and choose the port that reads “Arduino LLC” and click connect! Drew’s Note: If you don’t see your M2 right away, click the refresh button next to connect. You will see data fill the screen when it connects. This work is licensed under the creative commons Attribution Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 7. VERIFY CONNECTION AND FIRMWARE You will know your M2 is connected when you see the information about your machine fill out around the connection screen. Verify that your firmware on the bottom tab is the same as the link: v20200915. If it is a lower number, follow this link to flash your board to the current version, or your M2 will not connect. 8. CREATE WORKSPACE: You can name your machine’s workspace and click “Create Workspace”.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 9. CONNECT M2 TO WORKSPACE You are now in your M2 Workspace! Click “Open” to connect your M2. 10. CALIBRATE When you connect a new machine, you need to calibrate it to your frame. Click “Yes” to start the calibration and follow the onscreen steps! Drew’s Note: When connecting your M2 for the first time, be sure to be close to a power source to unplug if anything does not go as planned.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE OPERATION AND YOUR FIRST CUT After calibration, you are ready to cut! Here are the instructions over how to cut with your M2. 1. UPLOAD GCODE: Click “Upload Program” and select the Gcode file you created in Easel.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 2. START: Before you cut, raise the Z-Height 3mm above your print surface (so it doesn’t start touching your material). Put on safety goggles, set your router RPM to the recommended cut speed for the material, manually turn on your router so your bit is spinning, and click the green “Run” button to begin cutting out your project! We recommend running the first cut with the 3. PAUSE/STOP To pause or stop the M2, click the “Pause” button on the top bar.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE 4. WORK POSITION: When working on projects, setting and changing your Work Position Home will make using your M2 more fun and efficient. Once you home your M2 out of the box, we recommend changing your Work Position (0,0) for projects, instead of resetting home every time you are cutting a new project. This will save time and calibration headaches! For example, to use every part of your 4’x8’ material you can set different work positions each time you cut with your M2.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE APPENDIX 1 - TIPS Click here to check out updates on our FAQ section! We recommend attaching a hook to the Top Beam to hold the M2 when not in operation. This can reduce stress on your chains and spring, and give the M2 a safe place to park. Always wear safety goggles. Always clamp the material you’re cutting to the Wasteboard Stud Mounts so it doesn’t move during operation. You can also securely attach it to the Wasteboard using screws.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE APPENDIX 2 - TROUBLESHOOTING Frame / Mechanical Issues If your M2 is slanting up or down, check these parts of your frame build: 1. The bottom of your wasteboard should be 12” from the bottom of your footers. 2. The wasteboard should be clamped or screwed onto the stud mounts, to maintain a 15 degree angle. 3. The target distance of the motor offset (from the top of the chain to the top of the wasteboard, should be at least 18” for a 4’x8’ frame. 4.
M2 ASSEMBLY GUIDE APPENDIX 3 - LINKS Click here to check out updates on our FAQ section! Easel: https://www.inventables.com/technologies/easel Inkscape: https://inkscape.org/ M2 Resources: https://makermade.com/m2-resources/ Makerverse: https://makermade.com/resources/ Makerverse Calibration Video: https://youtu.be/HsnEQgeWrmI Marketplace: https://makermade.com/marketplace/ Router Guide: https://makermade.com/m2-resources/ Weekly Beginner Training Link: https://makermade.
