TechSoft RouterCAM Range

Full-size furniture projects have a long tradition in Design and Technology, but it can be difficult for students to include CAD/CAM when making them. Available CNC machinery is often too complex to operate, too expensive to buy, or simply not up to the scale required. To meet this need TechSoft are pleased to offer four industrial quality machines that will accept even the largest of student projects, yet remain straightforward to operate and are fully compliant with safety requirements for education. The machines are built for continuous commercial production, so are more than tough enough to stand the rigours of educational use. A quality/capacity/price comparison reveals that these machines also represent exceptional value for money.

TechSoft Design V3 is the ideal tool to produce drawings for the RouterCAM and output is largely through the familiar TechSoft output dialog box where feeds, speeds and cutting depths are assigned to colour-coded toolpaths. 3D output is achieved in the same way but from files processed in TechSoft Visual Toolpath. In both cases data is transferred to the machine’s own hand controller via USB. Datums can be set manually or (in the case of Z0) by using the sensor unit provided. A Delta inverter-driven 2.2kW air cooled spindle takes care of cutting duties while XYZ cutting speeds go up to an astonishing 160mm/sec (10m/min). The specification of the M1S increases yet again with a 4.5kW water cooled spindle and XYZ speeds of up to 400mm/sec (25m/min)! This means you will always have performance in reserve to get the best results for any given combination of material and cutter diameter. Although designed primarily for machining timber-based panel material, a RouterCAM will also handle suitable plastics, light alloy and even slate, marble, etc.

The machines feature an integral vacuum bed for work-holding via a replaceable diffuser sheet. Machines are supplied with the necessary side channel pump for the vacuum bed, using pneumatic switching to actuate working zones for maximum efficiency. A ‘brush-foot’ extraction attachment is provided and this effectively collects and contains airborne waste. One of our free-standing workshop extractors will provide sufficient power to remove waste or, alternatively, customers may wish to connect to an existing ‘ducted’ workshop system.

A RouterCAM is clearly a high power machine for large scale work, but it is still a versatile tool for general workshop duties. A class–set of lower school work can be quickly machined; small individual projects in 2D or 3D can be produced accurately and in detail. Needless to say, a RouterCAM is fully compatible with TechSoft Design V3 for 2D/2.5D work, and Visual Toolpath for 3D work.