Steps to creating a maze on the CNC Router!
Step 1: Create your design for the maze board using Inventor. The work board is 8.5 in. by 11 in and .75 in thick. I wanted to make an alien spaceship for my design. To do this I made the board on inventor and then made the oval and bottom part of the spaceship for guidance.
Step 2: Using the outline of the spaceship, I made the maze path and extruded it .25 in. I made the path through 3 separate "sketches" to ensure the path would work. I drew the main design and then used the offset tool, so the lines would be parallel.
Step 3: I made the handle holes and extruded them .75 in. The ellipse has a horizontal radius of .4 in and a vertical radius of 1.5 in.
Step 4: Now that the maze is done on Inventor save it and then upload it in Fusion 360. Once it is open in Fusion 360, make sure the units is in Inches.
Step 5: Click on setup and fix the x-y-z coordinate so that the z is pointed up, the y is pointed to the right (horizontal on the board), and the x is pointed down (vertical on the board). Make sure the point is set up in the corner, as shown in the 2nd picture.
Step 6: Click on the 3D drop down and select contour. Then select the inside of the path of the maze. Also change the tool to the correct size, for my project we used a 1/8 flat mill.
Step 7: Click the 2D drop down and select contour. Then select the outside of the maze board (on the bottom face) and the handles (on the bottom face). Make sure to select the same tool as the previous contour.
Step 8: Now that you have it set up to be cut out, you have to get the G-Code. To do this click on Actions, Post Process, and change the Post Configuration to Forest Scientific. Then you save your G-Code.
Step 9: Prepare your board by placing double sided tape in each corner and a strip down the middle, like shown in the 1st image. Then get it ready to cut by placing it on the CNC Router table. When setting up to begin to engrave, go to Jog and position the Router so the tip is at the corner of the maze board and right above the boar. Also make sure you set the axis' to 0.
Step 10: Set up your G-Code on the computer connected to the Router and then you can start the machine to cut out the maze.
Step 11: After it is done cutting out, remove the board from the table and remove the tape.