This is an in-progress list of designs and accessories for BoXZY.
The stuff on this page will be geared more towards the milling and laser options, since those are the ones I kickstarted. For 3D printing tools, take a look at this page for what I use. There are affiliate links in here, marked with an asterisk (*). I get a small percentage of from Amazon if you make any purchases using them (at no cost to you). Thanks to those who use them, but don’t feel obligated to.
Normally I like to wait longer before posting (especially as I know next to nothing about CNC milling), but with all the recently arrived BoXZYs, it seems more useful to post this now. Please keep in mind all the opinions, designs, links, etc. are preliminary and may change as I learn more.
Printable Designs
Router Holder – Attaches to a post for storing the router when not in use. I attached mine to a leg of a workbench.
Laser Engraver Holder – Attaches to the back of the printer for storing the laser. Might work with the print head too.
MDF Sacrificial Board Template – 3D printable template for cutting new pieces of MDF.
Cable Guide – I was having some problems with the limit switch cable getting caught on the BoXZY’s corner so I added a cable guide.
BoXZY Handle – Attaches to the back, making it easier to transport.
Fan Spacer – I used this to offset the power supply fan to reduce the noise.
CNC Designs
25mm hole block – Useful for milling holes into a sacrificial board to securing it to the milling plate. Just choose the features you want milled. The notch on the left side is for the spring/screw post, if you attach the board to the corner.
Nema 23 Motor Dust Cover – Keeps dust and metal shavings out of the motor.
Laser Designs
Laser Grid – These are a couple of designs for laser etching on your sacrificial board. Download the PNG files above and laser them at a scale of 0.1mm/pixel. If cutting, I’d recommend turning antialiasing off for the grid and on for the holes.
Milling Accessories
Amana Tool Collet Adapter, 1/4″ to 1/8″* and 1/4″ to 3/16* – Lets you use smaller 1/8″ and 3/16″ endmills. I’m planning to use separate collets instead.
Elaire Alternate Sized Makita Router Collets – Lets you use different sized endmills without using a collet adapter. I ordered the 1/8″ and 6mm collets. I haven’t used them a lot, but the look good so far.
Drill Press Vise* – The one in the picture is one of the cheaper options, and isn’t very good. The bottom is very roughly machined so it doesn’t sit flat and the moving clamp tilts when trying to use the upper part of the clamp. The one in the BoXZY holddown video looks similar to this one*, but I’m not sure it’s much better.
Shop Vac* – Still trying to figure out a good way to keep things clean without sitting there vacuuming behind the endmill the whole time. It would be nice to find one that’s operated with a foot pedal. The one I’m using also has an inconvenient tendency to overheat and shut down at the most inconvenient times.
2ft x 2ft, 3/4″ MDF – For replacing the waste board. My local Home Depot has these smaller pieces (see link) that you could walk out with, the local Lowes only had large sheets that would not fit in my car.
Rubber feet – I’ve noticed my powersupply wandering towards the edge of the table while milling aluminum. Rubber feet or a non-slip pad under it should solve the problem.
Clamps
Kant Twist Clamps* – They sell a wide selection, including stainless steel versions. I haven’t had it long, but it works very well. It takes longer to secure than the plastic clamps below and it’s more likely to damage the material under the clamp, but is much more secure. The picture shows Kant Twist 2.5 inch clamp* and 4.5 inch* clamp. The smaller clamp works well for thinner materials that reach the edge of the milling plate. The larger clamp has quite a bit more range, but needs to be removed if homing the printer (the smaller clamp is much less likely to hit the gantry). Similar clamps are also sold by Palmgren*.
2 inch Ratcheting Clamps* – These are convenient and work well for clamping thinner materials near the edge of the milling plate or for holding down the MDF. They’re plastic and rubber though, so they’re not going to hold stuff as securely as the metal clamps. Works well for milling wood though. I don’t remember where I got these, the link is to a similar looking set.
4in Spring Clamp* – I got this one for the longer reach and larger jaw opening. It works well for reaching in and holding down a flexible plastic sheet, but it’s not nearly as secure as the metal clamps.
Toggle clamps* – I haven’t used this yet, it seems like it will require more setup than the other clamps, so it might be better suited towards small production runs. Might also be useful for those who work with the same size stock material very frequently. They come if different sizes, the one I have is the 300lb version.
Endmills
Still trying out different endmills. Most of the endmills that I ordered before my BoXZY arrived are the wrong kind (high speed steel, too many flutes). Boxzy has a fairly high minimum spindle speed, which will probably work better with carbide endmills (supports higher surface speeds and rpm) and fewer flutes (fewer cutting surfaces allows for slower feed rates).
Laser Accessories
Red Laser Safety Glasses* – I ordered two of these from Aliexpress a while back for a couple of dollars each (I didn’t realize BoXZY would come with two pairs). I feel like I just stepped into a horror movie when I put them on, and I can’t wait to take them off. They’re dark enough that it makes it hard to use a computer, but they do keep you from going blind.
Uvex Safety Glasses* – These aren’t sold as laser glasses, but some testing on laserpointerforums indicates that they may are effective at blocking 445nm light, but YMMV. They’re definitely more comfortable to use than the red ones, so I tend to use these and avoid looking at the laser. They’re also bright enough to double as safety glasses.
J Tech Laser Shielding – For making laser blocking panels, though I’ve been told that 1/8″ clear orange acrylic from Tap Plastics works pretty well too.
Other
USB Cable – I may be paranoid, but the USB cable the came with BoXZY looked thinner than I was comfortable with for this application. The original cable may be fine, but if the shielding isn’t good enough, there’s a lot of high power motors nearby which can generate EM interference, if the gauge of the conductors is too small, it may limit the current to power the Arduino, and setting BoXZY on the cable may damage a thinner cable. I switched it out for the cable in the picture* and added some ferrites*. If I had bought a new cable, I would have gone with a shorter one*.
2000W Transformer – In many countries a transformer is required to use BoXZY (2000 watt minimum).
Tools and Maintenance
Digital Calipers* – This is a nice one with a large display, auto shutoff, and fractions display. I consider these essential for 3D printing and milling, I use mine all the time.
Deburring Tool* – Works great on to remove burrs, brims, or to put small chamfers on plastic or aluminum.
Hex Wrench Set* – This is a ball end set with exactly all the sizes I need for BoXZY and my 3D printers.
Software
Inkscape Plugin – I modified an existing Inkscape plugin to work with BoXZY so you can cut vector paths without going through the bitmap conversion.