[CNCMAN172]

DIYengineer

Good move do more research before you touch the table top. You can learn a great deal about your machine using double sided tape and some scrap wood. As far as end mills I have found carbide end mills start with 1/4 or 1/8 and use 2 flute cutters if you plan on moving to aluminum.

You can find several free calculators for speed and feed calculations on the Internet. I am not near my pc but will send you a link. You can also find recommended feed and speeds on many end mill sites.

You will discover even using this information is only a guide as every machine tends to be specific because of it construction and type of spindle.

Onsrud cutters are the Cadillac as you suggest and I would start with standard carbide end mills first as they are much cheaper and move to the better cutters as you gain experience.

If you have the three coolers you suggest you will be in good shape to start.


Russ

[InventIt]

Unless you need a sharp corner on your end mill, I would recommend choosing a few end mills with radiused corners. They hold up MUCH better, especially when milling aluminum with less then perfectly rigid machines. One mistake most newbies make: running too slow through the material. I constantly read posts on here where guys are milling alum at 15ipm and 10000+ rpm. Good way to kill an em. I usually run a 1/2" 3 flute em at about 70-120 ipm in aluminum with a .050 doc. If my machine was more rigid I could increase the doc. If I had more rigidity AND horsepower I could increase the IPM and DOC. Moving too slow will dull the cutting edges (rubbing) and weld aluminum to the the bit.

[diyengineer]

A mini update. Machine works well. Still trying to work out the "safety charge pump" problem. Works perfect with it set to off. When its on, its pretty much brain dead and nothing works. I did 8 different tests, testing voltages @ 6 different locations. Cnc4pc thinks that the port is being used by something else in mach or what not.. Also could be a corrupt .xml file. Have to look into it more.

Other things to do:

Currently all my time is going into building my mobile vacuum cart. ( link located below)

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/work_f...m_fixture.html

I still have to hook up the dust collection system, program mach to control the VFD, and plug in the spindle wire to the VFD.

Not much left.. (although im sure a hundred more things will pop up between now and then).

[diyengineer]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx1x8AuBVVo"]YouTube - Cnc Rebuild Video #79[/nomedia]

Vacuum cart

[diyengineer]

Couple pictures of progress on the vacuum cart. Didn't want to double host pictures on the zone, so i just dropped the links instead of uploaded them since they can be found here. http://www.cnczone.com/forums/work_f...m_fixture.html

I wish all that information could have been slipped streamed into this main thread, but i needed the help from the vacuum people haha.

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...5&d=1305111099

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...6&d=1305111099

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...7&d=1305111099

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...9&d=1305111099

Thanks for reading, helping, and following.

[diyengineer]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E922WTgrFE8"]YouTube - Cnc Rebuild Video #80[/nomedia]

Also ordered up a podz kit.

Podz


Figured i would try this setup out just to play around with my machine, as well as the vacuum system. I have zero experience with vacuum hold down so this will be a good hands on real world test. Once i test this out, i can then approach my custom double sided fixture with better understanding, and possibly more features that i wouldn't of designed previously without some practical exposure.

[awemawson]

Are the filters on your vacuum inputs also moisture traps? If so they are mounted upside down, and if not do you need moisture traps?

[diyengineer]

Are the filters on your vacuum inputs also moisture traps? If so they are mounted upside down, and if not do you need moisture traps?

No they are 5 micron high flow filters only. Since they are essentially intake ports, they do not need to filter any moisture like a typical air compressor since the air is not heated up, etc. They are just there to block out and debris that accidentally may get sucked into the vacuum hose from the jig/fixture. Wouldn't want any metal chips or shavings going into my vacuum system and plugging a valve, or going through my vacuum pumps. The vacuum pumps then just dump the excess air through the muffler on the other side. Very simple design.

[diyengineer]

Still fighting with the BOB to get the dang safety charge pump to work. Arturo and I have diagnosed just about everything with no luck. Fairly sure it has to be something i have overlooked.

[cornbinder23]

Whats up with this DIY???lol
High Vacuum Cart- Vacuum bagging, Dedicated CNC vacuum Fixtures, etc

JTCUSTOMS

[diyengineer]

Whats up with this DIY???lol
High Vacuum Cart- Vacuum bagging, Dedicated CNC vacuum Fixtures, etc

JTCUSTOMS

lol

A few of my buddies are really into custom hydroplanes and said i should throw it up and just see if i get an offer. If i were to build it again i would use a large single electric motor, VFD, and 3-4 twin cylinder oil cooled compressor pumps, specifically the ones from harbor freight for $150 a pop. Just figured i would see if anyone bit at it haha. There are a lot of composite people in the area who do a lot of vacuum bagging. I plan on running it till it dies, but figured why not test the waters!

[InventIt]

You're killing me!!!! I'm waiting in suspense to see this beast make some CHIPS!!!! Anyway, it's looking good. Nice job on the vacuum cart!

[awemawson]

You're killing me!!!! I'm waiting in suspense to see this beast make some CHIPS!!!! Anyway, it's looking good. Nice job on the vacuum cart!

No I reckon this is definately a case of the journey being more important than the destination.

He's never actually going to use it <G>

[diyengineer]

No I reckon this is definately a case of the journey being more important than the destination.

He's never actually going to use it <G>

I wouldn't have turned my 2 car garage into a mini factory if i didn't plan on using it. Do i have a master plan for this? Yes. :devious:

I've learned to not rush things in life. Especially expensive things. Chips will fly soon enough. Money is the limiting factor, then comes knowledge. both take time to acquire. haha You also have to remember, i am not a machinist by trade so this is all a learning process and it has only been roughly a year. A lot to take on for someones FIRST cnc machine. :P

[diyengineer]

Next step after the charge pump issue is ironed out is hooking up the spindle @ the vfd then plugging the VFD into the PC and getting mach to control it with modbus.

[Ark1]

I wouldn't have turned my 2 car garage into a mini factory if i didn't plan on using it. Do i have a master plan for this? Yes. :devious:

I have my machine together with just a mod or two to do, but I don't have a plan for it. I stink at drawing programs so that is one more thing to learn. I will purchase the Licence for Cam Bam although I also looked at Visual Mill as well. I lurked on the forms for Cam programs and noticed the ones with the most threads and then those with the least. There is a corrilation of like and dislike? issues and the number of posts. The trap you don't want is to put the word that you are ready to go and then realize that you are not and have projects booked that you cannot complete.

Ark1

TonyK.

[diyengineer]

I have my machine together with just a mod or two to do, but I don't have a plan for it. I stink at drawing programs so that is one more thing to learn. I will purchase the Licence for Cam Bam although I also looked at Visual Mill as well. I lurked on the forms for Cam programs and noticed the ones with the most threads and then those with the least. There is a corrilation of like and dislike? issues and the number of posts. The trap you don't want is to put the word that you are ready to go and then realize that you are not and have projects booked that you cannot complete.

Ark1

TonyK.

I agree with you there. I wan't to know how to use my machine and know its exact limits before i go promising anything to anyone.

I have access to some really expensive cam software, but on a 3 axis machine it doesn't really make sense to use something that is made for 4-5-6 axis. Cam bam was REALLY easy. Haven't tried visual mill yet. I will look into that (thanks). I haven't settled on a cam program yet either. I'm just trying them out as i go. Whichever plays with solidworks the best, and is easy to use then that is what i will go with. Hopefully its also affordable.

I'm also fairly certain that it would be impossible to attach a 4th axis on this machine. Unless i would want to mill something as thin as a pool cue, which i have no intentions of doing. If it had a nice 9" or so Z axis then it would be plausible for a bit more crazy items. So a really good 3 axis cam program should best serve this machine.

[Ark1]

Your machine is really a 2.5 D machine for the most part. Sure you can do some 3 D stuff but it is the size. How about a landscape for a model train set out of a block of plastic about 8 feet by 10 feet by 8 inche. You could have a lake and a mountain, blah, blah.

My machine the Z is 12" or so and I do have a dividing head that I could drive with a servo to do a 4 th axis. In reading that 4th axis cam adds a lot to learn and draw. I am going to stick with the simple stuff. OneCNC is a nice program but as they go it is getting up there as well. Then you are into tool changes. I was toying with the idea of a Hirata robot arm, but then there is the draw bar that has to be powered and all of the programing. It is nice to look ahead and dream, but wait a minuite, I don't have anything planned yet. Little jobs around the shop I have modified to do on the mill now under CNC control. Accuracy is way better than by hand and then repeatability is very good. Plus I don't have to be leaning over a machine making sure it doesn't run into the stops. All of this has been fun and a great learning process. Keep going, don't stop or your mind will turn to Mush!

All the best.

Ark1

TonyK.

[InventIt]

You should give Sheetcam a look. Very simple to use, inexpensive and good for 2.5d work.

[diyengineer]

Ill give sheet cam a peek!

thanks for the suggestions!!!!