A new video about machining feeds and speeds for DIY CNC machines (or routers) has been posted on the channel. If you want to see the machine in action with improved setup and parameters, please watch the video linked below: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i9bFZir_LxM.html
cool video man! keep us updated! there are a few things you could improve but for the price its a great machine. You learn operating a mill with time :)
You are right. It takes some time to get to know the machine. It has been three months since I built this machine. In that time, I have been able to develop a good set of feeds and speeds (I posted a video about that). I have also been able to make some decent parts with it now. I will try to post a video about that soon. Thanks for watching!
Nice work mate, would love to see how it goes once the metal bracket is on. Would definitely recommend you 3d print or waterjet cut and bend some way covers for those rails though!
Very nice work, enjoyed watching, BUT pls don't clamp work like that, that's the root cause of this chattering and your piece is actually moving being pushed by mill, its not clamped strong enough. So either use some good vise, or clamp by the edges on sides so it can't move, not on top of it like that.
Thanks for watching! Yes, you are right. The clamping was makeshift in this video. I have since transitioned to a vise or better clamps depending on the need of the job. The improvements are very apparent in my other video about process parameters.
Got money, electrical and mechanical engineering knowledge and 0 knowledge of actual machining. Typical. Cool build but always people trivializing a vital part to making...parts.
There is only so much you can put in one RU-vid video. There is another video on the channel that does talk about machining parameters. But what you are suggesting is a great idea for a future video in which I make a part from start to finish. CAD->Tool path planning->Machine setup->Actual machining->Part inspection. I am already seriously considering it. Thanks!
Very interesting project, I would recommend to use the strongest stepper motor for the x axis as it moves more mass and has to vercome more forces than the z axis motor.
Thank you! X axis does moves more mass but the Z axis is working against gravity. During my tests, I tried to see how fast I can move each of the axes. Despite having a bigger motor, Z-axis starts skipping steps at 1800 mm/min. The other axes (X and Y) can handle these speeds just fine.
Why only one cart per rail? Especially for the Y axis. Picture where your center of gravity is, consider how much mass is there, and think of the forces on those linear bearings just as it sits. Now imagine it milling and the forces that produces. Yes, you lose a little bit of travel but the carts are cheap and you should be running two per rail. EGW rails have shortened carts too btw.
I can't believe it works at all!?!?! so top heavy and only 2 bearings! crazy! I guess the saving grace is the fact that force is at the same level as bearing so not high leverage ???????
This is actually a slightly tricky question mainly because I had some stuff with me that I could repurpose for this project. That is also why I did not include a cost breakdown in the video. But I ended up spending around $800 to $1000 on this. Majority of the cost I incurred was spent on sheet metal stock for the metal structure, the spindle and VFD, and the table (which was surprisingly costly) to put this on.
Here is the link to the ones I got. I have also added this link to the video description: www.amazon.com/dp/B07T89VFNP/ref=twister_B07YGLNCVS?_encoding=UTF8&th=1
IMHO the design has too many weak areas with great moments. Factoring the type of materials used and cost, that machine is severely underperforming. A 4030 (on price point of view) out of the box (as reviewed by aurora tech) mills way faster and cleaner than that. For that size requirement and type of materials used, a mill type design would have been more appropriate.
Can the design be better? For sure! I am with you on that. I am actively working on improving and upgrading the design. It would be impossible to create something that is perfect and put the entire journey in one youtube video. So the approach is to record the journey. It might take a couple of videos to the ideal state of the machine. But, I can't agree with your statement about an out of box 4030 being better than this machine. An out of box 4030 comes with a DC spindle. That in itself makes it incapable of machining aluminum, let alone steel. If you decide to upgrade the machine to a decent spindle (with a VFD), it will cost you around $200 or more which may or may not make the 4030 capable of machining steel. There are several videos out there that talk about "upgrading" the 4030 to make it capable of machining metals. In short, an upgrade is essential to make a 4030 as capable as the machine in this video. In any case, thank you for your comment and thanks for watching. I will keep improving the design and I hope you will keep following the progress.
