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Also be aware of any special concerns for your material. For example milling plexi if you get cracks you're too slow on your speeds and if you start melting chips you're pushing way to fast. So you've gotta find a sweet spot in between those two issues that still gives you a decent finish.
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Feb 20, 2016 20:53
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Parts Kit posted:Also be aware of any special concerns for your material. For example milling plexi if you get cracks you're too slow on your speeds and if you start melting chips you're pushing way to fast. So you've gotta find a sweet spot in between those two issues that still gives you a decent finish. Not only that but plexi and acrylic will melt back together if you're pushing hot enough
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Feb 20, 2016 22:55
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Sagebrush posted:The calculators you find online are meant for production facilities where you need to optimize both cycle time and tool life because they affect your bottom line. I think the former -is- a legit concern I'll have eventually. Down the road, when I can do more than extrude different sizes of cylinder in Solidworks, I wanna do fancy 3D profile stuff for conforming dies and the like, and everything I've seen of Taigs doing stuff like that involve ridiculously long run times even in machining wax or foam. But I really don't see it mattering for the time being as long as I'm ballpark, yeah.
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Feb 21, 2016 00:33
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Ambrose Burnside posted:I think the former -is- a legit concern I'll have eventually. Down the road, when I can do more than extrude different sizes of cylinder in Solidworks, I wanna do fancy 3D profile stuff for conforming dies and the like, and everything I've seen of Taigs doing stuff like that involve ridiculously long run times even in machining wax or foam. But I really don't see it mattering for the time being as long as I'm ballpark, yeah. Those ridiculous run times on 2.5D profiling have more to do with the tiny endmills, low machine speeds (rapids and cutting alike) and complex geometry/toolpaths. A 2" by 2" cookie/chocolate mold of a dove in machinable wax took near an hour on my X2 at 50 IPM cutting speed and I couldn't push it any faster due to the poor rigidity and design of the whole machine. If that was steel, a mold I wanted a high surface finish on, it had a high % step-over between toolpaths and a tiny endmill yeah its gonna take a while.
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Feb 21, 2016 01:22
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Got my lathe converted to CNC today, and got it running some code with Mach3. So excited to get it all configured and making chips. I'm going to buy some delrin or something soft to practice on before I go full bore in to brass and nickel silver.
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Feb 21, 2016 02:01
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I'm thinking about a CNC purchase sometime down the road. I've heard nothing but good things about the Taig, but how does it compare to something like http://www.omiocnc.com/x4-800l-3a/ , which is a gantry design with linear guides?
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Feb 21, 2016 03:45
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rawrr posted:I'm thinking about a CNC purchase sometime down the road. I've heard nothing but good things about the Taig, but how does it compare to something like http://www.omiocnc.com/x4-800l-3a/ , which is a gantry design with linear guides? Taig is going to be way more rigid, able to cut mild steel (slowly) compared to 2.5d gantry CNC machines. You'll have more working space on the table with most gantry designs though
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Feb 21, 2016 10:44
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Brekelefuw posted:Got my lathe converted to CNC today, and got it running some code with Mach3. So excited to get it all configured and making chips. Pics! I'm hooking up my lathe's z steppers today, I'd love to see your design.
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Feb 21, 2016 20:46
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 This is the best pic I have right now. CNC in the front, manual lathe on shelf, and manual (soon to be CNC ) mill on top shelf. The Tupperware is the box for my breakout board and stepper controllers.
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Feb 21, 2016 21:13
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rawrr posted:I'm thinking about a CNC purchase sometime down the road. I've heard nothing but good things about the Taig, but how does it compare to something like http://www.omiocnc.com/x4-800l-3a/ , which is a gantry design with linear guides? That gantry machine site is all over the place- they say it's fine on non-ferrous metals, listing stainless steel as one of them, and then including carbon steel parts and brass mislabelled as copper in the machining examples. Poorly-translated and inconsistent copy does not inspire confidence.
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Feb 21, 2016 23:09
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The pact is sealed. I am gonna face mill a big block of steel, simply because I now have a machine that can. Wheeeee~ 
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Feb 22, 2016 21:19
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1 AM thoughts: reading about how working with really low feed rates can cause cutters to burnish work instead of making chips is making me wonder: does non-subtractive tooling for conventionally-subtractive machine tools exist, beyond measurement tools like edge-finders? I don't think people do much burnishing any more, but
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Mar 7, 2016 18:56
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I hand burnish all the time. Occasionally I will throw something on the lathe and burnish it under power as well. http://curtissjennyrestoration.blogspot.ca/2011/11/cowl-burnishing-louvers.html There is also this kind of burnishing.
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Mar 7, 2016 23:49
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I've burnished a lot of pewter by hand too, I just assume that it's fallen by the wayside in most modern applications outside of tumble-burnishing. Lathe-burnishing makes a lot of sense tho, yeah
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Mar 8, 2016 03:33
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I use it to lighten dents in solid stock (brass instrument mouthpieces) Hand burnishing with a polished piece of steel is standard practice in musical instrument repair.
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Mar 8, 2016 03:52
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Ambrose Burnside posted:1 AM thoughts: reading about how working with really low feed rates can cause cutters to burnish work instead of making chips is making me wonder: does non-subtractive tooling for conventionally-subtractive machine tools exist, beyond measurement tools like edge-finders? I don't think people do much burnishing any more, but ed: oh! Check out friction welding if you haven't before. That's additive. And really really cool. Some fuckers figured out how to friction weld wood. Parts Kit fucked around with this message at 15:17 on Mar 8, 2016 |
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Mar 8, 2016 15:11
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Parts Kit posted:I suppose this still counts as subtractive since an incredibly fine abrasive is involved but there are jeweling fixtures and bits for mills. They are used to create a pattern of shiny circles on a part for purely aesthetic reasons. The goal isn't to remove material, just create a pleasing pattern. Those same guys appear to be working on friction welding BONE. http://www.woodwelding.com/index.php/?page=idea-concept-bonewelding
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Mar 8, 2016 15:21
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Spin forming is done on a lathe, or lathe-like tool. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_spinning Knurling and thread-forming are also technically non-subtractive processes, though sometimes you might end up scraping off some material. I think there are also tools used specifically for work-hardening pieces under power. Swaging tools and stuff like that.
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Mar 10, 2016 09:18
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Ambrose Burnside posted:1 AM thoughts: reading about how working with really low feed rates can cause cutters to burnish work instead of making chips is making me wonder: does non-subtractive tooling for conventionally-subtractive machine tools exist, beyond measurement tools like edge-finders? I don't think people do much burnishing any more, but I wouldnt call it non subtractive but clapped out CNC mills are used for polishing and sanding all the time.
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Mar 11, 2016 05:14
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I was looking at one of those cheap Chinese things that consist of a box of parts which can be assembled into a bunch of different tools (such as a lathe, mill, and sander): http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__87843__Big_Power_Mini_Metal_8_In_1_Kit_HK_US_Plug_US_Warehouse_.html I've wondered if it would be at all possible to convert something like that for CNC without interfering with its ability to be reconfigured.
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Mar 13, 2016 03:25
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I just fully read the mach3 manual. Hopefully now I can get my motors dialed in. The distance per unit was very off when I tried to run some stuff, even though I followed a guide specific to my sherline . When I use mach3 with no custom setup, it runs my motors but doesn't have the distances correct, but when I load up a premade sherline profile, it won't even jog a motor. Very strange.
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Mar 13, 2016 22:41
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I know it's far from the best alloy for most projects but has anyone here tried casting aluminum cans into ingots for cheap material?
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Mar 22, 2016 18:07
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Parts Kit posted:I know it's far from the best alloy for most projects but has anyone here tried casting aluminum cans into ingots for cheap material? Is it worth the time to do that over going to the metal supply store and spending $20 on a chunk of aluminium? Its so cheap compared to other metals. Not to mention the amount of cans needed to make an ingot.
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Mar 22, 2016 21:11
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And the cost of fuel to melt them down.
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Mar 22, 2016 21:14
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I did some research on that a couple years ago, and the short answer is no, it's not cheaper. The cans have a lot of crap on them, and you need to do a lot of work to make it into anything decent. You can probably save money by getting cheap scrap AL from a junkyard or whatever and casting that into a useable shape. But honestly it's like building a boat, if you want to get into casting, knock yourself out, if you just want to do machining, buy commercial.
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Mar 23, 2016 00:35
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CBJamo posted:I did some research on that a couple years ago, and the short answer is no, it's not cheaper. The cans have a lot of crap on them, and you need to do a lot of work to make it into anything decent. You can probably save money by getting cheap scrap AL from a junkyard or whatever and casting that into a useable shape. But honestly it's like building a boat, if you want to get into casting, knock yourself out, if you just want to do machining, buy commercial. How is that like building a boat (like what's the full euphemism)
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Mar 23, 2016 01:15
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Brekelefuw posted:Is it worth the time to do that over going to the metal supply store and spending $20 on a chunk of aluminium? Its so cheap compared to other metals. Similarly I've wondered if it would be worthwhile to attempt simple composites out of sawdust and HDPE or something.
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Mar 23, 2016 02:07
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mewse posted:How is that like building a boat (like what's the full euphemism) Guessing here but I think he's saying if you want to build a boat from scratch then yay build a boat. If you just WANT a boat then buy one because unlike eg cooking making your own from scratch will not in any way compare to a modern manufactured one.
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Mar 23, 2016 02:44
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See here for how many cans it takes to make a teeny tiny puck of aluminum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSoWxG30rb0 Whether or not that's worth it to you depends heavily on your location, bank account, and spare time.
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Mar 23, 2016 05:02
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Parts Kit posted:I do not have a metal supply store nearby. The amount of cans isn't an issue, I've got several bags that have yet to be taken to the scrap yard. And it's not like other scrap aluminum is hard to find either. Because of the surface area cans produce huge amounts of dross when you try and melt them. If you compact them (really really compact them, not just crush) you can do decent. If you have scrapyards though, and you want to take up metal casting, find and melt aluminum alloy wheels. Auto salvage yards often sell them cheap, and wrecked ones very cheap.
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Mar 23, 2016 06:03
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Mister Sinewave posted:Guessing here but I think he's saying if you want to build a boat from scratch then yay build a boat. If you just WANT a boat then buy one because unlike eg cooking making your own from scratch will not in any way compare to a modern manufactured one. Yup, that exactly. Building a boat is really loving complicated, so if you want to sail, just buy a boat. If you want to build a boat for the experience of building a boat then the fact that it's hard is the point.
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Mar 23, 2016 10:15
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If you wanna cast aluminium, at least try to start with non-can feedstock- like other people said, cans are so thin that they can easily oxidize right through if not totally compacted, and the coatings on both sides of the container make a ton of dross. You'll have a much easier time melting down an old extension ladder or whatever.
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Mar 23, 2016 14:43
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Melting down a NEW extension ladder is even easier!
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Mar 23, 2016 17:08
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CrazyLittle posted:Melting down a NEW extension ladder is even easier! Or scrap aluminum extrusion/castings/scrap. Hit your local machine shop, I'll be they'd give you a bucket of the stuff. I pay like $3/lb at the local scrapyard for good aluminum drops, so scrap has to be less than that.
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Mar 25, 2016 00:18
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Aurium posted:Because of the surface area cans produce huge amounts of dross when you try and melt them.
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Mar 25, 2016 03:24
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Ordered a 4th axis for my mill, as well as adjustable angle holder for it, tailstock, and a few other goodies. Stupid UPS has decided that they can't deliver it to my home because of the duty charges, and is holding it until Tuesday at their warehouse across the city. The wait is killing me.
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Apr 1, 2016 22:54
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I'm assembling a cnc thing in my garage. I'm used to using openscad to make stl files. What software can I use to convert these into gcode?
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Apr 11, 2016 00:00
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Oh man, you're in for a nasty shock
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Apr 11, 2016 00:10
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Spazzle posted:I'm assembling a cnc thing in my garage. I'm used to using openscad to make stl files. What software can I use to convert these into gcode? I've been working on fixing a router, that now runs linuxcnc, and I really can't quote ante posted:Oh man, you're in for a nasty shock this enough. I was working with 3d printers before, and the cnc toolling suuuucks in comparison, at least as a beginner. Mostly I've been using pycam, which is slooooow. At least it's free and isn't otherwise obviously crippled. I hear good things about sheetcam from people I trust. I don't know if it does stls, or just 2.5d from vector graphics. It's relatively inexpensive. There's tons of packages, lots of strong opinions, and it seems the only ones universally regarded as good are >$200.
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Apr 11, 2016 01:08
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Aurium posted:I've been working on fixing a router, that now runs linuxcnc, and I really can't quote Pycam is indeed slow. Let's say I'm willing to buy some software under $300. What options are there?
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Apr 11, 2016 13:37
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