Six beginner/low budget end mills for aluminium(Affiliate links): Test video with Feeds and Speeds: th-cam.com/video/M-1dYJWh3rw/w-d-xo.html Tool 1: ⅛ inch 2 flute: bit.ly/2N2DyEE Tool 2: 4 mm 3 flute: bit.ly/2N2DPXZ Tool 3: 5 mm 3 flute: bit.ly/2N2DPXZ Tool 4: 4 mm 2 flute: bit.ly/2N1KYb2 Tool 5: 4 mm 2 flute: bit.ly/2SxnT6g Tool 6: 6 mm 2 flute chamfer: bit.ly/2tmihfX
The speed and feed your using is creating alot of backlash. Also if your getting vibration, reduce your spindle speed rpm not feed rate. I'll send a formula for working out speed and feeds. Some great speed and feeds for Ali Spot drilling S-3000 F-150 Normally go -2mm from Z0 Normal drilling S-3000 F-300 Peck 2mm ( will clear all swarf) Tapping Ali only - S300 for feed rate X by pitch. Example 12x1.75 S-300 F-525. To get really nice finishes your gonna want to do ruff and finish passes. The reason you had and ok finish is you was tracoydal cutting. Which will required a slower spindle speed but faster feed rates and small step over. If you was to do the ( ruffing ) in 0.5mm step down then a finishing pass at full depth. You should also get a nicer finish. Sorry to go on but hope this helps. And questions feel free to PM me Btw I work on Hurco VTXU 5axis CNC
James Tiberious Trawlin through YT looking for beginners advice and tips for a good 1st mill, starting to ‘get a feel’ for what direction to head in, then you bust out with whatever language that was, and the reality of the learning curve ahead of me to even begin to understand what the hell that hand controller contraption does kinda dawns on me... Sounded like when I hear welders talking or something....
@@muntee33 first mill in what regards? Machine or cutter? It also depends on what type of material you want to cut with it. If you let me know il do my best to help with what I can
even if your just beginner...or maybe especially whe... get a amachinist handbook and learn the 3 simple facts about feed, rpm, and the most important cutting speed. It all comes down to this, and the sure have a bit leewayy but not really that much if you dont have expirience. For example: handbook will say: aluminium needs cutting speed of 350 m/min and maybe 0.05mm advance per tooth of the endmill tool diamitar is lets say 8mm you will end up with 14 000 rpm and a feedrate of 2100 mm/s thats a bit crazy so if you want to tone it down then adjust feedrate and rpm at the same values so you maintain the depth of cut...afterall cutting aluminium is basically(...) the same, so tone it doen according to the machine and it will be fine
I am a certified precision machinist, you should always use 2 flutes mills on aluminum, and if you want a better surface finish increase the rotation speed to the maximum the machine will run and then slow down the movement speed, and the depth of cut and bite you take out of the material. On the large CNC machines we will take a .030-.050 depth pass. This also depends on the length of the mill the longer the mill the more deflection you get which results in chatter and a rougher cut. But on my final pass I will drop that depth to around .015 and get it super smooth. Keep in mind which way your machine flexes in the Y axis, try to control the path your mill is traveling so it cuts going in the more solid path of X axis, and uses Y axis for it travel rather than cut. So on your final pass decrease the depth to .015 and instead of the mill cutting the length way of the machine, have it travel back and forth across the machine as you mill and keep the pressure the mill is receiving against the more solid axis. You might find that improves the finish surface as well, if not fab up some supports for your Y axis so it is not able to flex like it does. Great video, I am trying to decide if I would be happy with one of these machines at home or if I would just be driven nuts by every little imperfection compared to a full sized CNC machine and how they output.
@florian florian As I understand from my research (looking into getting one of these) three flutes are best "middle of the road" bits - they can do it all but not as well as bits specific to the job. Single and double flutes are best for roughing. Four and five flutes are best for finishing.
I would like to comment about why this Endmill, not called a "BIT" broke, it is Not because it is a cheap High Speed Endmill, it is because it is a 4 Flute endmill designed for steel. When we cut aluminum we use a single, 2 or 3 Flute Endmill because they do not get loaded up with aluminum when the endmill gets Hot and makes the aluminum gummy especially when cutting 2024 or 01 condition aluminum. If you would slow down the speed and feed according to your cooling of your endmill and use less flutes it is possible to use High Speed tools. Infact during the 80's it was unheard of to use carbide to cut aluminum because up until then they, (the Carbide Endmills) were not ground correctly to cut aluminum. The manufactures started using different designs and geometry when grinding the carbide to bring about the designs we now use today. I have been a CNC Programmer, CNC Operator, tool and Die, and Mold maker of investment casting molds and Plastic injection molds for the last 40 years and have seen this industry grow throughout the years. Now I that I am about to retire I will have a 4 foot X 4 foot Mill of my design and build in my garage to have many years of FUN with! Enjoy!!
6061 is typically the easiest to machine. As you discovered, 2-3 flutes are all you want for aluminum to allow for chip evacuation and prevent welding. With the lack of rigidity of your machine, light radial cuts - especially along the x-axis - will typically cause vibrations that ruin the surface finish. You have to either finish with higher WOC and less DOC, adjusting for the flex of the machine or change to a conventional instead of climb cut so that the flex occurs parallel to the wall cut instead of 90 deg to it. Climb cutting is great if the machine is rigid enough.
From my experience in aerospace I learned a valuable rule. When you pay for a a drill or cutting bit, you are paying for the quantity of accurate holes or cutting they will preform. A $1 bit that makes 10 decent holes costs more per hole than a $5 bit that makes 100.
Add to that the disappointment and frustration of poorly finished or ruined parts, and some people will become disheartened and take up knitting instead! Your early attempts may still be part of an actual project that was the reason for buying the machine in the first place. My experience is that the immense pleasure I got from proudly showing off my beautifully crafted veeblesprocket is what made me want to try the next step. Buy the best tools and cutters that you can!
Awesome! If you ever consider upgrading the router just go straight for linear rails. With router spindle speeds a single flute endmill is almost a necessity, it allows you to take an actual chip at lower feedrates to better suit less rigid machines, and single flute endmills are extremely rigid and are harder to chip weld (not impossible ;). If you plan on cutting plate, get stubby endmills, saves carbide (money), and makes your setup more rigid. If you're still having trouble, take a smaller axial cut. I hate doing it, it multiplies the program length but also drastically increases reliability. Don't be afraid to lower your spindle speed to cut a real chip. Idk what you're running in your mister but tap magic has some aluminum mixtures that I've used before and liked. Up the air pressure and make sure the chips are getting blown out, the air blast is more important that the mist, gotta get those chips out. I've worked with an omio x8-2200 which is essentially a 6040 with linear rails and a 3hp spindle. My friend and I have cut boat loads of alu for an FRC robot, and it works great. We can do full depth adaptive in 1/4" plate with a 20% WOC on a 5mm carbide single flute at 40+ ipm, and we slot often to cut out parts, but this requires a lot of feed rate override and micromanaging to not break bits. This is just me typing up a bunch of stuff, I'll likely comment again as I remember more things. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Hi there, One of the things I noticed was after the first outside cut was made and the machine moved to the next run that you have the feed the wrong way round which makes the bit try to climb over the sidewall and not cut correctly if the cutter is running clockwise than the feed should be anti-clockwise which draws the cutter into the cut and not cause it to try and climb out of it.
Finally a video that shows what I have been looking for. A CNC router good enough too work on heard t6061 aluminum. So it should not be much harder to put a few designs on my anodized 7075 aluminum lowers
Looks good . My 2 cents is Stop Climb Milling go to conventional milling. And WD-40 for aluminum makes big difference. And a nice piece of 1/2 " steel plate or even heavier will stiffen things up "less chatter and More Mass " Keep up the good work
I learn a lot from John Saunders (nyccnc). He has a professional shop now, with big machines. But he started humble like you. And there are enough principles that apply to big and small machines alike.
Hi there, One thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet which is actually the source of ALL of your problems, the motor to leadscrew coupling. I'm pretty certain on these beige coloured machines, they use a flexible aluminium coupling between the stepper motors and the lead screw. Because it's flexible, any lateral cutting forces will cause the axis to bounce on the flexible coupling.
Awesome. You did your due diligence and tested the machines capabilities. 2 and 3 fl are best for aluminum. 4 will chip-weld. Mist is also best, so good job. Should spray a bunch of that wd40 in the bottle and save yourself the hassle.
I am a great fan of single-flute cutters. They do a lot to improve chip evacuation, and reduce re-cutting. Also, more space for coolant and air to reach the cutting edge, and reduce melting of the aluminium.
Maybe a minor tip: don't use MDF or wood-fibre plate to clamp your workpiece on, specially when using liguids for cooling. It compresses when you clamp your workpiece on it, but worse: if you use water or water/oil mixture or any kind of liquid to cool, this liquid will be sucked in by the waste-board and this may distort the underground, which in turn could result in reduced clamping force of your clamps, your workpiece could get loose etc. And indeed, increasing the stiffness of your construction may increase quality of the cuts. Why aren't you using special cooling fluid in your mist-spray device, it's just designed for that purpose, it won't make such a mess as using water and a spray can of WD40. Nice video though.
wow seeing this really makes me appreciate my workbee cnc even more. I have been cutting 8mm aluminium plate for the first time and its been cutting very clean and within +/- 0.02
In the industry we use Varsol and a misting bottle for aluminum to keep the carbide cutters from sticking to the chips. I even used it on magnesium bell housings for Ford Trucks.
Kudos for testing your machine's capabilities and finding a "sweet spot" for what you want to run. You discovered the hard way that aluminum should be cut with carbide end mills that have at most 3-flutes, and that the alloy matters. 6061 is the easiest to machine, although your 6060 looked fine. Two notes: 1) A flexible machine will leave a worse finish when climb cutting. Try a conventional cutting strategy on machines like the 6040 and use climb cutting for rigid setups like true CNC mills. 2) Instead of using water and WD-40 separately, use a water-soluble coolant/lubricant like Kool Mist that is designed specifically for mist systems.
Nix the music. I'd rather hear the aluminum chips flying than the repetitive tune of the music. lol I was looking at the 6040. Good to see what it can do.
I experienced the same issues cutting some types of aluminum where the cutting wasn’t what I had hoped for. I have some that mills really well and other pieces that don’t. I found that mild steel always seems to cut well though.
Welcome to the CNC brotherhood. From someone who has been there and done that I would pass on a couple of tips. 1) Starting out don't buy dear bits you are going to break heaps of them. Buy quantity not quality to start with (unless you have very deep pockets). It's false economy because when you don't know how to use them properly you are going to break or wear them out just as quick as cheap ones. 2) Learn about a climbing cut and a conventional cut, and you will very quickly work out what went wrong on the M. (mostly the machine is not really good enough at this point). 3) Learn to work within the limits of the machine and things like chatter will be greatly reduced. 4) Learn the appropriate cutter for the job, as you half worked out that alloy needs to be able to clear the cutter to stop the tip clogging up / welding. The problem was not the amount of flutes you had, but rather you weren't going fast enough for the amount you had. The machine currently can not go fast enough for 4 flutes so instead of speeding up, reduce the amount of flutes down to one or two, so you don't have to.
@@keithlucas6260 For my ER-11 collet I put in a 6mm single flute straight edge usually used in wood work for trimming edges. Works for plastics and aluminum.
i was a machinist 20 years ago, we would never use those tiny cutters for the bulk of the work, use a 12mm slot drill/ end mill for the bulk of the cutting, then use the tiny one just for finishing the small corner radiuses
nice job tho! Id say thats a success! Hmmm how to get rid of the chatter, id still say do a finishing cut of 0.5 mm at full depth with a larger diameter slot drill, larger diameter = less vibration, and try to only use the tiny slot drill to do those radiuses, might need a dremel of some sandpaper to help the blending in the finishing cut.
Sure wish I could figure out how to get my 3040 up and running...Really tricky figuring out all the steps to get these going. Major big time stuck getting mine going. Guess eventually I will have to buy the motion controller for 80 to 100 bucks...then buy Mach 3 or 4 for 175 to 200...Super stoked seeing your's running.
I have a 6090, cut aluminium all the time. 2.2kw spindle, run at full rpm, single flute carbide cutters, depth of cut ~20% of the width of the cutter, cooled and lubricated with an ethanol spray.
Datron, and don't balk at the price, well worth it. Or go 2 flute ebay carbide. but be highly polished. Its a router, not a mill. Milling tools with tight helix are not that great. What I look for is a 'slotting' cutter, as most of the work is cutting out the shape, not side milling a chunk of aluminium.
I've got the same machine. For Ali I use single flute carbide cutters. They leave a good surface finish. The bending of the x rails bothers me but as long as you don't push the machine too hard it doesn't affect things too much.
At that surface rate, you should be using a 1 or two flute Carbide Endmill with a 45 degree helix. Also, shorten that tool stick-out, unless it is needed.
Remove the air pressure or severely lower it. For surface finish you need to slow down the movement speeds. Keep the spindle at the high speed though. Your rig is moving too fast at the end to get a good enough finish with that much surface area hitting the bit. Also if you do a deep cut finish like that in the future. Make sure the bit is as straight as possible. Maybe make it a two step process. Have one bit for cutting and another sharper one for finishes. That would save you time and money in the end.
couple of tips: 1, turn WD40 can upside down and remove all pressure, drill a hole into bottom and fill that mister with WD40 instead, you waste allot of it here as the air just blows it away instead of to the cutter. I use methylated spirit on my mister and that works wonderfull, used it on alu for 2 years, both cools down and.. you dont really have any cleaning after.. 3 flute will work good here, as it has thicker core than 2 and 4 flute, i would also recommend to leave 0.2-3mm leftover radial and when you are done, do a cleanup pass with full depth to remove that leftover, gives a cleaner edge and wall finnish, experiment on how mutch leftover you need, if you have allot of marks from machining, you will need more to remove it in 1 or more layers in full depths. Saying that it was way to fast for a 4 flute cant be right, i cut at 2500 mm/min on 3 flute at 14200 rpm on my DIY cnc (aprox 0.052 chipload i think).. abit more sturdy than that china machine, but still. Also, those misters works well at aprox 2 bar pressure.. i have tried more and less, but with those chips 2 bar will be enough and compressor doesnt run hot on long run, you can check my channel for some of my cuts on alu, mostly test cuts.. should reckord a real cut (i have one, but my motormount was actually falling apart, so had to go very slow as i cut a new mount)
I have a bit of experience with machining, myself - since 1975, and I've NEVER seen a better cutting fluid for finishing aluminum than solvent. Yup, the solvent used in a standard shop parts washer. I, too, would simply suggest slowing the spindle speed and adjusting the feedrate for the proper chip load... Just sayin'!
wd40 is available as liquid www.amazon.com/WD-40-Multi-Use-Product-One-Gallon/dp/B00HEVDA1O/ref=sr_1_3?gclid=CjwKCAjw0tHoBRBhEiwAvP1GFbUFRfxqSIwgnscSV1CV_J_rMRl9mmQu38MU2CaW_n8wXQ6mM_nhXxoCdZcQAvD_BwE&hvadid=233970095727&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9028059&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7849571284478519757&hvtargid=kwd-322422269664&hydadcr=947_9642198&keywords=wd40+liquid&qid=1561636301&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Another reason for breaking cutters can be vibration and cutter loads in corner and bends of cut. With a pocket with alot of turns of corners it can load the % of the tool higher and would need the feed speed reduced and some case increased. Chatter residents can break tools too and can be fixed by change feeds and speeds and placement of the part in the fixture or vise.
Another tid bit is, instead of using High Speed End Mills, use Carbide 2 Flute End Mills. Yes it's a bit higher in price, but the tool will outlast high speed and you will see chips instead of dust as you called it. Also by adjusting Speeds and Feeds to accommodate the Carbide End Mill will be neccessary. Good Maching.
Use carbide on aluminum ONLY if the tool is coated. And never m,ore than 3 flutes. High speed steel 2-flutes work just fine.The real problem is that 4-flute endmills don't have proper chip clearance for chip evacuation, causing material to "roll" forward and back into the web, packing it full and overheating the material. It then "plasticizes", or gets "gooey" and stalls wimpy spindles, or breaks wimpy endmills.
A couple things I noticed, and a couple suggestions - When using that small of an endmill, smaller chip loads are better, stepover is generally 1/3 the diameter, .050" depth of cut is decent. When clamping, make sure the fulcrum is always slightly higher than the work to be held. Your 'axial cut' aka finish cut really shouldn't be removing more than maybe .005".
@@MBcreates With straight bar clamps, the work end of the clamp bar should be lower than the supported point. It makes sure that all the pressure from the clamp is downward onto the work and table. If the fulcrum (supported point) is lower, and the bar is coming up onto the work, there'll be sideways pressure on the work as well as downward. You might find this useful: www.homews.co.uk/page289.html
Dude the best possible solution for cutting aluminum alloys is one flute carbide endmill. Expensive but with proper coolant mist you can cut with 3mm diam. thickness of 2mm with 1000mm/min with high rpm, more than 20000. Or with 4mm diam. you can easily cut 5mm at 500mm/min. I use an alcohol solution for coolant and it works wonders. But it is essential to have a rigid machine. If you can move something by hand then you have problems....
Strongly agree also! I used to use two flute and they where ok but damn single flute is a whole new world! 24000rpm pushing 1000mm/m, 2mm doc and 3mm over with a 5mm bit!
thanks for the video! i've been looking at one of these machines to acquire. maybe a used one. anything chucked into a spindle is called an endmill...not a bit.
Try out some single flute endmills. It will allow you to use reasonable spindle speeds and feeds. I have this exact router BTW and have really enjoyed it so far. With a 4 flute you're not going to be taking a big enough bite with each revolution and the cutter will heat up fast. I've had great luck with aliexpress carbide single flutes especially the 6mm ones. For smaller, I've had good results with the ebay sourced kyocera single flutes. Good luck and keep it up with the vids!
A shorter tool and a zirconium nitride coated carbide endmill will make a big difference. The shorter cutter is 8x stiffer for every halving of length and the zirconium nitride keeps the aluminum from sticking to the cutter. Makes a world of difference in aluminum.
Couple questions. Where did you purchase that mill ? How much ? Can the spindle speed be reduced to 2,500 to 3,000 ? Was it already assembled ? Is it all aluminum ? Thank you PS. A good place to start for speeds and feeds is : Cutter speed ( every material has a cutter speed. You can look it up in Machineries Handbook ) x 4 divided by diameter = RPM If it's a lathe, that's the RPM of the stock, if it's a mill, that's spindle RPM. I've got 40 years as a machinist, CNC machinist, production engineer, and that has always been a great speed to start at. Tweak as necessary.
if you put an indicator against the spindle and can push more than .002 or more forget aluminum untill you beef up the router, you need enought chip load to not wear the end mill, I just scrapped a 25 year old 3,000 lb box way machining center, rigid is everything for metals, cheeting will just cause fustration, coolent wont help cutter deflection
I use an air tool oiler for the misting unit, and olive oil for fluid. 1 drop every 10 seconds or so, no smell, no sticky residue, and wipes clean. No health effects either!
You're really pushing the machine to its limits here. Try slowing everything down and reducing the chip load a little. As for the rigidity, yes, both the X and Y axis need to be fully supported. The best thing to do here is to just swap the rods with proper linear rails - the machine will become more rigid and will likely be able to take slightly heavier loads than in this video.
I'm considering getting a 6040. I have the linear rails picked out, and good ball screws/pillow blocks too, if needed. Wouldn't it also help to reinforce the Y & Z frame components with angle iron, big washers and thru bolts, or even bars of tool steel? Adding weight risks a stepper slip, but a 6040 isn't really a rapid CNC anyway. The 6040 just seems ... flimsy from this video, and that flimsiness shows up very clearly in the finished piece. Also, it doesn't look like any smoothing - the gradual deceleration/acceleration of the axes - is being employed during direction changes. Doesn't that practically guarantee overrun due to flexing on a CNC made of soft materials?
The Best Stooge Most highend aluminum manufacturing uses olive oil tho. Atleast everywhere where I‘ve been in Germany. One place I‘ve seen even used macadamia oil which is at least 60€ a liter.
I wish you would have gave the specs of your machine. It looked pretty beefy and I would have thought it would have easily handled the job so I am a bit disenfranchised looking at the purchase I made… I am looking to do similar work flows.
Try switch the tips, some materials are actually easier to cut without hss or ceramic, and just go for hardened old steel, especially cutting inconel and chopping things like aluminium
with this guy if i buy bits for acrylic im assuming it can cut acrylic very nicely right? of course if it does i will buy the best bits for acrylic i can find can you tell me if this would work for acrylic
You are better of with a single flute end mill for acrylic. Some companies are making special tools for cutting plastics: www.datron.de/en_gb/cnc-milling-tools/product-range/acrylic-end-mill.html
Hi friend, thank you for these videos. I had a 3040 CNC but could barely cut 3mm 6061 with. Is the the 6040 more powerful? Did you upgrade the router or any other components to be able to cut this aluminum. Thank you!
I have the 4030. The Z-axis can be moved upwards by about 2 mm. The ball screw is not fixed. Maybe this is the case with you and the vibrations are caused by it. I have not milled aluminum yet. With wood I had no vibrations. The spindle is too heavy.
Looking into getting a home/hobby cnc machine. How solid are these frames? Is this style better than the all extruded aluminum frames? Mostly looking at it for sign making. Though, I do intend a little work on aluminum pieces.
Hey fellow Dutchman! That is a lot of movement at 4:57 . I bought myself a OmioCNC X6-2200L with Linear Guide Rails. That thing is stable as a rock, not even a little movement. I think that your router is not suitable to mill aluminium. I recently milled some aluminium for the first time, and my best experience is with a single flute.
was that first cut at real time video? I was thinking that feed rate is terryfyingly fast! Then snap! haha. At a guess i would start at a quarter of that feed rate.
Most people don’t realize .... machining is expensive .... good quality cutters as someone else mentioned is important ... also learn about feeds and speeds, the difference between conventional milling and climb cutting with an end mill. Later
Did you program in a final profile cut? The rigidity of the spindle or table needs to be check, too much slop. Use a dial indicator to check run out. Also the quality of the spindle need to be checked. I believe the spindle bearings are not a precision matched set or properly preloaded. Does your software have programmable backlash compensation? Or does the machine PCB have pots for adjustment? I know these types of units aren't Fadels or a HAAS or have Fanuc drivers but the quality of the finish could be better. The other thing that can cause problems is the frame is too light and not as rigid ASA normal CNC. However, after every part of the frame is aligned get a taper drill and reamer and install two (if possible) taper pins where ever the frame bolts together. Make sure it is setting level on what ever you're using for a machine base. For such a light machine if you're going to machine metals to the depth you did in the video, consider anchoring it down. If the machine doesn't have spindle speed and feed over ride pots check to see if you can install them. Also grind a small flat on the shaft of your end mills where they align with the tool retention screw. I do believe you can get a much better finish.
Nice video. I have one of those mist kits laying around waiting for drilling/tapping, or 3d printing something to attache it,.. I like your approach better. I can do zip ties all day long. :D What is your spindle speed? I've had the same issues with clogging. I actually found it easier to cut steel because of the aluminum clogging the bit.
You can put oil in wather and dont use WD40 it special oil for colant, second thing for aluminium use 2 flut carbid end mil covered with dimond coating in germany its company make this mils
Hi, I noticed you are using a 6040 CNC router with Fusion 360. When you when to post process in the CAM part of the software, what machine did you select please?
Its a weird when I see these machines in action. Usually the floor damn near buckles under my Japanese iron when we take a cut. I can feel the machine rapid from 40 feet away and chew chips as big as rose pedals. At times flames rip forth as if you have ruptured hell itself. This is where I started, and its much gentler haha.
A couple of remarks: I wonder if the milling tool is perpendicular to the table. I see exactly where it cut the previous track when you have multiple tracks next to each other. It seems to me your milling speed is rather high for such a cheap and simple machine. I think you should lookup some tables on the internet about milling speed and amount of rpm for the tool for different materials you want to be milling. Another program to create the G-codes would also be nice. What you used here is not spectacular.
2:02 not matter fusion360 cut inside line anyway and tell RED RED RED. its so smart to tell but not make action not do it LOL one or couple time tested. still write G-code hand faster. all measures allready there when you drawing. same time can type to machine LOL
Maybe next time mill away majority of the material then for the finish ya create an in-line say ,015 with a smaller bit and why mill the top if it’s already smooth Ya just sand the top down at the end And put the sprayer alittle closer to the bit so it cools the bit diwn plus don’t know what kinda of oil your using, but ya can’t just use WD-40 thrs a special lube much thicker then the oil and really helps the cut a lot better
5:08 allready build cnc before 3d printers still babi. had 2 y linear FOUR x linear FOUR z linear spindle sandwiched between. no flex! later spindle rotate B-axis and table had a axis. 5 axis long before pocket nc and did not cost 5k opsy!
Great video sir , I like to know about machine, How can I ordered it? Price of machine and other required end mills or cutters. And like to see machining video on Jewellery product of silver or gold.. Plz send mi information
Hi Kenny, You control the machine with a laptop that runs Mach3, that's the control software that sends the pulses to the stepper drivers . You can type G-code / M-code straight in Mach3 but most people use a CAM program to get the G-code. So you don’t have to know G-code / M-code to run the machine. And yes it’s a fun machine to learn CNC!
watching your other vids how you replaced the bed and aligned the head so its square to the bed, has that on its own improved the finish compared to that last final cut where it was flexing the machine? or just different speeds and feeds has fixed that? Im looking at getting a 6040 very soon ive been watching lots of different vids from people they seem to do what I want to do but just seem a bit flexy, like anything do you buy cheap then spend money to upgrade it to something better or buy something more expensive to start with.
question.. I got the USB version and also have a 32 bit laptop on the way.. any tricky stuff ill run into getting setup , aside from tuning the machine in mach 3 ?? ive been watching every single video I can find for 2 weeks , I know from my last cnc router, there is a limited amount you can prepare because there are odd quirks that each individual may or may not see. ( for example , the machine was designed around F engrave, needless to say my computer would not run F engrave so I had to use vcarve , fusion , and easel, none of which I anticipated beforehand.
Congratulations on buying your machine. Your comment made me smile, I had that same child like awaiting when I had ordered my CNC. Setting up of the machine shouldn't be that difficult if you have some basic tech skills. Mach3: understand the 2 coordinate systems. Machine coordinates and workpiece coordinates. When you understand these concepts decide if you are going to use home switches or if you are going to home the machine by hand (every time you start your system up). CAD/CAM: I a big fan of FUSION 360, there are many YT tutorials, one year free trial and the UI is easy to work with. FEEDS/SPEEDS: I have a spreadsheet to calculate my feeds and speeds. Working with a spreadsheet helped me a lot and I highly recommend it. Most engraving spindles have almost no torque at low rpms, so I don’t run my spindle under 10k RPM. with a spreadsheet you can reverse calculate what feeds and endmills fit with this RPM range. When you understand the things I listed above you should be fine.
well that's good , thanks for the reply. Im a machinist ( manual ) so all the cutter geometry, feeds speeds etc will be fine.( yes the strictly manual machinist is going the way of the VCR , im aware ). Its the computer end that has me anxious.my last machine had homing switches, but the machine would quickly lose steps and think its off the table and hence I returned it/The biggest issue im reading about is the " free " version of mach 3 and the limitations there..
This is the cnc machine i had pegged as the best for the money. Its nice to see it working. Did you have to upgrade anything or did it work after you got it all assembled? Also i would have started cutting at a much slower speed. I cant believe it cut that fast. Its a cheap Chinese machine slow down your feed rate.
Six beginner/low budget end mills for aluminium(Affiliate links):
Test video with Feeds and Speeds: th-cam.com/video/M-1dYJWh3rw/w-d-xo.html
Tool 1: ⅛ inch 2 flute: bit.ly/2N2DyEE
Tool 2: 4 mm 3 flute: bit.ly/2N2DPXZ
Tool 3: 5 mm 3 flute: bit.ly/2N2DPXZ
Tool 4: 4 mm 2 flute: bit.ly/2N1KYb2
Tool 5: 4 mm 2 flute: bit.ly/2SxnT6g
Tool 6: 6 mm 2 flute chamfer: bit.ly/2tmihfX
I wouldnt recommend AlTiN for aluminum. Stick to ZRN. The alumimum in the coating will bond with the aluminum piece
The speed and feed your using is creating alot of backlash. Also if your getting vibration, reduce your spindle speed rpm not feed rate. I'll send a formula for working out speed and feeds.
Some great speed and feeds for Ali
Spot drilling
S-3000 F-150
Normally go -2mm from Z0
Normal drilling
S-3000 F-300
Peck 2mm ( will clear all swarf)
Tapping
Ali only - S300 for feed rate X by pitch.
Example 12x1.75
S-300 F-525.
To get really nice finishes your gonna want to do ruff and finish passes. The reason you had and ok finish is you was tracoydal cutting. Which will required a slower spindle speed but faster feed rates and small step over. If you was to do the ( ruffing ) in 0.5mm step down then a finishing pass at full depth. You should also get a nicer finish. Sorry to go on but hope this helps. And questions feel free to PM me
Btw I work on Hurco VTXU 5axis CNC
James Tiberious
Trawlin through YT looking for beginners advice and tips for a good 1st mill, starting to ‘get a feel’ for what direction to head in, then you bust out with whatever language that was, and the reality of the learning curve ahead of me to even begin to understand what the hell that hand controller contraption does kinda dawns on me...
Sounded like when I hear welders talking or something....
@@muntee33 first mill in what regards? Machine or cutter? It also depends on what type of material you want to cut with it. If you let me know il do my best to help with what I can
even if your just beginner...or maybe especially whe...
get a amachinist handbook and learn the 3 simple facts about feed, rpm, and the most important cutting speed. It all comes down to this, and the sure have a bit leewayy but not really that much if you dont have expirience.
For example: handbook will say: aluminium needs cutting speed of 350 m/min and maybe 0.05mm advance per tooth of the endmill
tool diamitar is lets say 8mm
you will end up with 14 000 rpm and a feedrate of 2100 mm/s
thats a bit crazy so if you want to tone it down then adjust feedrate and rpm at the same values so you maintain the depth of cut...afterall cutting aluminium is basically(...) the same, so tone it doen according to the machine and it will be fine
I am a certified precision machinist, you should always use 2 flutes mills on aluminum, and if you want a better surface finish increase the rotation speed to the maximum the machine will run and then slow down the movement speed, and the depth of cut and bite you take out of the material. On the large CNC machines we will take a .030-.050 depth pass. This also depends on the length of the mill the longer the mill the more deflection you get which results in chatter and a rougher cut. But on my final pass I will drop that depth to around .015 and get it super smooth. Keep in mind which way your machine flexes in the Y axis, try to control the path your mill is traveling so it cuts going in the more solid path of X axis, and uses Y axis for it travel rather than cut. So on your final pass decrease the depth to .015 and instead of the mill cutting the length way of the machine, have it travel back and forth across the machine as you mill and keep the pressure the mill is receiving against the more solid axis. You might find that improves the finish surface as well, if not fab up some supports for your Y axis so it is not able to flex like it does. Great video, I am trying to decide if I would be happy with one of these machines at home or if I would just be driven nuts by every little imperfection compared to a full sized CNC machine and how they output.
Did you end up buying a CNC for home use?
@florian florian As I understand from my research (looking into getting one of these) three flutes are best "middle of the road" bits - they can do it all but not as well as bits specific to the job. Single and double flutes are best for roughing. Four and five flutes are best for finishing.
I would like to comment about why this Endmill, not called a "BIT" broke, it is Not because it is a cheap High Speed Endmill, it is because it is a 4 Flute endmill designed for steel. When we cut aluminum we use a single, 2 or 3 Flute Endmill because they do not get loaded up with aluminum when the endmill gets Hot and makes the aluminum gummy especially when cutting 2024 or 01 condition aluminum. If you would slow down the speed and feed according to your cooling of your endmill and use less flutes it is possible to use High Speed tools. Infact during the 80's it was unheard of to use carbide to cut aluminum because up until then they, (the Carbide Endmills) were not ground correctly to cut aluminum. The manufactures started using different designs and geometry when grinding the carbide to bring about the designs we now use today. I have been a CNC Programmer, CNC Operator, tool and Die, and Mold maker of investment casting molds and Plastic injection molds for the last 40 years and have seen this industry grow throughout the years. Now I that I am about to retire I will have a 4 foot X 4 foot Mill of my design and build in my garage to have many years of FUN with! Enjoy!!
Nobody ever uses the Machinery Handbook or ever does the math and they just copy everyone else with bad information.
6061 is typically the easiest to machine. As you discovered, 2-3 flutes are all you want for aluminum to allow for chip evacuation and prevent welding. With the lack of rigidity of your machine, light radial cuts - especially along the x-axis - will typically cause vibrations that ruin the surface finish. You have to either finish with higher WOC and less DOC, adjusting for the flex of the machine or change to a conventional instead of climb cut so that the flex occurs parallel to the wall cut instead of 90 deg to it. Climb cutting is great if the machine is rigid enough.
From my experience in aerospace I learned a valuable rule. When you pay for a a drill or cutting bit, you are paying for the quantity of accurate holes or cutting they will preform. A $1 bit that makes 10 decent holes costs more per hole than a $5 bit that makes 100.
Add to that the disappointment and frustration of poorly finished or ruined parts, and some people will become disheartened and take up knitting instead! Your early attempts may still be part of an actual project that was the reason for buying the machine in the first place. My experience is that the immense pleasure I got from proudly showing off my beautifully crafted veeblesprocket is what made me want to try the next step. Buy the best tools and cutters that you can!
If you can't run the speeds and feeds the tool was designed for or if you lack rigidity your tool will fail no matter how much you pay for it
Awesome! If you ever consider upgrading the router just go straight for linear rails. With router spindle speeds a single flute endmill is almost a necessity, it allows you to take an actual chip at lower feedrates to better suit less rigid machines, and single flute endmills are extremely rigid and are harder to chip weld (not impossible ;). If you plan on cutting plate, get stubby endmills, saves carbide (money), and makes your setup more rigid. If you're still having trouble, take a smaller axial cut. I hate doing it, it multiplies the program length but also drastically increases reliability. Don't be afraid to lower your spindle speed to cut a real chip. Idk what you're running in your mister but tap magic has some aluminum mixtures that I've used before and liked. Up the air pressure and make sure the chips are getting blown out, the air blast is more important that the mist, gotta get those chips out. I've worked with an omio x8-2200 which is essentially a 6040 with linear rails and a 3hp spindle. My friend and I have cut boat loads of alu for an FRC robot, and it works great. We can do full depth adaptive in 1/4" plate with a 20% WOC on a 5mm carbide single flute at 40+ ipm, and we slot often to cut out parts, but this requires a lot of feed rate override and micromanaging to not break bits. This is just me typing up a bunch of stuff, I'll likely comment again as I remember more things. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Mo MO
remember that WHATEVER you use as a coolant will be coating your lungs, too.
Hi there, One of the things I noticed was after the first outside cut was made and the machine moved to the next run that you have the feed the wrong way round which makes the bit try to climb over the sidewall and not cut correctly if the cutter is running clockwise than the feed should be anti-clockwise which draws the cutter into the cut and not cause it to try and climb out of it.
Finally a video that shows what I have been looking for. A CNC router good enough too work on heard t6061 aluminum. So it should not be much harder to put a few designs on my anodized 7075 aluminum lowers
Looks good .
My 2 cents is
Stop Climb Milling go to conventional milling.
And WD-40 for aluminum makes big difference.
And a nice piece of 1/2 " steel plate or even heavier will stiffen things up "less chatter and More Mass "
Keep up the good work
I learn a lot from John Saunders (nyccnc). He has a professional shop now, with big machines. But he started humble like you. And there are enough principles that apply to big and small machines alike.
Hi there,
One thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet which is actually the source of ALL of your problems, the motor to leadscrew coupling. I'm pretty certain on these beige coloured machines, they use a flexible aluminium coupling between the stepper motors and the lead screw. Because it's flexible, any lateral cutting forces will cause the axis to bounce on the flexible coupling.
Awesome. You did your due diligence and tested the machines capabilities. 2 and 3 fl are best for aluminum. 4 will chip-weld. Mist is also best, so good job. Should spray a bunch of that wd40 in the bottle and save yourself the hassle.
I am a great fan of single-flute cutters. They do a lot to improve chip evacuation, and reduce re-cutting. Also, more space for coolant and air to reach the cutting edge, and reduce melting of the aluminium.
Nice to see aluminum stock being experimented with more and more!
Maybe a minor tip: don't use MDF or wood-fibre plate to clamp your workpiece on, specially when using liguids for cooling. It compresses when you clamp your workpiece on it, but worse: if you use water or water/oil mixture or any kind of liquid to cool, this liquid will be sucked in by the waste-board and this may distort the underground, which in turn could result in reduced clamping force of your clamps, your workpiece could get loose etc. And indeed, increasing the stiffness of your construction may increase quality of the cuts. Why aren't you using special cooling fluid in your mist-spray device, it's just designed for that purpose, it won't make such a mess as using water and a spray can of WD40. Nice video though.
wow seeing this really makes me appreciate my workbee cnc even more. I have been cutting 8mm aluminium plate for the first time and its been cutting very clean and within +/- 0.02
In the industry we use Varsol and a misting bottle for aluminum to keep the carbide cutters from sticking to the chips. I even used it on magnesium bell housings for Ford Trucks.
Kudos for testing your machine's capabilities and finding a "sweet spot" for what you want to run. You discovered the hard way that aluminum should be cut with carbide end mills that have at most 3-flutes, and that the alloy matters. 6061 is the easiest to machine, although your 6060 looked fine.
Two notes:
1) A flexible machine will leave a worse finish when climb cutting. Try a conventional cutting strategy on machines like the 6040 and use climb cutting for rigid setups like true CNC mills.
2) Instead of using water and WD-40 separately, use a water-soluble coolant/lubricant like Kool Mist that is designed specifically for mist systems.
Nix the music. I'd rather hear the aluminum chips flying than the repetitive tune of the music. lol I was looking at the 6040. Good to see what it can do.
I kinda liked that funky beat.
I experienced the same issues cutting some types of aluminum where the cutting wasn’t what I had hoped for. I have some that mills really well and other pieces that don’t. I found that mild steel always seems to cut well though.
Welcome to the CNC brotherhood. From someone who has been there and done that I would pass on a couple of tips.
1) Starting out don't buy dear bits you are going to break heaps of them. Buy quantity not quality to start with (unless you have very deep pockets). It's false economy because when you don't know how to use them properly you are going to break or wear them out just as quick as cheap ones.
2) Learn about a climbing cut and a conventional cut, and you will very quickly work out what went wrong on the M. (mostly the machine is not really good enough at this point).
3) Learn to work within the limits of the machine and things like chatter will be greatly reduced.
4) Learn the appropriate cutter for the job, as you half worked out that alloy needs to be able to clear the cutter to stop the tip clogging up / welding. The problem was not the amount of flutes you had, but rather you weren't going fast enough for the amount you had. The machine currently can not go fast enough for 4 flutes so instead of speeding up, reduce the amount of flutes down to one or two, so you don't have to.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
I've taken busted two flute endmills and made single flute "flycutter" for high rpm finish cutting.
@@keithlucas6260
For my ER-11 collet I put in a 6mm single flute straight edge usually used in wood work for trimming edges. Works for plastics and aluminum.
best to use a single O flute carbide from Amana for Aluminum. This will help a lot. $35-$50 each.
i was a machinist 20 years ago, we would never use those tiny cutters for the bulk of the work, use a 12mm slot drill/ end mill for the bulk of the cutting, then use the tiny one just for finishing the small corner radiuses
nice job tho! Id say thats a success! Hmmm how to get rid of the chatter, id still say do a finishing cut of 0.5 mm at full depth with a larger diameter slot drill, larger diameter = less vibration, and try to only use the tiny slot drill to do those radiuses, might need a dremel of some sandpaper to help the blending in the finishing cut.
Sure wish I could figure out how to get my 3040 up and running...Really tricky figuring out all the steps to get these going. Major big time stuck getting mine going. Guess eventually I will have to buy the motion controller for 80 to 100 bucks...then buy Mach 3 or 4 for 175 to 200...Super stoked seeing your's running.
Hi Tod, That sucks. Have you tried posting your questions on forums/Reddit?
I am slowly figuring this out...so stoked...learning so much as I go. I am determined to be good at cnc.
The play in the x axis can be somewhat mitigated my mounting you work closer to the gantry and not in the middle of the machine bed.
I have a 6090, cut aluminium all the time. 2.2kw spindle, run at full rpm, single flute carbide cutters, depth of cut ~20% of the width of the cutter, cooled and lubricated with an ethanol spray.
Which brand end mill do you use? Link?
Datron, and don't balk at the price, well worth it. Or go 2 flute ebay carbide. but be highly polished. Its a router, not a mill. Milling tools with tight helix are not that great. What I look for is a 'slotting' cutter, as most of the work is cutting out the shape, not side milling a chunk of aluminium.
Thanx for sharing,1st vid i have seen, with what i wanted to know about cutting Aluminium cheers
I've got the same machine. For Ali I use single flute carbide cutters. They leave a good surface finish. The bending of the x rails bothers me but as long as you don't push the machine too hard it doesn't affect things too much.
1-3mm aluminum/3.175mm single flute. 4-6mm/4.762mm single flute:cut length 8mm. 7-10mm/4.172mm single flute: cut length 12mm.
At that surface rate, you should be using a 1 or two flute Carbide Endmill with a 45 degree helix. Also, shorten that tool stick-out, unless it is needed.
Remove the air pressure or severely lower it. For surface finish you need to slow down the movement speeds. Keep the spindle at the high speed though. Your rig is moving too fast at the end to get a good enough finish with that much surface area hitting the bit. Also if you do a deep cut finish like that in the future. Make sure the bit is as straight as possible. Maybe make it a two step process. Have one bit for cutting and another sharper one for finishes. That would save you time and money in the end.
I'm a tool and die maker.
You should be climbing, not the positive way . You will find much better cut . Because it will clear the cutting chips.
couple of tips:
1, turn WD40 can upside down and remove all pressure, drill a hole into bottom and fill that mister with WD40 instead, you waste allot of it here as the air just blows it away instead of to the cutter.
I use methylated spirit on my mister and that works wonderfull, used it on alu for 2 years, both cools down and.. you dont really have any cleaning after..
3 flute will work good here, as it has thicker core than 2 and 4 flute, i would also recommend to leave 0.2-3mm leftover radial and when you are done, do a cleanup pass with full depth to remove that leftover, gives a cleaner edge and wall finnish, experiment on how mutch leftover you need, if you have allot of marks from machining, you will need more to remove it in 1 or more layers in full depths.
Saying that it was way to fast for a 4 flute cant be right, i cut at 2500 mm/min on 3 flute at 14200 rpm on my DIY cnc (aprox 0.052 chipload i think).. abit more sturdy than that china machine, but still.
Also, those misters works well at aprox 2 bar pressure.. i have tried more and less, but with those chips 2 bar will be enough and compressor doesnt run hot on long run, you can check my channel for some of my cuts on alu, mostly test cuts.. should reckord a real cut (i have one, but my motormount was actually falling apart, so had to go very slow as i cut a new mount)
Thanks !
Kerosene also works wonders, and is more economical.
You can buy refillable spray bottles and 5l refill cans.
I have a bit of experience with machining, myself - since 1975, and I've NEVER seen a better cutting fluid for finishing aluminum than solvent. Yup, the solvent used in a standard shop parts washer. I, too, would simply suggest slowing the spindle speed and adjusting the feedrate for the proper chip load... Just sayin'!
wd40 is available as liquid
www.amazon.com/WD-40-Multi-Use-Product-One-Gallon/dp/B00HEVDA1O/ref=sr_1_3?gclid=CjwKCAjw0tHoBRBhEiwAvP1GFbUFRfxqSIwgnscSV1CV_J_rMRl9mmQu38MU2CaW_n8wXQ6mM_nhXxoCdZcQAvD_BwE&hvadid=233970095727&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9028059&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7849571284478519757&hvtargid=kwd-322422269664&hydadcr=947_9642198&keywords=wd40+liquid&qid=1561636301&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Another reason for breaking cutters can be vibration and cutter loads in corner and bends of cut. With a pocket with alot of turns of corners it can load the % of the tool higher and would need the feed speed reduced and some case increased. Chatter residents can break tools too and can be fixed by change feeds and speeds and placement of the part in the fixture or vise.
Another tid bit is, instead of using High Speed End Mills, use Carbide 2 Flute End Mills. Yes it's a bit higher in price, but the tool will outlast high speed and you will see chips instead of dust as you called it. Also by adjusting Speeds and Feeds to accommodate the Carbide End Mill will be neccessary. Good Maching.
Single flute is what is suggested for aluminum from everything I have read or seen.
Use carbide on aluminum ONLY if the tool is coated. And never m,ore than 3 flutes. High speed steel 2-flutes work just fine.The real problem is that 4-flute endmills don't have proper chip clearance for chip evacuation, causing material to "roll" forward and back into the web, packing it full and overheating the material. It then "plasticizes", or gets "gooey" and stalls wimpy spindles, or breaks wimpy endmills.
No oil in mist, full glog. Then , step down 1.2, step over 3, tool dia 4-5 mm. Speed 500mm/min, spindle speed 15-20 x1000 rpm
A couple things I noticed, and a couple suggestions - When using that small of an endmill, smaller chip loads are better, stepover is generally 1/3 the diameter, .050" depth of cut is decent. When clamping, make sure the fulcrum is always slightly higher than the work to be held. Your 'axial cut' aka finish cut really shouldn't be removing more than maybe .005".
Thanks for the tips! could you explain this part further: "When clamping, make sure the fulcrum is always slightly higher than the work to be held."
@@MBcreates With straight bar clamps, the work end of the clamp bar should be lower than the supported point. It makes sure that all the pressure from the clamp is downward onto the work and table. If the fulcrum (supported point) is lower, and the bar is coming up onto the work, there'll be sideways pressure on the work as well as downward.
You might find this useful: www.homews.co.uk/page289.html
@@MBcreates He means the height of the far end of the clamp should be at or above the level of the part that is clamping.
Needs to run way slower feed, Needs roughing pass and finish pass FOR SURE!
4 flute-5 are for steel typically.
3-2 flute are best for Al.
Use 6061-T6 for milling. We use 4 flute on it all day long with zero issues of packing. Your packing was from to high feed and not enough cooling.
Yes, 6061 seems to be the most popular alloy for machining: T4 or T6. But 2011 is also highly rated for machinability (I don't know what temper).
Dude the best possible solution for cutting aluminum alloys is one flute carbide endmill. Expensive but with proper coolant mist you can cut with 3mm diam. thickness of 2mm with 1000mm/min with high rpm, more than 20000. Or with 4mm diam. you can easily cut 5mm at 500mm/min. I use an alcohol solution for coolant and it works wonders. But it is essential to have a rigid machine. If you can move something by hand then you have problems....
Strongly agree also! I used to use two flute and they where ok but damn single flute is a whole new world! 24000rpm pushing 1000mm/m, 2mm doc and 3mm over with a 5mm bit!
use methylated spirit with a spray bottle. it allows for much more clean cut and less load up on the bit. you'll see the difference.
thanks for the video! i've been looking at one of these machines to acquire. maybe a used one. anything chucked into a spindle is called an endmill...not a bit.
Try out some single flute endmills. It will allow you to use reasonable spindle speeds and feeds. I have this exact router BTW and have really enjoyed it so far. With a 4 flute you're not going to be taking a big enough bite with each revolution and the cutter will heat up fast. I've had great luck with aliexpress carbide single flutes especially the 6mm ones. For smaller, I've had good results with the ebay sourced kyocera single flutes. Good luck and keep it up with the vids!
Thanks for you reply! Could you share some links from both end mills?
A shorter tool and a zirconium nitride coated carbide endmill will make a big difference. The shorter cutter is 8x stiffer for every halving of length and the zirconium nitride keeps the aluminum from sticking to the cutter. Makes a world of difference in aluminum.
What do you mean that the X axis is "unsupported?" Is it not connected to the two 15mm plates on the sides?
Couple questions. Where did you purchase that mill ? How much ? Can the spindle speed be reduced to 2,500 to 3,000 ? Was it already assembled ? Is it all aluminum ? Thank you
PS. A good place to start for speeds and feeds is :
Cutter speed ( every material has a cutter speed. You can look it up in Machineries Handbook ) x 4 divided by diameter = RPM
If it's a lathe, that's the RPM of the stock, if it's a mill, that's spindle RPM. I've got 40 years as a machinist, CNC machinist, production engineer, and that has always been a great speed to start at. Tweak as necessary.
I tried that twirking stuff - it doesn't work on alummm. Never mind... I see now you said TWEAK. And he said he got it for about $700.
Would this be able to drill 4x 16mm holes into a 3mm mild steel plate? If not is it possible to upgrade it to do that?
Very usefull information!
I recognized the packaging: Aluminium op maat. So you are dutch!
th-cam.com/users/MBcreatesabout yes
if you put an indicator against the spindle and can push more than .002 or more forget aluminum untill you beef up the router, you need enought chip load to not wear the end mill, I just scrapped a 25 year old 3,000 lb box way machining center, rigid is everything for metals, cheeting will just cause fustration, coolent wont help cutter deflection
I use an air tool oiler for the misting unit, and olive oil for fluid. 1 drop every 10 seconds or so, no smell, no sticky residue, and wipes clean. No health effects either!
That sounds pretty good. I’m going to test it. Thanks for the tip!
You're really pushing the machine to its limits here. Try slowing everything down and reducing the chip load a little.
As for the rigidity, yes, both the X and Y axis need to be fully supported. The best thing to do here is to just swap the rods with proper linear rails - the machine will become more rigid and will likely be able to take slightly heavier loads than in this video.
I'm considering getting a 6040. I have the linear rails picked out, and good ball screws/pillow blocks too, if needed. Wouldn't it also help to reinforce the Y & Z frame components with angle iron, big washers and thru bolts, or even bars of tool steel? Adding weight risks a stepper slip, but a 6040 isn't really a rapid CNC anyway. The 6040 just seems ... flimsy from this video, and that flimsiness shows up very clearly in the finished piece.
Also, it doesn't look like any smoothing - the gradual deceleration/acceleration of the axes - is being employed during direction changes. Doesn't that practically guarantee overrun due to flexing on a CNC made of soft materials?
which linear rails do you recommend? 15mm is enough??
th-cam.com/video/0R-j_6nLFIE/w-d-xo.html You are very right, I am working with aluminium and getting almost mirror finish...
Replace air and oil by olive oil to prevent stickies and for briant finish, it's not a joke a working alu. over 10 years and it work.
Olive oil is pretty expensive (even the cheap Walmart kind) for this.
The Best Stooge Most highend aluminum manufacturing uses olive oil tho. Atleast everywhere where I‘ve been in Germany. One place I‘ve seen even used macadamia oil which is at least 60€ a liter.
You just spray it with olive oil? You don’t need the air?
I wish you would have gave the specs of your machine. It looked pretty beefy and I would have thought it would have easily handled the job so I am a bit disenfranchised looking at the purchase I made… I am looking to do similar work flows.
I have a 3040 CNC, i don't have cut aluminium yet but i think it's more solid due to its less dimensions
Try switch the tips, some materials are actually easier to cut without hss or ceramic, and just go for hardened old steel, especially cutting inconel and chopping things like aluminium
with this guy if i buy bits for acrylic im assuming it can cut acrylic very nicely right? of course if it does i will buy the best bits for acrylic i can find can you tell me if this would work for acrylic
You are better of with a single flute end mill for acrylic. Some companies are making special tools for cutting plastics: www.datron.de/en_gb/cnc-milling-tools/product-range/acrylic-end-mill.html
Hi friend, thank you for these videos. I had a 3040 CNC but could barely cut 3mm 6061 with. Is the the 6040 more powerful? Did you upgrade the router or any other components to be able to cut this aluminum. Thank you!
Hi, I have just bought a 3040....what's the wattage of your motor?
I have the 4030. The Z-axis can be moved upwards by about 2 mm. The ball screw is not fixed. Maybe this is the case with you and the vibrations are caused by it. I have not milled aluminum yet. With wood I had no vibrations. The spindle is too heavy.
Looking into getting a home/hobby cnc machine. How solid are these frames? Is this style better than the all extruded aluminum frames? Mostly looking at it for sign making. Though, I do intend a little work on aluminum pieces.
Hey fellow Dutchman! That is a lot of movement at 4:57 . I bought myself a OmioCNC X6-2200L with Linear Guide Rails. That thing is stable as a rock, not even a little movement. I think that your router is not suitable to mill aluminium.
I recently milled some aluminium for the first time, and my best experience is with a single flute.
I've got an Omio also. It makes great chips using a 6mm single flute at 15krpm 600mm/m 2mm cuts
Thanks for sharing your experience
Is your 6040s the version will ball screws or just regular trapezoid thread?
was that first cut at real time video? I was thinking that feed rate is terryfyingly fast! Then snap! haha. At a guess i would start at a quarter of that feed rate.
Most people don’t realize .... machining is expensive .... good quality cutters as someone else mentioned is important ... also learn about feeds and speeds, the difference between conventional milling and climb cutting with an end mill. Later
take the spindel speed 4and 5000 drop the feed made cuts to o.5 rough the bulk of the aly out then drop to the face and take one cut for finish
Did you program in a final profile cut? The rigidity of the spindle or table needs to be check, too much slop. Use a dial indicator to check run out. Also the quality of the spindle need to be checked. I believe the spindle bearings are not a precision matched set or properly preloaded. Does your software have programmable backlash compensation? Or does the machine PCB have pots for adjustment? I know these types of units aren't Fadels or a HAAS or have Fanuc drivers but the quality of the finish could be better. The other thing that can cause problems is the frame is too light and not as rigid ASA normal CNC. However, after every part of the frame is aligned get a taper drill and reamer and install two (if possible) taper pins where ever the frame bolts together. Make sure it is setting level on what ever you're using for a machine base. For such a light machine if you're going to machine metals to the depth you did in the video, consider anchoring it down. If the machine doesn't have spindle speed and feed over ride pots check to see if you can install them. Also grind a small flat on the shaft of your end mills where they align with the tool retention screw. I do believe you can get a much better finish.
the "Clogging up" is called chip welding, its caused by poor chip evacuation and recutting chips
Nice video. I have one of those mist kits laying around waiting for drilling/tapping, or 3d printing something to attache it,.. I like your approach better. I can do zip ties all day long. :D What is your spindle speed? I've had the same issues with clogging. I actually found it easier to cut steel because of the aluminum clogging the bit.
Can we use 1.5mm diameter cutter easily, what u suggest
4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12mm tungsten steel alloy milling cutter PCB milling cutter tungsten steel milling cutter engraving corn milling cutter
always assemble the tool SHORT as soon as possible. Try one flute bit... 4 flute is for finish work.
How powerful should the motor be if I want to cut 20mm thick aluminum?
Hi, how many watts is the motor?, thancks
Yes the feed speed is way too high for this machine....slowing down would produce better results and not stress the machine
what program did you use for generating gcodes?
You can put oil in wather and dont use WD40 it special oil for colant, second thing for aluminium use 2 flut carbid end mil covered with dimond coating in germany its company make this mils
Hi, I noticed you are using a 6040 CNC router with Fusion 360. When you when to post process in the CAM part of the software, what machine did you select please?
You usually select whatever software you are using to drive the machine. I use LinuxCNC so I pick that. UCCNC and Mach3/4 are also on the list.
What a great video man. Thank you.
also with the rotation of the bit clockwise, you would be better cutting in the same direction, or you will get that bounce
Its a weird when I see these machines in action. Usually the floor damn near buckles under my Japanese iron when we take a cut. I can feel the machine rapid from 40 feet away and chew chips as big as rose pedals. At times flames rip forth as if you have ruptured hell itself. This is where I started, and its much gentler haha.
A couple of remarks:
I wonder if the milling tool is perpendicular to the table. I see exactly where it cut the previous track when you have multiple tracks next to each other.
It seems to me your milling speed is rather high for such a cheap and simple machine. I think you should lookup some tables on the internet about milling speed and amount of rpm for the tool for different materials you want to be milling.
Another program to create the G-codes would also be nice. What you used here is not spectacular.
Running hss cutter does not work well if rpms are too high .carbide works better. Also rigidity is everything for finish if its properly tramed in.
2:02 not matter fusion360 cut inside line anyway and tell RED RED RED. its so smart to tell but not make action not do it LOL one or couple time tested. still write G-code hand faster. all measures allready there when you drawing. same time can type to machine LOL
Maybe next time mill away majority of the material then for the finish ya create an in-line say ,015 with a smaller bit and why mill the top if it’s already smooth Ya just sand the top down at the end And put the sprayer alittle closer to the bit so it cools the bit diwn plus don’t know what kinda of oil your using, but ya can’t just use WD-40 thrs a special lube much thicker then the oil and really helps the cut a lot better
5:08 allready build cnc before 3d printers still babi. had 2 y linear FOUR x linear FOUR z linear spindle sandwiched between. no flex! later spindle rotate B-axis and table had a axis. 5 axis long before pocket nc and did not cost 5k opsy!
What's the size? Is it too loud for a flat?
Great video sir , I like to know about
machine, How can I ordered it? Price of machine and other required end mills or cutters. And like to see machining video on Jewellery product of silver or gold..
Plz send mi information
You need to reduce the speed rate, reduce to 1 floot the endmill this endmill is special for aluminum alloy
Really enjoyed that thanks, like that you kept all the learning points in too. What do you think messed up that final cut?
Does this machine do G-Code and M-codes? Looks fun to learn on
Hi Kenny,
You control the machine with a laptop that runs Mach3, that's the control software that sends the pulses to the stepper drivers . You can type G-code / M-code straight in Mach3 but most people use a CAM program to get the G-code. So you don’t have to know G-code / M-code to run the machine. And yes it’s a fun machine to learn CNC!
this is a 1.5KW spindle right ?
yes
what is the name of the 6040 cnc router your using
Used 1 flute 18000rpm and cutting speed lower a little bit :)
whats the name of used software to design shape ?
Where did you find that reference sheet of feeds and speeds? Can you post the URL?
www.productivity.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Fastcut%20End%20Mill%20Catalog.pdf
Hello friend, excellent video! I have a question, what features does your cnc have? I mean the type of engines you used and the guides, thank you!
Thanks ! it's a chinese CNC 6040 with a 1500 watt spindle and nema 23 stepper motors. you can see more info on ebay goo.gl/cT5X4E
watching your other vids how you replaced the bed and aligned the head so its square to the bed, has that on its own improved the finish compared to that last final cut where it was flexing the machine? or just different speeds and feeds has fixed that? Im looking at getting a 6040 very soon ive been watching lots of different vids from people they seem to do what I want to do but just seem a bit flexy, like anything do you buy cheap then spend money to upgrade it to something better or buy something more expensive to start with.
question.. I got the USB version and also have a 32 bit laptop on the way.. any tricky stuff ill run into getting setup , aside from tuning the machine in mach 3 ?? ive been watching every single video I can find for 2 weeks , I know from my last cnc router, there is a limited amount you can prepare because there are odd quirks that each individual may or may not see. ( for example , the machine was designed around F engrave, needless to say my computer would not run F engrave so I had to use vcarve , fusion , and easel, none of which I anticipated beforehand.
Congratulations on buying your machine. Your comment made me smile, I had that same child like awaiting when I had ordered my CNC. Setting up of the machine shouldn't be that difficult if you have some basic tech skills. Mach3: understand the 2 coordinate systems. Machine coordinates and workpiece coordinates. When you understand these concepts decide if you are going to use home switches or if you are going to home the machine by hand (every time you start your system up). CAD/CAM: I a big fan of FUSION 360, there are many YT tutorials, one year free trial and the UI is easy to work with. FEEDS/SPEEDS: I have a spreadsheet to calculate my feeds and speeds. Working with a spreadsheet helped me a lot and I highly recommend it. Most engraving spindles have almost no torque at low rpms, so I don’t run my spindle under 10k RPM. with a spreadsheet you can reverse calculate what feeds and endmills fit with this RPM range. When you understand the things I listed above you should be fine.
well that's good , thanks for the reply. Im a machinist ( manual ) so all the cutter geometry, feeds speeds etc will be fine.( yes the strictly manual machinist is going the way of the VCR , im aware ). Its the computer end that has me anxious.my last machine had homing switches, but the machine would quickly lose steps and think its off the table and hence I returned it/The biggest issue im reading about is the " free " version of mach 3 and the limitations there..
This is the cnc machine i had pegged as the best for the money. Its nice to see it working. Did you have to upgrade anything or did it work after you got it all assembled? Also i would have started cutting at a much slower speed. I cant believe it cut that fast. Its a cheap Chinese machine slow down your feed rate.
The only upgrade I did so far is installing home switches. I used the UC 100 usb motion controller and a 64 bit laptop.
What is the name of the instrumental at around the 8:00 minute mark?
Do you mean the brass and orange thing? It's a nozzle that blows compressed air and water. It's for chip evacuation and cooling.
@@MBcreates I am sorry. I mean the music you used.
Did you ever find a supported rail to fit the 6040?