Andy H Posted October 23, 2010 Report Share Posted October 23, 2010 How about this . http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Ma...-CNC-Hobby-Mill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddan Posted October 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2010 How about this . http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Ma...-CNC-Hobby-Mill I have heard good things about them but have you seen the price. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddan Posted October 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2010 I know that other companies sell them but these are by far the best that we have used at work http://www.itc-ltd.co.uk/allProducts02.htm 2041 can't open the cutter data but recommend you get one with a corner rad 1mm for roughing out and one with out for finishing sharp corners. Just ask for a catologue and will have all the speeds and feeds. Don't take any notice of the price in the catalogue when you call to order you can generally get a good discount. Hope this helps keep me posted would be intersted to see how you get on I have to admit that I didn't buy from them but did buy the same style from a local tool firm. They cut much much better, I think the original cutters I had were just poor quality. Thanks for your help. I tried to move my CAD drawing across to Mach 3 earlier in the week via LazyCam and it didn't work very well and I think it was a issue within LazyCam and I need to learn more about the settings. To be honest I can't be bothered to learn a third bit of software in the month so I wrote the G-code manaully. I am really pleased with the outcome and that it isn't that bad to write (sadly I actualy found it quite fun and challenging). Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot Posted October 29, 2010 Report Share Posted October 29, 2010 I bought myself a small CNC mill a while back and although recently I haven't had much time to use it I am looking for ideas for early projects. There are a number of downloadable designs available and I have used this site below with good results Link Mill can take wood, plastic and light ali. It has approx a4 size bed with a 60mm height limit. Or if there is anyone out there who is well versed in CAD I can translate into code and cut whatever. Dan ive been on my own biuld best part of a year ive made a little progress with it since this picture was taken,but i wish id gone down your route and just bought one lol. im hoping to get by with vectrics cut2d/3d for the odd sign etc it seems easy enough to learn but the cad side of things is over my head at the minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddan Posted October 31, 2010 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2010 ive been on my own biuld best part of a year ive made a little progress with it since this picture was taken,but i wish id gone down your route and just bought one lol.im hoping to get by with vectrics cut2d/3d for the odd sign etc it seems easy enough to learn but the cad side of things is over my head at the minute. Looks good, i did want to make my owm but i knew the degree of accuracy I would be patent for wouldn't be anywhere close tothat required. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espron Posted November 26, 2010 Report Share Posted November 26, 2010 My Hobby Mill 10,000 Rpm spindle 20m 3 axis rapid 24 station auto tool changer bit of an animal really, Would be intrested to see if you could mill some 3D stuff with it as when doing all three axis at the same time they can jitter and skip Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddan Posted November 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2010 My Hobby Mill 10,000 Rpm spindle 20m 3 axis rapid 24 station auto tool changer bit of an animal really, Would be intrested to see if you could mill some 3D stuff with it as when doing all three axis at the same time they can jitter and skip Wow thats a beast. Is that really for your hobby use? I have done some 3d stuff and it seems ok. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espron Posted November 27, 2010 Report Share Posted November 27, 2010 Na drive it for a living but when you do it all day, the magic rubs off. But to be fair it's handy if you have a job that needs doing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbr Posted December 28, 2010 Report Share Posted December 28, 2010 My home made CNC router - made mainly from S/H bits sourced via eBay. Picture is a little out of date as it now has a solid aluminium base plate and a vacuum table on it. Been useful for making all sorts of bits and pieces. Also it has a different spindle fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsg Posted December 28, 2010 Report Share Posted December 28, 2010 awsome. how much did this cost overall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbr Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 awsome. how much did this cost overall? All the bits cost £1000 - but the axes are high precision, zero backlash ballscrews, and the Z-Axis has a 1:32 planetary gearbox (also backlash free), which cost a good proportion of the total, but were well worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveoM Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 bargin of the year 2010 HAAS TM1 3 months old £10k cash cost £23.5k 3 months ago. to say i was chuffed would be an under statment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob4586 Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 I'm almost sure you'll never have to touch G codes in anyway these days. Our stuff at work just gets a DXF or IGES shot at it, and the CAM software just wants to know a datum and where to start machining. I think this is what Mach3 does, though I am not familiar with the product. I've used Solidworks for 10 years now (VX vision before that), and there are many nice plug-ins and add-ons to spit out G-code from it directly. Yup, G-code is still used a lot though. Otherwise how can you check the programme the PC has written? Especially when dealing with titanium we can't afford errors I personally still write any programs i need in G-code for projects. Part of it to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveoM Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Yup, G-code is still used a lot though. Otherwise how can you check the programme the PC has written? Especially when dealing with titanium we can't afford errors I personally still write any programs i need in G-code for projects. Part of it to me You can only write g code for simple parts on simple machines unless you dont want to stay competative. Most Cam saftware has builtin simulators and touch wood we havnt had one crash on code produced on our cam software it was worth every penny and has paid for itself 100 times over. Try writing g code when 3d milling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob4586 Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 (edited) You can only write g code for simple parts on simple machines unless you dont want to stay competative. Most Cam saftware has builtin simulators and touch wood we havnt had one crash on code produced on our cam software it was worth every penny and has paid for itself 100 times over. Try writing g code when 3d milling Yup I agree it is quicker. But we do plenty of 3D milling without CAM. 8 axis turning centres are quite often programmed by hand in smaller engineering firms with experienced CNC setters in not long time periods. Edited January 2, 2011 by rob4586 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolhead Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Hi chaps, if I might chuck in my two-pennies worth? "3D milling" is a vague term which might cover everything from a plunged slot drill to rapid prototyping a complex object. "3D milling" is definitely possible by hand but a million lines of code isn't for humans. A canned cycle in conversational mode is more profitable than standing at a stationary machine typing and de-bugging. Horses for courses. There is no single correct solution for everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob4586 Posted January 2, 2011 Report Share Posted January 2, 2011 Hi chaps, if I might chuck in my two-pennies worth? "3D milling" is a vague term which might cover everything from a plunged slot drill to rapid prototyping a complex object. "3D milling" is definitely possible by hand but a million lines of code isn't for humans. A canned cycle in conversational mode is more profitable than standing at a stationary machine typing and de-bugging. Horses for courses. There is no single correct solution for everything. Yup, good opinion here! Whatever can be written by a PC could be written by humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveoM Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Horses for courses. There is no single correct solution for everything. There is and it's called CAM in 20 years time g code will be forgotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolhead Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 There is and it's called CAM in 20 years time g code will be forgotten. Hey, I'll take that bet! Draw, CAM and pipe it to memory to round 4 corners, add a few holes and a contour pocket? Are you in the public sector? Conversational mode is fast, easy to debug and efficient for simple jobs so it will be here forever. ISO mode enables people to use multiple controllers with minimal re-training so that will be here forever. There will even be a small need for manual machines forever. A large segment of jobbing machine shops don't use CAM at all. A small segment of the market cannot operate without it. Most job vacancies require programming skills on a specific controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob4586 Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Hey, I'll take that bet! Draw, CAM and pipe it to memory to round 4 corners, add a few holes and a contour pocket? Are you in the public sector? Conversational mode is fast, easy to debug and efficient for simple jobs so it will be here forever. ISO mode enables people to use multiple controllers with minimal re-training so that will be here forever. There will even be a small need for manual machines forever. A large segment of jobbing machine shops don't use CAM at all. A small segment of the market cannot operate without it. Most job vacancies require programming skills on a specific controller. Yup, CAM isn't cheap. I truly believe that before you even touch CAM you should be proficient writing program with G-code. But then I do believe in full training, not just getting the job done. Unfortunately businesses do often not see this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolhead Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Yup, CAM isn't cheap. I truly believe that before you even touch CAM you should be proficient writing program with G-code. But then I do believe in full training, not just getting the job done. Unfortunately businesses do often not see this. With you on that. There are few CAM jobs that can't be optimised greatly by an expert. I had to self train. All that money for a m/c but they turn their noses up at a few hundred for training? Where are their heads? Training isn't a personal favour for an employee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveoM Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 Hey, I'll take that bet! Draw, CAM and pipe it to memory to round 4 corners, add a few holes and a contour pocket? Are you in the public sector? Conversational mode is fast, easy to debug and efficient for simple jobs so it will be here forever. ISO mode enables people to use multiple controllers with minimal re-training so that will be here forever. There will even be a small need for manual machines forever. A large segment of jobbing machine shops don't use CAM at all. A small segment of the market cannot operate without it. Most job vacancies require programming skills on a specific controller. We will just have to disagree on this one. You have your opinion i have mine. End of the day I want the most productivity and efficiency as this = more money. I am a true investor in people and believe well trained staff to be a key point in our strategy. As stated before our investment into cam has paid for it's self multiple times over and has secured our place within the market. End of my rant. If anybody is still around in 20 years time and fancy emailing me about how I knew g code would be forgotten in 20 years time. I'll answer it now. They have already started selling machines with out iso imput. The art of writing code is dieing just like general manufacturing in the uk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob4586 Posted January 3, 2011 Report Share Posted January 3, 2011 We will just have to disagree on this one. You have your opinion i have mine. End of the day I want the most productivity and efficiency as this = more money. I am a true investor in people and believe well trained staff to be a key point in our strategy. As stated before our investment into cam has paid for it's self multiple times over and has secured our place within the market. End of my rant. If anybody is still around in 20 years time and fancy emailing me about how I knew g code would be forgotten in 20 years time. I'll answer it now. They have already started selling machines with out iso imput. The art of writing code is dieing just like general manufacturing in the uk. Fair doos mate. We all have our opinions. It's just as mentioned the biggest downfall of computers is their lack of intelligence. Until artificial intelligence arrives. But on this one I'll have to disagree with you! Tab, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitloop Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 (edited) there is a very big difference between trained and skilled as you can train a monkey to press a button but you cant make it skilled to know how it works :good:and this is the problem with employers today is they only train opperatives not skilled enginers the ones that they call skilled are the ones that have never got there hands dirty. dont you just miss real apprentiships work from the bottom and work yr way up the ladder in other words you know what you are talking about insted of some jumped up 12 year old who went to uni and never worked out a thing accept what a lectureor has told them . :o then telling a skilled person of 20+ years how to do his job. rant over Edited January 4, 2011 by fruitloop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coolhead Posted January 4, 2011 Report Share Posted January 4, 2011 there is a very big difference between trained and skilled as you can train a monkey to press a button but you cant make it skilled to know how it works :good:and this is the problem with employers today is they only train opperatives not skilled enginers the ones that they call skilled are the ones that have never got there hands dirty. dont you just miss real apprentiships work from the bottom and work yr way up the ladder in other words you know what you are talking about insted of some jumped up 12 year old who went to uni and never worked out a thing accept what a lectureor has told them . :o then telling a skilled person of 20+ years how to do his job. rant over To my utter disgust it has been my recent experience that very many mechanical engineering companies operate without ANY qualified engineers on the books at all! They muddle through until they break things so badly that business stops then use contractors to clear up the mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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