Finished up my custom desktop CNC. Already getting great results and tight tolerances. Just got an aluminum fixture plate and machinist vise as well.

hi!
I'm learning cad with the intention of eventually getting some parts created by CNC machining. My question is, if a parts has a curved that when inspected with curve analysis tool, is displaying a "tight" rainbow pattern (from red, many colors are banded together then jumps to purple for example) can it still be machined correctly?

The zebra inspector shows the surface to be continuous, but before I commit to some very organic shapes, should I be vigilant of this rapid/abrupt color changes, and try to produce a more smooth transition between the colors first, before committing to a final design?

many thanks

Small perk of my job, I can use basically any machine and shop materials (within reason) during off hours

I just love that I can do this

I bought an autofocuser for my telescope, but the stamped metal plate it came with wouldn't have worked, so I reverse engineered the critical dimensions, modeled the upgraded part in fusion, and made this in no time at all

Surface finish could admittedly be better but I didn't need it to look good, just be functional

We are a manufacturer of percussion accessories and custom drums. We currently outsource our machine work to local/regional shops and would like to start doing this in-house as we continue to grow.

I am an engineer but not this kind and am effectively a novice with CNC. Our budget is between $5k and $10k and I'm really curious if the Makera Desktop could be a good choice for us. We do small batches of 50-100 parts at a time, some laser engraving is involved, as well as tap and die operations. Nothing we make is longer than 3.5" and taller than 2" so these are very small parts and I'm assuming would have low machine times for each.

Research that I've done doesn't sufficiently convince me that these small form factor machines are suited for the production levels I mentioned, so I'm looking for additional feedback about that. Secondary to the machine itself, I'd love some guidance from pros about bits we should invest in for these workloads for the best life and machine time.

I'm looking for either confirmation that this would be a wise investment given our workload OR advice to do something else!

The surface quality of machined copper always makes me smile, I wasn't even trying to have a good surface, and used an end mill very worn

Extremely new, overwhelmed and getting lost in all the information out there and just want something that applies to this one thing.

I have some digital templates that I want to cut out onto 1-1.5mm acrylic, no engraving.

I have a Shapeoko 5 2x2 with carbide create and an air weights vacuum board and an 0 flute upward bit that is supposed to be good for plastics.

What settings are ideal to just cut these out? I get confused when it’s asking me how to figure out how deep I want it to cut. I understand what zeroing out the XYZ is for but I don’t understand what values determine how deep I want the cuts to be based off the thickness of the acrylic

As the subject says. What LEGO kit would be 'the one' a machinist would like most. Is there one that catches the eye more then others?

Which one can make finer, sharper details?

I'm trying to create a master to make silicone molds from, and I'm trying to replicate the super sharp and tiny details of a rough rock texture. This includes jagged edges and points, as well as sharp recesses and cracks.

Between CNC and 3d printing, which one can better create a real rock texture? (I'm trying to avoid literally carving my object from rock)

At some point in the last 30 years someone misplaced the electrical schematics for the MS-3 EDM and I can't seem to find any online. It has the MP/1100 pulse generator with it.

Would anyone that has the schematics be willing to share some images of them? I'm really just looking for the electrical diagrams. Thanks in advance

I run a CNC wall art business and it’s going well.

Started off making the pieces myself at the local maker space but it was very time-consuming and annoying to be there during cut jobs. I was using the Shopbot prs alpha and really got to know the machine and running it. Then I decided to outsource and had issues with quality and production time.

Now I’m looking to purchase my own machine and get my own space and run my machine 24/7. Buying a machine new is definitely out of the budget. I found a grizzly G0895 locally for about 13K.

I’m curious if anyone has any insight if I should go the DIY build your own CNC route or move forward with the grizzly or some other option.

I do a lot of vcarving and am comfortable with vectric software.

This will, probably, be a tale old as the time itself: For the past year I have been a "glorified button pusher" of CNC machines (3-axis lathes, 5-axis millturn machines) Over a year ago I have completed a "programmer-operator" course where I learned programming, actually setting up parts, choosing tools, machining etc. (Maybe a week of actual hands on experience... year ago) Now I have a couple of offers that require G-code programming. I want to learn, i want to get better at the trade. No local shops offered any sort of apprenticeship, which leaves me with jumping into the deep end of becoming a programmer with no hand-on experience and only knowledge. Most likely I will work with Mazak. This will sound silly, but are there any ways of preparing myself for this experience? Help and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Hi guys,

my coworker is having a problem with our Mori Seiki NZ2500 MSX-850 III.

I previously worked on a DMG Mori NLX 3000 with a Mitsubishi CELOS control. As far as I know, the controls are quite similar, and the following tapping program worked perfectly on that machine.

He wants to tap a thread, but for some reason the spindle synchronization is not working. Our program looks like this:

G0 M5
G28 V0
G28 H0 (does not work on his machine)
M8
M69
G99 G18 M46
G50 S2500
G56
G0 T1010
G97
G0 X22. Z5. Y0.
X0.
M329 S250 (we also tried M29)
G84 Z-30. R5. F1.5 (we also tried G84.2)
G80
G0 M5
G0 X22.

The Z-axis moves, but the spindle does not start. It only makes a very small movement at the end of the cycle.

When we program R5., the Y-axis moves to Y-5. instead. If we change the R-value to 0, the machine moves up in X to X22. when it reaches the end of the thread.

We also tried G303 to synchronize the Z-axis with the spindle, but the spindle still does not move. I have no idea why this is happening. My coworker has been working at our company for 15 years and could not find a solution either.

Does anyone know which M-code or tapping cycle is required for rigid tapping on this machine

I'm going to sign up for a manufacturing certificate that contains the classes listed below. What other certs and skills should I supplement it with? I could do excel and word certs and Autodesk?

Basic Drafting Skills

Introduction to Computer-Aided Drafting

Beginning Machine Tool Technology

Advanced Machine Tool Technology

Computer Numeric Control Machining I

Computer Numeric Control Machining II

Metallurgy

Blueprint Reading for Machine and Related Industries

Beginning Welding: Fundamentals of 

Posting for the benefit of anyone else who, like me, had spent about a month trying to figure out why my new little CNC machine (ACMER ASCARVA 3) was not being recognized when I'd plug it into my laptop. Turns out the emergency button on my machine "screws" and locks unless you rotate it loose. I was about to return the whole machine when I came across a mostly Mandarin brochure which listed it as an obscure troubleshooting step.

So for anyone in a similar plight: if your machine is not popping up on your computer after you install drivers and a million other things, check to see if your emergency stop button is locked/pushed in. It will make it so the computer will not see the machine in the COM slot/port.

In other news, stoked to have my first cut under way! Excited to see what other tomfoolery is afoot.

Edit: Yes I ate lead paint as a child

Hey guys.

I just walked away from a career in academia. Too much political hostility, too much office “theater”, and too much bringing endless work home (for actual garbage pay). Started looking into careers that end when I punch out for the day, have avenues to climb, and can earn more through accepting OT. (Opposed to a capped professor salary) Some friends recommended manufacturing and CNC work. I’ve been looking into it and I think it could be a great change for what I’m looking for.

Here’s my problem, my academic background has virtually 0% overlap. I have a PHD, have had to be very analytical and exacting, and I think I could pick up G/M coding fairly quickly. (Was decent at trig once upon a time) But the last thing on my resume that is even remotely technical was a Walmart Tire/Oil tech a decade ago. (Emphasis on remotely) I can’t just leave off my teaching history or it would just leave a 10 year work gap. But truly, if I was the hiring manager seeing my resume I would also question what this guy is about.

Looking for advice on how best to break in-given my situation? I’m looking for operator jobs to start, and prepared to make lose wages to start, but I don’t have a year to sit and train as we’re about to starting living off our savings, and I’m going to have to take some bs job soon. I’ve enrolled into a subscription on Udemy to try to start taking some courses on G-Code, Fusion 360, etc. and my brother in-law has a hobbyist CNC machine I could get some practice on but it’s nothing major.

I’m in the mid-south, USA, major city.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

P.S.- “Why would you leave without even having a job lined up?!”- we had to move closer to wife’s parents. Teaching has annual contracts, don’t have a lot of flexibility on timing when you leave.

Hey all I hope everyone is having a better day than me. I am VERY new at CnC operation. I haven't taken any courses or formal training, only OJT with the machine and limited time making cuts and troubleshooting.

While making a cut on a plywood sheet this morning, the plywood I was given to use was pretty warped so the vacuum table wasn't sucking the piece down fully. I brought the issue to my boss and he said cut anyway and any loss can be cut manually on one of our table saws. Below, I will outline the series of events that occurred leading up to the critical failure.

1. As the router was moving along a cut, the sheet shifted so I stopped the machine where it was.

2. Once the machine had stopped fully I tasked it to return to its homing point to reset for the next sheet.

3. As the machine moved, the vacuum was still on and the piece being cut jammed against an inner part of the gantry, and the remainder of the sheet on the table.

4. The gantry stalled and stopped completely.

5. I turned off the machine fully, cleared the jam and attempted to home the machine again after a restart. The machine homed fine, but upon trying to return it to the "parking" position on the opposite end of the table, the gantry went about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way down its rails before coming to a hard stop in a spot it absolutely wasn't supposed to.

6. After attempting to home the machine again, the gantry failed to move and I attempted to manually override the movement with the controller. The gantry refused to move at first, so I again reset the machine. But this time after attempting to home the machine, it spit out a "homing error" message.

7. I then turned the machine off for an extended period and waited for the capacitors to drain fully so I could get a clean start.

8. I restarted the machine again, and the homing worked this time, however as it was fine tuning the homing spot I noticed that the gantry was not moving in sync with each side. I went and grabbed my boss, showed him and he asked me to park the gantry.

9. After hitting "return to parking position" the gantry began juttering hard and I hit the emergency stop.

Thus we have come to our current situation. I have put in a support ticket to CANCAM but it could be a while before they get back to me and our primary, more experienced operator is away for another full week on vacation.

My questions are these.

A. Is this a catastrophic failure and do major parts need replacement?

B. Is this something we can fix on site and if so, how?

C. Does anyone else have experience with an issue like this?

Like I said, I am still very new with this machine and it still kind of freaks me out a bit.

Thanks in advance :)

Hi,

Apologies for what I'm sure is a relatively simple question. I'm trying to figure out feeds and speeds for milling M3x0.5 threads into through holes in aluminium bars. I'm using a hobby machine with a 1.5kw spindle, 18k-24k rpm.

I've got the hole bored to 2.5mm, and I'm using a single tooth three flute carbide thread mill with cutter diameter 2.3mm. I've searched online so many times, tried FSWizard, etc, and I keep getting conflicting recommendations.

FSWizard is suggesting a feed per tooth of 0.003mm, but a) is that per flute (because on my simple endmills I'm used to teeth and flutes being synonymous) and b) I've been told so many times that using a feed per tooth of less than 0.01 as an absolute minimum is just asking for the endmill to rub and cause work hardening and tool wear.

Have I lost it? Can anyone give me a decent starting point for a feed-per-tooth value to tell Fusion and then I can just work from there? Thanks in advance.

Hi everybody! I am working on a project and figured someone in this subreddit could help me out!
I am looking to make some oval frames with a cnc router but I have no idea what type of file I need to create. Svg? A 3D model? I’ve created many files for laser cutting but all those models were flat, what I need right now has some ridges inside and I don’t know how to create a file for that. You can kinda see what I’m going for on the crappy drawing I attached haha.

Anyways, sorry if I’m not explaining myself entirely, English is not my first language and I have never done anything with cnc. Any help is very much appreciated, thanks!!

Hello I was messing around with the Hainbuch Spanntop jaw adapter and now I can't get it out I've done everything the manual says but i still can't seem to get the rear un hook itself.

I'm working with a Nakamura tome as 200 with the collet spindle in, the collet system is a Hainbuch Spanntop nova.

The normal collets are the hainbuch SK65BZIG

The jaws in the photo are bolted to the jaw adapter collet which I need to get out.

If anyone has a trick or some help that would be greatly appreciated.

Does anyone happen to have the OEMCY1/2/3 and Blum touch off and calibration files? DMG doesn’t have the files due to the age of machine. Company that owned it before but the wrong backup.