The Steamboating Forum

Hi,

I have a Grizzly G0463 Benchtop Milling Machine:
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Mill-Dr ... cSEALw_wcB

It's nothing compared to all the fancy machines you guys have but I wanted to ask a general question about CNC Retrofitting: What are the features I should pay attention to that are important regarding the purchase of a retrofit kit or kits?

The reason I ask is I had a friend get a CNC router and in the end he was left with a device that really couldn't aluminum without trouble. Also he got short changed on the software, not having true CAM software that only left him being able to cut arcs and goto a point. He lacked the proper software to do the tool path planning to take a 3d CAD model and do the CAM/path planning.

This is what I was looking at:
This includes steppers and brackets and ball screws:
https://www.heavymetalcnc.com/shop/ball ... 619-g0463/

This is the controller I was looking at.
https://cnc4pc.com/htg5a1s-cnc-controller-1040.html

I was thinking of either solidworks or fusion360 for the CAD software.

The CAM part of it I don't entirely understand.

Thoughts, Ideas?

-CB

CB,

If you intend to machine engine components you would be far better off to look for a small older CNC milling machine than to go down the road of retrofitting a manual machine. USD$5K will get you an older machine with a 20 tool magazine and auto tool changer and X 600mm x Y400mm and Z400mm. You will have a very solid machine that will better absorb vibration and have very good power for driving big cutters.

If you go down the road of retrofitting a small manual milling machine you will burn much more than USD$5K in petrol, phone calls and frustration and end up with a something that will take 10 times longer to do the same job and it will have a very low re-sale value.

A simple example. You want to face the top of a block and then drill and tap a pattern of holes on the face. you want to make 6 parts the same.
A retro fit machine will require that you continually stop and manually change from a face cutter, drill and then a tap. Meaning that you have to stay in front of the machine. If you have a brain fade and put the wrong cutter in the machine at the wrong time you will have a crash. With the old CNC mill you will stay in front of the machine while you make the first part only, after that you put a new piece of material in the vice, hit the go button and walk away. The machine will face the block, drill and tap the holes and flash a light to tell you that it is done.

You manual machine will not have machine covers or coolant protection to allow you to use sufficient coolant to achieve good tool life at high cutting rates without spraying your whole workshop with coolant and metal chips.

I managed to buy a Mori seiki MV-400 for USD$5,000 and it came with USD$2K worth of good used tool holders (16 assorted tool holders) for free. This machine weighs about 3.5 tons and has a 7.5Kw motor with 8,000rpm spindle http://htdindustrial.com/phay-cnc-mori- ... 11275.html

Go hunting for a good brand used CNC machine, find somebody with experience to help you check it out, and save yourself a lifetime of headaches.

CAD-CAM.
Go for HSM Works CAD with their CAM system, it is free on line, it works great, there are many online tutorials. Check out TITANS of CNC they have a free online course for HSM works.

Lionel