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Has anyone tried Macor machineable ceramic?

Discussion in 'CNC Mills/Routers' started by Bob R, Apr 1, 2016.

  1. Bob R

    Bob R New
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    There's lots of info on the web on practical machining of Macor, which is a machinable ceramic. Has anyone here had personal experience with this?
     
  2. GrayUK

    GrayUK Openbuilds Team Elder
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    Interesting. I just found out it is about £70 for a square metre by 10mm, which, if its strength is viable, could be a very useful product.
    Needs researching. I would be interested to see what you can find out about it. :rolleyes:
    Whilst talking about alternative products, I've often wondered if there is a material with similar properties as a light coloured wood, from a carving point of view, but was devoid of grain and also able to be burnt and chard with a laser? :rolleyes:
    Plastics can perform like wood from a carving point of view, but to find a material to char in a similar manner is tricky. :banghead:
    Reference: Macor Machinable Glass Ceramic Square Sheets
    Any ideas?
     
  3. Bob R

    Bob R New
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    That price is for 100mm x 100mm, not a square metre. It's very expensive stuff.
     
  4. GrayUK

    GrayUK Openbuilds Team Elder
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    Oops. Can't get used to this Foreign measurement system. :banghead:
     
  5. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    Dang, Gray, you are from the UK. Metric should be your native tongue :)
     
  6. GrayUK

    GrayUK Openbuilds Team Elder
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    Come, come Sir. I am a Feet and Inches Englishman, not a Metric man. :)
    Although I will admit, this heathen form of measurement is very good, far better than Imperial, but one still makes mistakes. :D
    I can still "picture" feet and inches, but have great problems visualising 200mm etc. :banghead:
     
  7. Bob R

    Bob R New
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    Yes, I have the same problem. lol

    I've ordered some Macor and will try it out. I have a special requirement for a tooling fixture I'm making where the insulating and high temperature properties of ceramic are need.
     
  8. GrayUK

    GrayUK Openbuilds Team Elder
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    Keep us posted Please. :thumbsup:
     
  9. Joe Santarsiero

    Joe Santarsiero OB addict
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    hey Gray,
    for a rough idea divide it by 25. 200mm is about 8 inches.

    @Bob R I have a small slab at my desk.
    What do you want to know about it? From experience it doesn't like tooling shock (like any brittle). small cross sections will breakout if not approached with the right feeds, speeds, and path strategy. You have to plan toolpaths well especially around edge geometry. CVD tooling will be the most forgiving and will leave better finish. They can also break your bank! Fresh carbide should get you by. Stick to the corning documentation that's out there. It's the best place to start.
    You may also want to consider mullite for your application. I've had decent success with this and the cost is not bad. It can be tricky to find. If needed I could forward you a supplier.

    Joe
     
  10. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    I like to think I am fluent in both metric and inch units, having been born and raised in Canada. Officially, we are a metric country, but try to find a **** metric bolt around here. Like trying to find a Sasquatch.

    Let it be known I have officially renounced Fahrenheit temperature measurement though. Fahrenheit was an idiot!
     
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  11. Bob R

    Bob R New
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    Assuming I have the correct tools, feed rates and paths properly set up, will my C-Beam machine be strong enough to mill Macor?
     
  12. Joe Santarsiero

    Joe Santarsiero OB addict
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    Haha agreed. Down here in the states we're stuck with both. I'm fairly well versed in either myself. I just read your post and remembered when I had a hard time visualizing metric. Figured I'd add my 2c (US). :)
     
  13. Joe Santarsiero

    Joe Santarsiero OB addict
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    I can't say. Since you ordered some I guess we'll find out. :) I mill it at work from time to time on a 2hp knee mill. That gives me more direct control based on the feedback. I haven't machined it on my router. Even if I did that is a bit more stout than the cbeam. I think ones best bet is to use a MPG pendant. That will allow feedrate override. Spindle override would be an additional bonus. If your using economy electronics then you might plan on wasting a little more material to get the cut right. You'll also be throwing a little bit more math at it. You'll want to reference the corning document and get chipload. https://www.corning.com/media/worldwide/csm/documents/a273d3bb4f134c31be5343db861eb3ba.pdf
    Then run through your machine stats (motor torque curves, spindle capacity, rpm range, etc) to help determine what diameter cutter to order and what feedrate to start off with. I'd shy away from the DOC and feedrates in the pdf for your situation. Once you figure a good starting point then go light on the DOC say .01-.015"
    Then work it down from there. If you don't have coolant cabilities then use a vacuum with fine particle filtration or one that exhausts to outside. It's not a deadly dust, but might bug the crap out of you if you inhale too much.

    Joe
     
  14. TerryOx

    TerryOx Well-Known
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    Engineers will occasionally convert speed into furlongs per fortnight.
     
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  15. Bob R

    Bob R New
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    @Joe I have a 2hp spindle but haven't mounted it to my C-Beam yet because it's a bit heavy. I had some posts on the C-Beam thread related to that. I need to modify my machine to prevent deflection which I determined is caused by the extreme wheels deforming from the extra load. Otherwise I'm using the Bosch Colt at the moment.
     

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