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OpenBuilds MiniMill

Discussion in 'CNC Mills/Routers' started by Mark Carew, May 26, 2017.

  1. Mark Carew

    Mark Carew OpenBuilds Team
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    Mark Carew published a new build:

    Read more about this build...
     
  2. Rick 2.0

    Rick 2.0 OpenBuilds Team
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    Looks great :thumbsup:.

    If you would, please provide a Sketchup file saved in v2016 or lower for those of us who don't have 64bit systems. Thx.
     
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  3. Anthony Bolgar

    Anthony Bolgar Journeyman
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    Nice build Mark and Sonny. I just might have to build one :)
     
  4. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    Very nice build. I can see a micro mill like this being very handy to have around! Well done, a excellent addition to the Openbuilds line up. :thumbsup:
     
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  5. Sonny Lowe

    Sonny Lowe Journeyman
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    First and foremost, I would like to thank Mark for giving me the opportunity to work on this wonderful project. Being able to work and collaborate with Mark was a great experience, and the result is an amazing little machine that I'm sure will fill the needs of many hobbyist and builders out there :thumbsup:

    I started my build almost a year ago, so I’ve had the pleasure of playing around with this my little beauty for quite a while now (time flies with you're having fun) :) I've gained a lot of knowledge about the machine and it's capabilities over that year, so please feel free to hit me up if you have any questions, concerns or ideas.

    Stay tunes, as I’ll be posting my build soon with what I think are some great upgrades, a few Do's & Don'ts and some super fun projects.

    Sonny

    Here's a little teaser of my baby ;)

    IMG_6122.JPG

    Too be continued...
     
    #5 Sonny Lowe, May 27, 2017
    Last edited: May 27, 2017
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  6. Sonny Lowe

    Sonny Lowe Journeyman
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    Thanks Anthony!!

    I might be a bit bias ;) but I think this is the perfect machine for just about anyone, even if you already have an OX, or C-Beam XL, or whatever. Adding this to your stable will open up so many fun projects for an avid builder/maker. I've made everything from Dog Tags to Car Parts, and with the bundles added Y Axis travel (mines a bit less), well, it just increases the possibilities!!

    Here's a T-Slot Table that is a bit longer in Y to utilizes a little of that extra travel :cool:

    For anyone curious, I'll being posting the T-Slot Table in the Projects section soon :D

    Getting ready to cut some "Screw Type" Tie Downs to replace the ones in the photo...

    IMG_0022.jpg

    Another few (the slots are a tad big on this one, next time the fit will be much better ;)

    IMG_0023.jpg

    Screw Type Tie Downs...

    IMG_0027.jpg

    Sonny

    Edit:

    Here's a quick shot of the Screw Type Tie Downs holding more stock of Standoffs...

    IMG_0034.jpg
     
    #6 Sonny Lowe, May 27, 2017
    Last edited: May 27, 2017
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  7. dirtdemon

    dirtdemon New
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    Very awesome build may have to build one myself but would need slightly larger work envelope for wat i would use it for mostly... 6x6 inch square aluminum plates. And I'd prolly go with a 1.5 or 2.2kw spindle for the grunt to easily cut aluminum... Throwing some clear path servos on it would be kick *** too
     
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  8. Sonny Lowe

    Sonny Lowe Journeyman
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    That's the true beauty of this build, it is very easily modified or extended to a large milling volume. I would love to try a true spindle on my baby, but for now the DeWalt is doing pretty darn good ;-) Love, love, love, those Clearpath Servos :D
     
  9. Ronald van Arkel

    Staff Member Builder Resident Builder

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    Nice build Sonny and Mark!

    Due to the simplicity, this might THE kit for starters that are on a budget but want a machine that is precise and has enough balls ;) .

    -Ronald
     
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  10. alex_b

    alex_b Journeyman
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    Yes. YES. :thumbsup:

    yayicecream.gif


    11/10 OB Team.
     
  11. Mark Carew

    Mark Carew OpenBuilds Team
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    Hey guys thanks for all the kind words we are really happy to have this new machine in the wild and can't wait to see all the cool projects that come from it.
    The SketchUp V8 is up :thumbsup:
    Will be adding lots more to this Build as we go
    Thanks again everyone for your continued support and help as we work to grow this awesome community of Builders!
    Mark
     
    #11 Mark Carew, May 27, 2017
    Last edited: May 27, 2017
  12. Mark Carew

    Mark Carew OpenBuilds Team
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    Wait to you guys see all the cool projects and mods that are coming down the line from all the Project Makers (ProjectMakr section coming soon...) these guys have amazing skills and the projects that they have been working on are awesome, we can't wait to see them released!
     
    #12 Mark Carew, May 27, 2017
    Last edited: May 27, 2017
  13. Julius

    Julius Well-Known
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    How ridgid is the Z? Same as the usual cbeam design?

    Anything over 800w would be overkill for this anyways.

    My concern is the rapids. To do aluminum properly you need at least 40ipm with such fast spindles like a dewalt/wood router. Ebay does have air and water cooled mill spindlea that do 1000-8000rpm which would actually be adequate for proper metal work.
     
  14. Sonny Lowe

    Sonny Lowe Journeyman
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    Thanks Ronald,

    Another great aspect of this machine is how truly portable it is. When I first built mine I would carry it outside onto my deck, machine away and then bring it back in the house for storage. As you can see from my first photo, I now have it in an enclosure, which is living happiely in my storage room, so no need for a garage or work shop either. It is an extremely versatile machine in many ways :D

    Sonny
     
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  15. Sonny Lowe

    Sonny Lowe Journeyman
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    Julius,

    It's more ridgit than it might appear, although I've not machined aluminum I have machined 360 brass, here a short video of a brass fidget I made. The first video doesn't show a lot of actual machining, but it at full speed, the second shows a bit more machining...

    Fidget

    OB FIdget

    Here are the machining parameters, I have since started roughing at 1.5mm DOC and 550mm/min

    Bit Size:
    1/8" Carbide 4 flute Flat End Mill .375" LOC
    Feeds & Speeds:
    Spindle Speed setting #1 on Dewalt DWP611 (~16,000 RPM)
    Roughing was 0.75mm DOC 100% step-over at 500mm/min.
    Finishing was 4.83mm DOC (full thickness), material removed, .1mm at 200mm/min.
    Materials:
    360 Brass Flat Bar
     
  16. alex_b

    alex_b Journeyman
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    This design looks perfect for some fast desktop PCB milling of antenna arrays we've been working on. The portability is a huge plus so one doesn't have to be in a shop setting to get rolling or use up machine time on a larger machine for board prototyping. Especially for fast PCB production this looks like an amazing build. One thing I could recommend to help keep chips, etc out of the C-Beam cavity are bellows from McMaster-Carr. it can be easily cut and glued to the ends of each X/Y actuator. One could also probably find this stuff on eBay too.

    McMaster-Carr
     
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  17. Lofton Harris

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    Hi, folks. Magnificent bit of work here and since I've always wanted a CNC MACHINE THIS COULD BE IT! One question: if I wanted more width on the x axis, say 8 inches, what C-Beam actuator bundle would I order? Or is this a bad idea? Thanks! Lofton
     
  18. Sonny Lowe

    Sonny Lowe Journeyman
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    There should be no reason you couldn't extend X that far, it might be a good idea to add a little support to the end though!?!? As far as the mod, the easiest way to go would be to buy the MiniMill bundle and add a 500 mm Lead Screw and C-Beam Rail. You would simply cut both to your desired length.

    Sonny
     
  19. Adam Filipowicz

    Adam Filipowicz Journeyman
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    Anyone seen any Bellows that doesnt require much modifications to fit Cbeam?
     
  20. Steve Mc

    Steve Mc New
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    Really enjoyed this build and great use of off-the-shelf parts. Quick question though, how does the Mini-Mill fit in with say the C-Beam? Can it do anything more or better than the C-Beam can now? Or is it a different implementation of the same abilities? This is not meant as a criticism, purely as C-Beam owner wondering if he can justify another bit of gear on his workbench..
     
  21. Lim Shi Hao

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    Just really wowed by the design, a few questions: 1. What is the tolerance of the machine? Especially when machining aluminum. 2. How thick of aluminum can it machine? Finally, can it be used as a manual vertical mill? Many thanks
     
  22. Sonny Lowe

    Sonny Lowe Journeyman
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    Steve,

    I can't compare the two as I've only built the MiniMill, but I can tell you why I built the MM instead of a C-Beam (I'm sure Mark can jump in on this one). However, for me the MM was about being more of a conventional style CNC VMC. More of a 3D Contouring machine vs a "plate maker". Here are a few design bullets points that we worked toward...
    • Small Form Factor/Footprint
    • Light Weight
    • All Stock Openbuilds Parts
    • Modular/Expandable
    • No custom plates required
    • 3D Contour Machining
    The OB MM does all of this very well and I believe I'm only touching on it capabilities as milling center so far. Can I say for sure I would build both a C-Beam and MM, I can't, but I can surely find merit in both machines and they have dissimilar enough capabilities that I'm convinced I could justify it ;)

    Now compare it to the C-Beam XL and that's another story (it's in my build queue ;-)

    Sonny
     
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  23. Sonny Lowe

    Sonny Lowe Journeyman
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    Lim,

    I think I can answer most of this for you, but I'm sure Mark will chime in as well.

    1. I have cut a lot of 1/4" 360 Brass (no Alm yet) and I can say I gotten results within 0.02mm (maybe closer). For instance, I can circle interpolation the 16mm hole in my brass fidgets and the bearing will press in with no need of glue or have any binding on the bearing. I've not check the actual roundness of the hole though...maybe on the next one!?!? As you know circles are one of the hardest find to machine as there are no straight cuts, the machine is constantly moving in X & Y. They are always a good check of a machine accuracy, one we use at the SHOP all the time

    2. I would think as long as you're willing to limit the DOC you can cut pretty thick parts. The more limiting factory might be the endmill itself. It's hard to cut 1" thick alm with an 1/8" endmill regardless of the machine, there is a lot tool push-off. All of this can of course be lessened by adjusting feeds and speeds.

    3. Yes...for the most part ;) I do this all the time, it's how a skim the top of my spoiler plates. You do need the Job Knobs on all three axis. The only limiting factory is locking the axis you are no moving!?!? So far that has not be an issue for me as side load has always been minimal. Depending on your control software of preference you might be able to "lock" a given axis!?!? That would definitely change the game :D Another method would be to add a small tapped block and set screw (or even better, some of THESE) attached to the gantry plate that would allow you to manually lock that axis (like a conventional machine). Great!!! Now that upgrade is running through my head, I guess I know what I'll be designing this evening :thumbsup:

    Hope that helps,
    Sonny
     
  24. Peter Van Der Walt

    Peter Van Der Walt OpenBuilds Team
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    I've done a LOT of aluminum on mine (Yeah one of the perks... got access to one prior to release ;))

    Here's a quick glamour-shot style video of it in action cutting some 3mm Alu sheeting (with 1/8th straight single flute router bit, Dewalt 611 router)

     
  25. Ryan Lock

    Ryan Lock Veteran
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    Damm, got to find room for another machine now :) Can't wait to test it out!
     
  26. Adam Filipowicz

    Adam Filipowicz Journeyman
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    Love to expand the work area to 10x10
     
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  27. enessayar

    enessayar New
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    Hi,

    I would like to buy this machine to engrave a silver necklace bar. The necklace bar size is 35mm*6mm. I added photos for a better view. Can i get this solution with this machine.

    Best Regards
     

    Attached Files:

  28. Sonny Lowe

    Sonny Lowe Journeyman
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    Definitely!!!

    Make yourself a jig to hold the necklace bar and this would be super easy to do and super fast. If that's all you do, you could even run a much smaller spindle like THIS ONE.
     
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  29. Anthony Bolgar

    Anthony Bolgar Journeyman
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    Sonny Lowe, enessayar and MaryD like this.
  30. enessayar

    enessayar New
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    Thank you for your replies. i have this spindle(makita rt0700c). is it ok for my work?
     
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