Are you just a starter in the use of CNC milling machine? Firstly, remember that using a milling machine you can practically develop different clock parts, guitar parts, and even bicycle hubs; what you need to invest is just some of your time, a lot of effort and with practice, you will become a master.
However, as a beginner you need to watch out for many precautions as building such complex CNC machines will surely ease in your efforts. Hereunder are discussed some of the necessary guidelines that you should consider when planning to commence your first project. Have a look at them:
- Avoid the use of stainless steel – switch to aluminum, brass or mild steel
Stainless steel is hard when it comes to making cuts, therefore you must stay away from its use. Instead, you should practice making cuts by initiating it with the use of softer materials like aluminum or brass or even mild steel. And when you feel confident about making cuts, you can move back to stainless steel.
- Buy a quality Vise and Clamping kit
You may take Vises as a costly resource but once bought, you can keep it safe for several years. Workholding is essential and without the use of a quality vise, it is incomplete. Combining with it comes a clamping kit which will help in mounting your vise to the T-slots of your table. All these are extremely necessary as they will keep the part intact and not let it shift out of position.
- Learning the use of MDI is a must
Manual Data Input or MDI has a paramount importance in boosting the productivity and saving ample time. It is quite easy to learn and once you have set some fundamental g-codes as well as adjusted your X, Y and Z coordinates, the machine will start moving as you move the axes. This movement of the machine is known as Rapids. This way the cutter will move exactly where you want it to go.
- Use a misting setup for coolant
A misting setup is crucial to prevent the chip buildup as it will not only help in extending the life of your cutters but also aid in avoiding breakage of the cutters. While some machines have an inbuilt coolant, perhaps some still don’t. Do look out for a misting coolant with your setup and if your CNC milling machine does not have it, you can set it up yourself. Making use of a micro-drop system is quite effective as it will make the coolant vaporize when it hits the workpiece.
- Buy instruments to measure accuracy
Accuracy is the most desired characteristic when it comes to making cuts using the milling machine. For this very purpose, you must ensure purchasing a speed calculator that can accurately measure the speed of the spindles. Other than this, the right feed rate is vital to make sure that the machine is set to correct feed rate from the very beginning. Thus, you must ensure the use of these instruments which verify that you are very particular about giving preference to precision.
- Use decent quality cutters
With the rise in the use of CNC milling machines, there has been a consistent growth in the manufacturing of cutters. It is thus, recommended that you should buy only supreme quality cutters so that there are no problems occurring due to the use of a cheap quality cutter. While you don’t need to buy some luxurious cutter since it is just your beginning, but still it is highly recommended that you come up with a decent cutter.
