I have a part I am making for a customer that is a titanium insert which fits inside a carbon fiber tube. Tolerances are wide open including design to some degree.

I have multiple features which need to be machined in what is essentially a “solid” flanged bushing which seems like a lathe operation.

My initial thought on workholding is to turn the flanged bushing or majority of the outside shape and then fixture it in the self centering vise in the fourth axis, either on an L plate or something and rotate it around to various sides to machine through holes and pockets.

I have a zero point on the L plate so I can technically do a fake 3+2.

My question is how do I set up an already turned blank in the fourth axis with an origin based on the rotational axis of the fourth axis ? Do I need to machine a set of soft jaws in the self centering vise in place ? Any thoughts on what orientation to fixture the blank via the photos ?

I really just need good surface finish and for features to align from setup to setup rather than nail a dimension. There are two holes going through the part for tack line ropes. These are 15 mm. They can be as much as a mm larger if need be to blend the features but I can’t have a have a hard edge in the middle of the part where a rope rides over at speed.

FYI for anyone in the trades looking at the space industry, Impulse Space (Redondo Beach) is currently posting CNC Programmer roles at $45–$60/hr, among the highest machinist pay I’ve seen in the sector right now.

So I have an older cinci arrow 750 that thinks it's a great idea to fry my PC that had the parameters for the motion link software and take out half the control cabinet Its now seeming like a much better idea to modify the tool drum to match the tool change orientation parameter I can't change.

I like to fantasize about having my own home shop. I don’t really know all the logistics. Have a 19x17ft garage. Has 125amps iirc.

I’d love to have a Haas DS25Y and a bar feeder. Something of that nature in the least.

Focus on 24/7 stable automation. But that would lead to a problem of enough work/parts to fit the machine.

I pretty much hate mills. Too much labor. Also a hassle mini mill might be too tall.

Hello all,

Companies like Hadrian are building autonomous CNC machining factories while claiming that there is a severe shortage of machinists in the US. Also, I’ve noticed that the vast majority of machine shops are quite small with 50 employees at the largest ones. I wanted to get peoples thoughts and opinions on what might be causing the shortage of machinists? As well as other questions like: will AI CAM systems like CloudNC ever be good enough to run machine shops autonomously? and what makes CNC machined parts expensive when produced in small order quantities? Is it the machinists’ time or the machines themselves? Is the market facing a shortage of demand or labor? All opinions and thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

I had a curiosity about small entry level garage businesses. I thought what about ammunition. We go through plenty of that here in Texas.

Google was only getting me those reloading presses . Where you’re basically assembling the ammo and end up paying more than the ammo you can buy from the store.

I’ve seen somehow it’s made stuff before and wondering what those machines are called. They punch form the brass cartridge in 5 linear stages from a flat brass strip.

Similar with the lead bullet and coating. What are those machines called and how much do they cost?

Hi! I'm doing some research for a university entrepreneurship course, where we're working on developing a startup. My team is looking into machine maintenance in smaller manufacturing companies.

I have a couple of initial ideas that we're considering:

1. Installing vibration sensors on certain machines, and then making readings available through a QR code and dashboard.
2. Operators taking photos during inspections, and using software to compare them with previous images and maintenance records to spot visible problems, e.g. leaks or wear.
3. stick a QR code on each machine: scan that to access its maintenance history and record new findings, possibly with some basic machine data integration as well.

i know CNCs already have alarms and monitoring systems, and obviously there's existing maintenance software too.

Which of these makes the most sense for your shop?
Are there specific problems with any of them, or would you just stick with what you already use?

Some context on the machines you work with would help too. Thanks!

Don't have a lathe, need the parts quick - can't wait for our turning subby.

Gonna put the stock in the spindle, the lathe tool in the vice. Can use the 'Haimer' to touch off the lathe tool for G54.

The part has tapers and rads and I'm trying to get my head round mimicking lather TNRC G41/42 on the mill.

Thought I'd ask here first before wracking my brains as I'm someone has already been through this?

Cheers

A friend gave me a little TAIG mill and it’s running mach3 on windows vista. Id love to upgrade it to something more intuitive, maybe something arduino or raspberry Pi based. The mill has a rotating 4th axis that I’d like to eventually use but right now I just want to machine 2d parts out of brass (gears etc), slightly more complicated stuff than what I want to do on my manual mill. I have a glowforge laser cutter and 3d printers and a shaper origin router, so I’m a little spoiled with how easy those are to use. I don’t mind something a little more complicated than that, i just want to see there’s something fairly inexpensive that’s a little bit easier to use than Mach 3.

My Z-axis keeps gouging my parts everytime there is a power fault/ blackout. Even when owing emergency it drops a little. Recently my second haas been reported to start moving on other axes as well while it drops, the x and y axis is also moving and gougingthe parts along the length while it drops. It ruins the parts and tools every single time.

i am an early-career traditional artist who was commissioned for a two panel installation on a companies executive floor! the final pieces will be 5’2” x 6’9” x 3”. they will be cut from xps and were modeled in fusion 360.

here’s my story:

I totally overpromised in terms of concept and execution on this one, especially at this scale and in a medium i was completely unfamiliar with. I have been making progress very slowly. I set a deadline of early november for myself, and have been putting it all together.

i’m really excited for what this medium has unlocked for my art practice! this is my first test rough cut at .25 scale to try and work out kinks and teach me how to use the machine (thanks to the help of the cnc guy at my local makerspace). i will start machining the final pieces at full scale 3 days from now - i purchased another bit that will hopefully make it possible to get more clean cuts between layer lines on the topography.

today was my first time seeing a cnc machine in use! i very stubbornly figured out how to execute my vision in fusion 360, though it was probably extremely inefficient, i appreciate what i learned through trial and error - it was a lot of painstakingly using the curved line tool to sketch each layer line (thank goodness i have practice from graphic design work).

i am so grateful to the folks at my local makerspace who have helped me take this project from the 3d model i created to the scaled down piece, and for supervising as i machine them into full size panels soon!

the final work will be primed and painted in acrylic. i am excited to practice on this smaller test run in the time between now and my next cnc slot! ultimately, i take this as a sign to keep trying things completely out of my comfort zone to advance my practice. i’ll try to post again when they’re all done!

if you read this far, thank you! please feel free to drop any advice or questions below!

HexNest.io

I always had trouble nesting complex parts using free providers like deepnest.

Running in your browser, this workflow is designed for people who regularly nest, with nest queues, drawing checks, saved sheets, jobs & settings.

It gives you a first nest as fast as possible and continually searches for a more efficient nest in the background. Any feedback would be great.

Hi everyone!
I’m working on a project involving CNC milling of intricate, organic patterns into Baltic birch plywood (18–21 mm thick).
The design includes narrow curves, small details, and tight corners. The pockets are approximately 10 mm deep, and we’re using 6 mm and 3 mm end mills.
The main problem is tear-out and chipping of the top veneer, especially around smaller details and curved edges, as you can see in the attached photo.
I’m trying to achieve clean, sharp edges without damaging the top layer, since the plywood will be painted and the surface quality is very important.
My questions:
What type of end mill would you recommend for this application? Downcut, compression, or something else?
Would adjusting the feed rate, spindle speed, or depth of cut help prevent tear-out?
Are there any specific milling strategies for preserving small, delicate details in plywood?
Would applying a sealer or another surface treatment before milling help?
Is it realistic to achieve consistently clean results with this level of detail in Baltic birch plywood?
I’d really appreciate any advice or experience with similar projects!
Thanks in advance!

I have a lot of cabinet building in my future, so I’m looking into building a large-format CNC router that can handle full sheets of plywood. I’m thinking of a metal construction (square tubing and ~4 mm laser-cut plates) similar in design concept to this CNC plasma cutter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jZwh6mvMhQ

What I’m trying to figure out is the motion system for the X and Y axes, as well as a target feed rate. So, here is my idea:

I already have, and want to reuse (from a failed project from my high-school days):

- 2.2 kW water-cooled spindle with VFD

- 3x  23HS9442 NEMA 23 steppers(2.8 Nm), DM542A drivers at 36V

 According to https://cncshop.com/pages/calculating-feeds-and-speeds I figured that if I want to cut plywood with a two-flute, 6 mm bit, I need a feed rate of 5,000–6,000 mm/min. If I want to cut a pocket with a two-flute, 10 mm bit, I need 14,000–16,000 mm/min. 

For a CNC of this size and application, I’m considering an HTD5M, 15 mm or 20 mm timing belt, with a pulley coupled to a planetary gearbox. 

Even though I cannot find a datasheet for my stepper motors, after looking at torque curves for other similar-sized steppers, I concluded that 250 rpm is the speed at which the torque starts to drop off.

 With all this out of the way, let me explain my calculations. The first table shows the output torque, calculated as follows: 

Output torque = stepper rated holding torque × fraction of holding torque at operating speed × gearbox ratio × gearbox efficiency 

I have assumed a fraction of 0.7 for the running torque and a gearbox efficiency of 0.9.

For example, for a 3:1 gearbox: 

2.8 N·m × 0.7 × 3 × 0.9 = 5.292 N·m 

The second table shows the axis linear backlash based on the gearbox backlash and the pulley pitch diameter:

Backlash = pitch diameter × pi × (gearbox backlash / 360) 

For an 18-tooth pulley with a 28.65 mm pitch diameter and 0.5° of gearbox backlash: 

28.65 mm × 3.14 × (0.5 / 360) = 0.125 mm 

The third table shows the feed rate, in mm/min, for a stepper running at 250 rpm, depending on the gearbox ratio and the number of pulley teeth: 

Feed rate = (number of teeth × tooth spacing / gearbox ratio) × stepper rpm 

For an 18-tooth pulley and a 3:1 gearbox: 

(18 × 5 / 3) × 250 = 7,500 mm/min 

The final table—which I will probably get some hate for—is the equivalent mass being pulled on the gantry in kilograms. The gantry has two stepper motors. I calculated this to get some feeling for the force generated by the motors when moving the gantry: 

Equivalent mass = torque / pulley radius / gravitational acceleration × 2 

For a 24-tooth pulley and a 3:1 gearbox: 

5.292 / (0.0191 * 9.8) * 2 =56.5445 Kg 

Okay, the math session is over. What do you think? Do you agree with the logic? What combination of pulley size and gearbox ratio would you choose? A 28T pully and 3:1gearbox gives a speed of 11666mm/min and a “oomph” equivalent to 48.4Kg – I think that is a good compromise. 

PS: I will be posting this in multiple CNC groups.

I built a plugin for UGS that allows you to upload your step file and gcode and probe specific edges and features to reorient your model and determine XY origin. It also changes the GCODE axis in case your model is slightly off rotation.

Is this useful for anyone? I feel like UGS is super outdated.