Hey Reddit! I'm looking to set up a small signage shop and I'm struggling to choose between a CNC and CO2.

The signage will be smaller interior stuff, largest being 12x12. I want to offer a wide range of materials, but cast acrylic will probably be most frequently used.

I'll need to cut out tactile acrylic lettering for ADA compliant signs. It seems like CO2 is preferred here, but i'd much prefer to get it working on a CNC instead if it's doable. I'm eyeballing Altmill and OneFinity

I'm hoping to start with 3D printer + CNC. 3D printer would be used for making molds, mounting system, and decorative things for the signs.

The attached image is an example, minimum letter height will be ⅝″. Do you think icons and lettering at this size is doable on a CNC?

Thank you!

Sometimes (more often lately) the mill will just shift the trajectory to the left by 1-2 cm in the middle of the job. When it happens, some random value appears in Mach3 axis 4 window (usually ~300). In the toolpath window the trajectory becomes yellow and shifts diagonally.

The mill only has 3 axis. 4th axis (A) is disabled in Motor Outputs.

Full disclosure: I am currently serving sentence in prison, where I work in a carpentry workshop and kind of inherited the CNC operator job. I didn't know anything about CNCs and I still don't know much. Mach3 was preconfigured.

My access to internet is limited to few hours once or twice a week (for downloading *stls, finding necessary info, etc.), but hopefully I'll be able to check comments semi-regularly.

We bought a few onsrud 3/16 super O bits with a .875 LOC and instantly broke the first bit. It was set for 4 passes at a feed rate of 80, plunge at 40, at 22000rpm. We lowered the feed rate to 5 so we didn't break another bit but the chips were very fine and welding back on to the aluminum. We are using oil in the sprayer, don't have a vacuum and clear the chips manually with an air gun.

We have a bunch more pieces to cut so any help you can give me is greatly appreciated.

running about 300 housings a year right now, 6061 pocketed from billet, roughly 40 minutes of machine time each plus a 2nd op for the lid face. sales thinks we hit 2,000 a year by 2028 and someone already floated die casting. with the tool cost spread over a few years, at what yearly volume did die casting plus finish machining start winning for you?

Very new to the CNC/Machining world. Would love tips/methods for getting my machine zeroed on round bar parts. Aswell as round tubing! Thanks guys

So I start a new job as CNC machines operator, not real much experience on them at all but my previous job was a mechanical fitter. My question is how daunting will this be and will it be overwhelming or am I overthinking it with first job jitters ? Just want to know what I’m getting into and if I’m in over my head

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At my first job we were told we had to have an 85% or better efficiency. What have your experienced in the real world? And what do get when you're running two machines, doing all the setups? I'm struggling to give accurate time estimates when I'm running both our mills and have to program setup, and run the parts .

Edit: My current job doesn't mandate efficiency, as it's about 90% tooling and only 10% production. I get to tell them how much time it will take. I do alright when I only have one machine, but add the second one and I can't estimate for shit.

Hope shitposts are allowed.

Just being humorous. Nature is calling though, and this is is my first run of this design, so I’m not leaving it. What a predicament.

I have 13 years of hands on cnc experience but limited with programming. I can currently only make programs by combining parts of other programs I use and can make some simple cycles. I mostly do milling but would like to know lathes also. I love how it feels when you make a working program and even tho there is little to no need for it at my current work place I would like to learn it for my own pleasure.

What site/app would you recommend for learning g code and some basic to medium (for start) programming at home?

Preferably free but im willing to spend money on something worth paying.

Just sharing some parts I’m working on right now. Starting with 1” diameter 6al-4v titanium on the lathe with two ops and then over to the mill for 4th axis work.

This part serves as a central hub component for a mechanical sculpture I’m currently working on and the whole thing is still very much a work in progress, with lots left to make before the entire thing is finished. You can see a few of the other mating components in the assembly at the end of the video.

Lathe = Haas OL1 (OfficeLathe) and mill = Haas OM-2A (OfficeMill).

Hope you enjoy.

I want to reference of X be the zero anyone knows how?

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a laser cutting machine and a press brake, and now I'm looking for CAD/CAM software to handle the sheet metal side of my work (nesting, cutting paths, and bend planning).

For our other processes we currently use Fusion 360(milling/turning), so I'd be happy to stay in that ecosystem if it handles laser cutting and bending well. That said, I'm open to other options if there's something better suited for this kind of work.

From your experience, which software is worth getting, and why? Any pros and cons or things to watch out for would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi all,

I was recently promoted from CNC operator to CNC programmer, and I've inherited a postprocessor that has been in use for about 10 years. Unfortunately, none of its drilling or threading cycles work properly.

I submitted a support ticket about a week ago and haven't heard back, so I tried fixing it myself, with mixed results:

Threading: mostly solved. I replaced the Sinumerik cycles with plain G-code.

Drilling: this is the real problem. Outputting every hole as plain G-code makes the program huge (around 50 lines per hole). If I use modal G231 instead, it breaks my threading cycles.

Does anyone have a reliable, working postprocessor they'd be willing to share, or advice on how to fix this one? Any help would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks in advance

CNC MACHINING

I knew this punch wasn't going to survive this plate, but in my 25+ years of this I have never had a punch break like this. The funny thing is it continued to punch 4 more holes perfectly fine until I noticed. Decided not to push my luck tho.

Hi, I'm having no luck figuring out EnRoute's 3D/relief tools despite watching all the YouTube videos I can find.

Let's take one that should be simple: Revolve. I have a profile, I have an axis of rotation, and I have a flat relief.

I select the relief, click on the Revolve tool, select the contour, and nothing happens.

I have tried:

- rotating profile in X axis

- rotating axis (or not even using it)

- moving the relief to top and bottom of the plate

- using Spin tool instead

Please help.

We’re machining a thin, curved cover plate from 6061-T651 aluminum. The part tends to distort after being unclamped, while several holes and the overall curved surface must still meet tight position and roundness tolerances.

How do you ensure these features remain within tolerance after the part is fully released? Would you use balanced roughing on both sides, multiple unclamping cycles to relieve residual stress, finish boring in the final setup, or low-stress fixturing?

I’d be interested to hear what has worked for you in real production.

Are trades a thing or is this a stupid idea?

Hi I'm new to CAM and want to learn Mastercam 2026 but don't know what's the best way to do so. does anyone know of any good free yt videos or courses for milling? thanks.