

Arduino milling machine - rikkipitt
http://rikkipitt.com/arduino-milling-machine-part-i

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mcguire
I'm interested in Step 2. How do you plan on generating the G-code from a
shape (in any of the various formats)?

I'm lazy and mostly a software guy, so I have been looking enviously at these:
[http://www.ebay.com/itm/3040-CNC-ROUTER-ENGRAVER-4-AXIS-
MILL...](http://www.ebay.com/itm/3040-CNC-ROUTER-ENGRAVER-4-AXIS-MILLING-HARD-
WOOD-PCBS-ROUTING-HIGH-
ADMIRATION-/290594271841?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a8c4b261)

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rikkipitt
That too looks a decent machine. I toyed with building my own and got in touch
with a few suppliers of CNC threaded drive rods. Some of the prices of these
units seem pretty reasonable and probably a better bet in terms of price that
going completely DIY. As for the G-code, that is going to be the hardest part
for me too I think. I was wondering if Google Sketchup with
[https://sites.google.com/site/sketchuptogcode/](https://sites.google.com/site/sketchuptogcode/)
might be an easy route in to the scene?

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syntern
Have you seen Shapeoko? They will soon have their third iteration, but even
the second one is great...

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rikkipitt
That's a lovely looking piece of kit, have you had the opportunity to play
with one?

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syntern
Yes, I am halfway to assemble it (done the mechanics, now comes the belts and
wires).

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rikkipitt
Let me know how it goes and what you think of it. I'm really interested to
hear more about it.

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wlesieutre
My local makerspace has one, though I've not tried it myself. IIRC it's using
a custom bracket (3d printed) to hold our dremel, but is otherwise should be
standard.

The one problem I remember seeing was when somebody's laptop was running it
and went to sleep and they weren't able to get it to resume the job when it
woke up. Maybe there's a way to do it, but just making sure your computer is
set to stay awake avoids the issue entirely.

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thawkins
Most 3d printers which also use gcode, have an sdcard slot. Load your gcode
file onto the sdcard, plug it into the printer and print from there. You dont
need a computer connected at all, so nothing to go to sleep.

~~~
wlesieutre
The 3d printers, yes. The Shapeoko 2 runs off of an arduino and gets its data
over a serial connection.

At least that's my understanding of it. I've never used it myself, only
watched it run for other people.

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Vendan
Would really recommend using Tinkercad for the models. It's quite nice, and
really easy to do actual dimensioned models(i.e. this bit is 3mm wide type
stuff). I use it all the time for my 3d printer

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ngmaloney
I would love to hear more details, specifically the stepping motor setup, the
Milling machine (Sieg X2) and various mods needed, did you add DRO's, etc.?

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Animats
The Sieg X2 is not a milling machine. It's a drill press with an X-Y table.
Milling machines have spindles built to handle heavy side loads without loss
of positional accuracy. Drill presses do not. On many drill presses, if you
run the spindle all the way down, you can wobble it slightly with your hand.
On a mill, the spindle will not move when you try that. The spindle bearings
and heavier construction required are why a mill costs much more than a drill
press.

There are also CNC routers. These are for wood, some plastics, and maybe
machining aluminum sheet. Those are cheaper than real milling machines.
However, ignore anything that tries to use a Dremel tool; you'll just burn out
Dremel tools. Bottom of the line for a CNC router motor is something like a
$99 Bosch router. Here's a startup that has a low-end CNC router for about
$1000:
[https://www.inventables.com/technologies/desktop-3d-carving-...](https://www.inventables.com/technologies/desktop-3d-carving-
cnc-mill-kit-shapeoko-2)

Here's an overview of low-end desktop mills:

[http://makezine.com/2014/03/20/desktop-mill-
roundup/](http://makezine.com/2014/03/20/desktop-mill-roundup/)

The Pocket NC, if they ship it, looks interesting - that's the first 5-axis
mill for hobbyists. You'll need very advanced software to run that thing.

Many serious home machinists get a Sherline mill.
([http://www.sherline.com/prices.htm](http://www.sherline.com/prices.htm))
They have a good reputation, but it's about $2K for a rather small CNC mill.
There are lots of small CNC machines on Alibaba, but quality is unknown.

If there's a TechShop near you, get a membership and use their CNC mills and
routers. You'll get better results than with any of the low-end machines.

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markrages
Sieg X2 is a milling machine. Square column, adjustable gibs, R8 spindle. It's
more capable and rigid (but not as nicely finished) than the Sherline.

~~~
Animats
The one illustrated has a drill chuck, but yes, you can put a collet in it.

I have to admit I'm just turned off by it being sold by Harbor Freight. That's
usually a bad sign.

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jaydub
So far looks like grbl flashed to Arduino.

What is the budget for your machine? I'm also very interested in CNC and
interested to see further progress and part 2.

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harwoodr
I was hoping to see more of the electro-mechanical ideas behind the device.
Did you ever complete it?

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rikkipitt
I took a bit of a break during the latter part of last year, but I am writing
up another installment which goes into the interface between the Raspberry Pi,
the stepper motor, and the physical milling machine. I was in two minds of
whether to build a machine or buy one. I'm planning on using the system with
both options when I get chance.

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dognotdog
Very curious, how did this get onto the HN front page?

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rikkipitt
As the author, so am I! I thought I'd repost it and miraculously it got to at
least position 30...

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dognotdog
Now that the site is struggling, and I can't look it up... is there a follow-
up to that post, or is that how far you got?

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rikkipitt
I was stuck on a train (typical timing hey?!). I've got the site back up, but
it needs a bit more fettling. Is it working your end now? I'm currently
writing a part two which extends on what I started last year.

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jacquesm
Typical timing?

 _You_ posted it ;) Can't really complain about this!

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rikkipitt
I know! I posted it roughly 6 hours before it hit the front page. I really
didn't expect it to get as high as it did. Sysadmin on a packed train isn't
fun! Thanks for all the supportive and useful comments guys, really
appreciated. I'll be sure to finish off the next article when I get chance.
The site should perform a bit better soon. I added a nodebalancer, just
waiting for the DNS to propagate.

