Editing
MaxNCMill
(section)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
== Workshop notes, 1.15.2010 == '''Machine parts and geometry''' *The '''bed''' is the blue anodized aluminum extrusion to which the workpiece is affixed. *The '''collet''' is mounted at the end of the motor. It holds the milling bit. '''Note:''' do not lose the collet, as it is basically impossible to obtain a replacement. *The '''milling bit,''' which superficially resembles a drill bit, is used to machine the workpiece. To setup the machine, bits are inserted into the collet and then tightened with two wrenches. *The '''workpiece''' is whatever you're milling - copper-clad board for PCBs, aluminum, acrylic, etc. *'''Workpiece holders''' are small threaded rods with metal "clips" that are designed to hold the workpiece firmly to the bed. They should not be over-tightened, as it can cause workpiece distortion. *'''Backing material''' is a piece of scrap material used between the bed and workpiece. It's important to use backing material to protect the bed. *'''Limit switches''' are located at the end of each axis. These act as safeties in case the milling machine reaches the end of its travel. '''Note:''' if you're milling and manage to trip a limit switch, the mill shuts off, in which case you'll need to redo your work. Be diligent. *The X axis runs side to side; e.g. the "width" of the bed. *The Y axis runs forward and back; e.g. the "depth" of the bed. *The Z axis runs up and down; e.g. the space between the bed and collet. '''Affixing the workpiece to the mill''' *Use a piece of aluminum stock between the PCB and the bed. *Use adjustable wrenches to cinch down the workpiece holders to the PCB. You only want the bolts to be finger-tight; the fiberglass substrate can actually be compressed if too much pressure is used, causing distortions in the milled part. '''Do not use pliers.''' *The collet faces ''upwards'' (like the tip of a rocket) into the spindle. *Keep the plastic guard attached to the milling bit. Place the bit into the collet, and bolt the collet into the spindle. '''Zeroing the machine''' *'''Note:''' In the MaxNC control program, it's important to zero the mill - to set it to 0,0,0 - before routing a board. Occasionally, the milling machine will not home to 0,0,0 in the MaxNC control program. To fix this, go to ''Machine > Zero Coordinate System > P1 G54.'' *In AXIS' ''Manual Control'' tab, adjust the X, Y, and Z axis feed controls until the tool is at the upper right corner of the circuit board. *Chuck the bit, finger-tight. *It is critical to zero the Z axis correctly. The idea is to drop the bit down onto the surface of the copper, with zero force, and then zero the axis. Use the manual controls to drop the bit, step by step, until it is about 1/4" above the surface of the PCB. *Loosen the collet so that the bit drops onto the board. Tighten the collet. *Immediately zero the Z axis. '''Milling''' *Controls for starting / stepping / stopping milling operations are located in AXIS' top toolbar. *At this point, all of the axes should be zeroed. *Click the Go button in the toolbar to start milling.
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to Noisebridge are considered to be released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (see
Noisebridge:Copyrights
for details). If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource.
Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!
To protect the wiki against automated edit spam, we kindly ask you to solve the following CAPTCHA:
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Log in
Request account
Namespaces
Page
Discussion
English
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Dig in!
Noisebridge
- Status: MOVED
- Donate
- ABOUT
- Accessibility
- Vision
- Blog
Manual
MANUAL
Visitors
Participation
Community Standards
Channels
Operations
Events
EVENTS
Guilds
GUILDS
- Meta
- Electronics
- Fabrication
- Games
- Music
- Library
- Neuro
- Philosophy
- Funding
- Art
- Crypto
- Documentation/Wiki
Wiki
Recent Changes
Random Page
Help
Categories
(Edit)
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Special pages
Page information