Make something like this Carbide 3d
Yes, the Shapeoko ULTIMATE!
I already know I can’t afford it.
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What materials would you want that sort of machine to cut?
What CAD/CAM software would you wish to use w/ it?
To make what sort of parts?
There’s a lot which can be done w/ flip jigs — there’s even a plan here for a 4-sided frame:
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Is it possible for this jig to be made out of wood and still work as intended?
That does not look like a rigid machine. Probably total disaster except for the lightest materials.
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So long as the structure is rigid and stable enough to allow the rotation to be done accurately, and the cuts to be made w/o anything slipping it should be fine.
Yeah, that certainly is not a rigid machine, they kinda make it obvious since all their example pieces are made of soft materials like foam and wood.
It’s also not an overly precise machine. They say the smallest stepover they can do is 0.036mm.
It seems to me to fit into a really narrow niche. It has more accuracy and flexibility (and complexity) than an FDM 3D printer but it’s not quite up to the same level as a Shapeoko or Nomad when it comes to milling, especially structural materials (metals).
But that niche is already partially filled by SLA 3D printers. They have a similar level of accuracy (35µm on X/Y and 10µm on Z for example) and the ability to work with some exotic materials like ceramics. They do this for a fraction of the cost and have much lower complexity.
I think it’s going to be quite a while until we see a bigger 5-axis mill that’s still affordable. Even a small 5-axis like a PocketNC is extremely expensive and I don’t think the expense is even linear. To get rigidity with a ton of stacked joints isn’t easy.
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A 3 axis with good fixturing can get you lots of places. A 5 axis that will machine worth a damn is easily 10k+. I run a pocket NC at work, you should check out the new one they are prototyping. Check out @ InventorCaptain on IG.
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I would agree that the machine would not likely mill steel or maybe even aluminum but there are applications for making things out of plastic or foam. Maybe someone that makes lost foam casting or making prototypes. Every machine does not have to do everything.
The old saying is “Its not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog” There is not much that dedication cannot do. You just have to want to do it. Remember the little engine that could.
I worked for 8020 for several years. that resembles the metric material we had. The corner pieces on this machine on each and every 90-degree angle would create a fairly ridged machine. larger corner brackets would even make it more ridged.
My guess your experience with aluminum extrusions is not very extensive. (no offence intended, just an observation.)
I get that but why would you use this machine instead of a 3D printer that costs ~1/30th the price?
The problem isn’t that extrusions are being used (I’m in the middle of building a mill using extrusions myself), the problem is the giant lever that is the Z-axis, along with the two rotational axes attached to it.
If they took the top “square” from the machine (the bit with the Y-axis rails) and cut the Z-axis to a fraction of its length, they’d have a pretty standard gantry machine that’s perfectly capable of cutting metals.
But let’s say a standard machine like that has 5µm of deflection under a normal Aluminium cutting load. If you extend the Z-axis from 70mm extension to 400mm extension, you amplify that deflection to ~35µm.
On top of that, they’ve added two rotational axes and installed a puny spindle.
There’s no way this machine is rigid after all that.
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Hot damn that’s a nice looking machine (IG profile link for others). I imagine it ain’t gonna be cheap though…
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Wood Materials, Fusion 360, My sailboat half hulls would be easier to mill because i need to use long reach tools with the shapeoko which causes vibration and deflection on the initial adaptive cuts.
i have to make sure when i model a boat that i can get the tool into areas.
I suspect this design would be quite chattery as well — can you do more clearing w/ larger diameter tooling?
Looking at your half-hull, could you slice it from near-side to back-side? The seams should be essentially invisible from that orientation.
clearing is not the problem, finish pass needs a long reach ball end mill plus shapeoko can only hndle a max of 2" stock anything more than that tools will not reach
My suggestion was to break the boat into slices. It the boat hull is say 2" deep, you break it into 8x 1/4" chunks and process each one individually. Then you only need 1/4" of reach on your endmill.
thats what i do but the last slice still needs the long reach to avoid hitting the collar nut
