I am interested in purchasing a Nomad 883 for machining HDPE and 6061. The parts I want to machine are on the larger side and I am concerned that the parts in 6061 will be too much for the machine to handle. Attached is a picture of one of the items I would like to produce. The outside dimensions are 8" long x 6.114" wide x 1.66" tall. 60% to 70% of the material will be removed. Do you think this is too big of a project for the Nomad in 6061? If not, any estimates on the duration of the job? Will I need to add an auto lubricant and/or a dust collector to remove the chips?
The Nomad could cut a part that size but it would be pretty slow to remove that much material. If you upload a step file I can give you an estimate based on the settings that I’ve used for aluminum in the past but off of the top of my head I’d say it’s in the 6+ hour range.
If I were going to cut this kind of part, I’d use a manual Bridgeport to rough out most of the material manually, then put it on the Nomad to do the finish work. Using this method you could bring the machining time down dramatically. You don’t need dust collection to cut aluminum and don’t necessarily need coolant but the coolant will definitely help.
This might actually be better on the S03. As Remmy says, that’s going to take quite a while on the Nomad - it just doesn’t have the power to take a big cut.
Remmy, thanks for the info. 6 or more hours would not work too well. I am looking to build thermoforming tooling. If I end up with a Nomad, I’ll stick with HDPE or a foam like CMT’s HYTAC.
Chris, I am definitely interested in seeing your SO3. I’ll contact you via email for more details.
