Received mislabeled endmills

Software
1

Hi,
It’s not a problem, but I received 2 mislabeled endmills:
1 .0625 flat
1 .0625 ball
I can use them though.
Also, what can you recommend to do slight undercuts?
Thanks!
Tem

2

You’ll need a slot-cutter or a dove-tail cutter for undercuts, or if you’re cutting sufficiently soft materials Dremel has some 1/8" shank HSS cutters that are 1/4" or 3/8" in diameter, but they may be too tall for what you’re trying to accomplish.

What do you want to undercut for?

3

Hi UnionNine, thank you for your advice.

There is a snap feature above a post that overhangs a tiny bit. I just need a cutter to remove material under the snap feature.
The main part is planar with a few holes. The distance from the main part to the feature (along the post ), is about 1.7mm, overhanging about .8mm.
The part is an SSD carrier that I intend to use on my old MacPro that is going to run the 3D printer (FormLabs Form 1+), Nomad 883 (just received and unboxed), and 3D Scanner (Matter and Form).

4

If you’re working with a snap-fit post, definitely a slot-cutter of appropriate diameter is what you’ll need, not a dove-tail. Good luck!

5

Hi UnionNine,
I might just change the design of the part, its an SSD sled, so that its pan screw friendly.
I’ve looked at the tools you recommended but there is an area that looks like the cutting tool will cause damage to the part during cutting, and I’m not sure how to define some of the tools in MeshCAM, as they are not supported (yet), such as the Dremel tool idea, which I hadn’t thought of.
Thank you for your insight.

6

Hi Tem,

When you say the tools are not supported, you mean there isn’t a profile for the slot-cutter type of bit? I agree, those definitions would be helpful but the way that MeshCam deals with tool-path generation somewhat prevents it, since it doesn’t have an option to create arbitrary paths on curves.

I don’t know if you’ve got Fusion360 or SolidWorks available, but there’s a really awesome CAM package called HSMworks that’s integrated into Fusion and available to SolidWorks as a free plugin called HSMxpress for 2.5D machining, which would definitely let you do what you’re trying to accomplish. Rob and I have been going back and forth about the nuances of the post from these in a few other threads to make sure Carbide Motion would be happy taking them.

If you would like help generating the right post to get this thing done, I’d be happy to look at your files and see if I can’t generate a slot-cutter friendly set of tool-paths for you. I’d just need to know what size stock you’re cutting, what you’re cutting it out of, and how you’re going to fixture it to make sure I set the feeds and speeds adequately well.

-Jonathan

7

Hi Jonathan,

I appreciate your offer. The project is just a special sled for an ssd. There are four posts with overhanging snap features. Each post is actually cut in 2 to allow the post halves to flex, allowing the snap features to pass thru a hole before they do their work. It is the tiny overhangs that are the machining issue.
There is no way to get under them to machine material away.
I could just replace the post forms with a boss and screw into it. Then again, I could 3d print it, but then I wouldn’t being learning how to use my new Nomad CNC.

-Tem

8

Alright—well good luck then, and we’ll look forward to seeing how you work it out in the end :•)

-Jonathan