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CNC Mill training
01-18-2016, 09:35 AM,
#1
CNC Mill training
I'm considering putting together some training on how to use the CNC mill.

What are people interested in learning? What level of knowledge should I plan for?

I see several aspects to being able to use the mill.

1. Ability to create drawings in a CAD package
2. Ability to turn CAD into the GCode the mill recognizes
3. Understanding of Machining
4. Operation of the machine

I'm pretty rusty on all fronts...So, I need to refresh my knowledge and would like to focus on the things that are meaningful to the group in their efforts.

What do you think? What do you want to see?
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01-18-2016, 06:17 PM,
#2
RE: CNC Mill training
I think you pretty well covered the areas. Other than a handful of us, I don't think most have used CNC directly only through something like the 3D printers, and not for subtractive manufacturing, so starting with milling basics might be good.

FYI- on a related note, the keyed switch (with 3 keys) is on its way and there's two gallons of antifreeze with four gallons of distilled water sitting in my living room to help with the chip color.
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01-19-2016, 08:47 AM,
#3
RE: CNC Mill training
I think my weakest aspect is doing the CAD. There are dozens of packages out there and each is slightly different. I'd suggest that people choose a CAD package and then find training videos on Youtube.

I found some video from years ago that talks about machining. The video's are long, but, if memory serves, they are pretty good at teaching basic machining principals. They are here.

Cool on the keyed switch!

We need to make sure the sump is cleaned out prior to adding any coolant. I don't anticipate a lot of vaporization of the antifreeze, but it's not the greatest thing to be breathing. We may want to consider using RV plumbing antifreeze. It's propylene glycol and is a bit safer, they add it to food! I think we can get the pure stuff (not mixed with dyes or fragrance) at large animal stores.

I'll get working on the training.
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04-15-2016, 09:39 AM,
#4
RE: CNC Mill training
I would be very interested in learning the CNC. I actually have a project I'm cooking up to try on it. Please let me know when you're thinking about doing this, so I can plan on it.

In the mean time, I did find this helpful article http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/gcnc/
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04-17-2016, 07:10 AM, (This post was last modified: 04-17-2016, 07:12 AM by RayStoner.)
#5
RE: CNC Mill training
How familiar are you with machining? GCode? Drawing?

I'm willing to show folks how to use the Mill and turn drawings into G-Code, but a full course in drawing and machining is beyond the scope of what I'd like to do.

If you have a drawing of your part and a passing familiarity with machining techniques, I could meet you at the maker space on a Saturday (or multiple) to walk you though the process of creating the G-Code that the mill will consume, then how to run the machine to make the part.

Check the thread titled "BobCAD Training" for some training documents on the CAM package that the space has.
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