cnc'd micro mill - anybody else done this?

[snowman]

For as many complaints as I have heard about the X1, I'm surprised by the ease by which it converted to CNC, as well as the final precision of the machine.

By no means am I going to be doing high precision work on it, but I knew that from the start. When purchasing it, I played the "which is cheaper game"...building a quality CNC router, or starting with the X1, the X1 won out. I already had all the parts, I think my total cost was the retail of the mill, as I got it on sale.

Since I am only cutting plastic and possibly aluminum on this, the rigidity has no ill effect on my work.

I'll post pictures later. No time right now. Just curious if anyone else has a micromill that is converted.

[small.planes]

See here

Dave

[macona]

I did one maybe 4 or 5 years ago. Added thrust bearings to the X and Y leadscrews and belt drove them with Vexta 5 phase motors. On Z I removed the stock screw and installed a ballscrew in it place. Worked OK. But the spindle is terribly slow for such a little machine. I ended up selling it to a friend who does model work when I got my supermax.

[John Stevenson]

Here's the follow up to the X1 mill already CNC'd and now known as the KX1.



Loosely based on the X1 but with a fixed and far heavier column
Ballscrews all round as standard and limit switches.
Power is by a 500W 3 phase brushless motor under computer control, speeds from 100 to 6,300

Ignore the drill chuck, that just comes as standard with it and is not for milling.

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[HSS]

Frowned at the chuck until I read the post. Beautiful work, John.
Patrick

[John Stevenson]

Patrick,
Not mine, this is how they are being imported.

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[HSS]

Ooohh, I thought you converted it to CNC. Sorry. Still a good looking machine.
Patrick

[snowman]

Now That's A Shiny Turd!!!

[John Stevenson]

The one that's in the picture was straight out the box and de greased from the packing gung.

I then set it up and got it running which was just a matter of writing an xml file for Mach and then do a test piece before it was shipped out.

In the rush to get to the importers I grabbed a couple of 3" steel blanks to do a loco wheel as the demo piece.
Steel is far better to show shortcoming up on a small machine such as this.

Only problem was I grabbed a slice of 318 stainless [ gulp ], Oh well they wanted it testing.

As well as forgetting the right blank I also forgot my camera but had the video camera there.

Here's a few minutes of it cutting the wheel in stainless.

http://www.badadam.co.uk/kx1


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[snowman]

What is your involvement with the development of that John?