Need Help!- CNC mill for the lab

[zsunsun]

Hi

I work in a optics lab in NJ and I thought it would be great if I can make the parts that are needed for the experiment on the fly. Our maximum budget for getting a CNC mill and make it running is at $3000 but $1500 is more of a comfy price. And if everything else goes right, like money saving from building parts ourselves and possible extra income from selling milled parts, then we might get an another one.

I tried googling around to get a rough idea on the cost and found This.

Anyone have an advice on a which type of CNC mill I should look for or is $3k limit too low to have a decent setup to mill out some parts?

Any advice is welcome, and hopefully I am posting this on the right forum : )
Thank you.

[The Blight]

What materials are you planning on working with? How big parts are you going to be making?

I believe there was a topic about this mill about a week ago. I think the conclusion was to avoid this machine. It looks like a modified X1 (to me it looks like its for the worse).

Do you want to get it up and running right away, or do you want to convert it yourself?

[zsunsun]

I believe all the instruments in the lab is made of aluminum or stainless steel. But it would be better if we can make parts out of some of the hardest materials available for the future project.

For the size, it is either flat and wide, or cylindrical and long. If it is flat and wide usual measurement is around 9 inches by 9 and 2 inches tall, and for the cylindrical post, diameter is around 4 inches and 12 inches tall at most.

I knew it was a good idea to ask here before making a proposal for a machine shop : ) If we bought that machine and it crapped on us I could have ended up in a bad position.

Running right away from the box is really great if it can be done, but converting myself is also very tempting because I would love to do it myself : ) So, yeah I'll have to choose the option that fits budget well.

Thank you : D

[The Blight]

http://www.taigtools.com/cmill.html
The taig is in your price range, but I have no experience with that mill, so I can't really comment on how it holds up in stainless steel. Would also seem like the Z axis could be a limiting factor (travel). You would also be needing stepping motors, drivers for the steppers, a breakout board and a power supply along with a computer to drive the machine. If you want a more professional software to run it, you should go with mach3, but it costs a bit. There are lots of free alternatives out there too.

http://www.syilamerica.com/product_X4.asp
One other alternative that I can think off is the X4. I have no idea what it costs, and I don't have any experience with it, but it sure does have nice specs. It has a few drawbacks when compared to the taig (such as spindle speed and weight), but it's also a more sturdy machine so it can handle bigger cuts, and it is probably more suited for stainless steel. This is also a machine that is ready to run right out of the box. Anyone know the price on this one?

Took a look at tormach, but it's way out of your price range, so I'm just gonna leave that one out.

[jalessi]

Welcome to the Zone,

Are you already well versed with Cad Cam software?

You may be biting off way more than you can chew. The learning curve alone may derail your plan.

The larger pieces of stainless steel are going to give you a run for your money,
I would be looking at a used full size CNC mill not a bench style mill.

Having fun and running a business don't always go hand in hand.

Good Luck,

Jeff...

[Guldberg]

Its always tempting to do the parts yourself, but for a company with no experience in machining, i would say you would be better of with "pros" making your parts. Find a reliably partner that can make the parts "overnight" and never have to think about machines, tools, skills etc.

[zsunsun]

Thanks everyone for advices : )

Yes, making parts independently is really tempting, but now I understand that CNC mill is not as easy as I once thought.

I'll spend more time researching CNC mill and thanks again to everyone who replied to my question : D