Is this a good setup for milling 7075 T6 Aluminum?

[Bmr4life]

Link I'm looking at the $1700 combo.

Working 7075 aluminum up to 1/4" thick.

Its either this or an X2.

I haven't seen any threads where people have shown their Taig milling hard metals so I want to make sure its capable. thanks

[cornbinder23]

I dont have any experience with the Taig but I have seen some pretty amazing things done with them , but this line KILLS me
"This is a very robust and heavy machine 110 pounds of shipping weight"

no offense please

JTCUSTOMS

[Bmr4life]

I dont have any experience with the Taig but I have seen some pretty amazing things done with them , but this line KILLS me
"This is a very robust and heavy machine 110 pounds of shipping weight"

no offense please

JTCUSTOMS

I agree, that is a funny line considering a 500lb mill is considered small.

[Jeff-Birt]

With any smaller machine the trick is taking small bites. I have seen folks machine aluminum, brass, and many types of steel (as have I machined all of these). Between the Taig and X2 I think the Taig would be a better choice if it is a large enough machine for your needed work envelope.

A desktop machine is NOT a big machining center so your going to be taking shallow fast cuts more so that deep slow cuts.

[Bmr4life]

Thanks. Does the $1700 kit include all the parts I would need to get started? What does it not have that a 2027ER ($2500) does have?

[awetmore]

It is a kit of components from multiple suppliers, so it isn't turnkey.

I don't think that Deepgroove includes any limit or homing switches. Those aren't required, but they sure are helpful. The G540 that his kit uses has 4 inputs, so you can easily add them, but I don't know if those inputs are exposed on the control box. Based on the photos here it looks like they are not exposed, since they aren't part of the back panel outputs on the G540:
Deepgroove1 Gecko control box

It is a reasonable price for a kit of components to get started.

[awetmore]

It is also odd that he only uses one of the relay outputs, so you'd need to add extra wiring if you wanted to control both the spindle and coolant.

Coolant is very helpful when milling aluminum to prevent chip-welding. Compressed air blowing the chips out of the way can be a reasonable alternative, if you already have a compressor. Running flood coolant requires building a cabinet around the mill to avoid spraying your whole work area with coolant. You'd want that for the X2 or Taig.

[Jeff-Birt]

What is a good deal? Is it the lowest price, or the best value for your hard earned dollar? Before buying any system you should call the seller and ask about your application. Anyone selling CNC related stuff should know enough about machining to start you out on the right path.

When you buy a complete system you are paying for a known working solution with support to back it up. If you build a system yourself you might save a few dollars but you will generally spend 2-4 weeks figuring out how to get things working, and if you have a problem who do you call?

Please call around to different Taig dealers and see what they have to offer you. I like to see everyone make and informed decision and find the best system to meet their needs.