XZero CNC

[JohninOttawa]

Hi George. I have a question on flex shaft couplings.

My machine is up and running and so far, working great! I have noticed that the NEMA 34 is probably not going to stall first. My guess is that the flex coupling is going to give up long before the motor does.

I've looked around to try and find compatible flex couplings, but the specs are rare. I ordered what I thought was a match from McMaster Carr, but the spider they take is too wide.

Would you be able to provide ordering information for replacement flex couplings? I'd like to have a set on hand in case I shear one.

Thanks again for all your help. I'm still amazed at the accuracy right out of the blocks.

Cheers
-john

[gio666]

Hi George. I have a question on flex shaft couplings.

My machine is up and running and so far, working great! I have noticed that the NEMA 34 is probably not going to stall first. My guess is that the flex coupling is going to give up long before the motor does.

I've looked around to try and find compatible flex couplings, but the specs are rare. I ordered what I thought was a match from McMaster Carr, but the spider they take is too wide.

Would you be able to provide ordering information for replacement flex couplings? I'd like to have a set on hand in case I shear one.

Thanks again for all your help. I'm still amazed at the accuracy right out of the blocks.

Cheers
-john

Hi John , you should not have to change those for a long time, I have the coupling,but don't think you will need to replace them at all?

[gio666]

Now all Mini Raptor pre sales are gone out ,so many it took up most of my time.
Here are some of the changes .

Now has 5 inch clearance under gantry.
4 large bearings on X long axis

[gio666]

Also have clearance pricing on the Demon 56x60 machines that are left in stock

[ihavenofish]

Hi John , you should not have to change those for a long time, I have the coupling,but don't think you will need to replace them at all?

the motor has nowhere near enough torque to damage the spider or coupling for a stall. these coupling will eventually wear, but that might be in like 10 years of heavy use.

[JohninOttawa]

Different day, different question - my table is big enough, I think, for me to flatten wood stabs for tabletops, etc. Any recommendations on face milling bits/setup?

Thanks
-John

[ihavenofish]

1.25" dishing bit from lee valley is nice. runs fast on a low power spindle, lasts a while. has big radius corners for less chip out. costs about $40.

you need to get the speeds in the right zone so nothing burns. as in, dont spin the bit super fast but feed slow. after some practice it should be good.

they have other facing bits, big ones, but they are both expensive, and require alot of spindle power.

[JohninOttawa]

That's a great tip, never thought of looking at Lee Valley.

Now all I have to do is make it out of the store with JUST the dishing bit....

Cheers
-John

[ihavenofish]

Now all I have to do is make it out of the store with JUST the dishing bit....

Cheers
-John

not gonna happen.

[gio666]

Different day, different question - my table is big enough, I think, for me to flatten wood stabs for tabletops, etc. Any recommendations on face milling bits/setup?

Thanks
-John

You can get fly cutters from here, it is near your Air Canada office in Mississauga Home
or here i think for cheaper china made ones ACCUSIZE INDUSTRIAL

For larger end mills this is place for good ones PCT Carbide

KBC Tools & Machinery

[ihavenofish]

fly cutters of the normal metal cutting type that use a small lathe cutter are not very suitable for work. lots of tearing. there are a few insert types that can take a sharp aluminium cutting insert. those could work well in wood. the bigger issue with a fly cutter tends to be speed and vibration. they are meant to run at several hundreds of rpms, not 24000. at 500, or even 5000rpm you tend not to have any power on a router spindle.

[gio666]

57x65 inch Demon

[ihavenofish]

beastie

[mike2768]

Nice I like

[gio666]

Mini Raptor 36 inch long . More info here 18x36 Mini RAPTOR

[gio666]

[gio666]

[gio666]

[JohninOttawa]

Good morning all.

Finally getting some time to use the Raptor and on the inevitable learning curve. Last night was double-sided milling on 1/2" acrylic.

The good news is that the repeatability of the machine is outstanding. Using a mirrored top and bottom drawing and some locating holes for screwing the plate down worked like a charm.

One issue I had was unexpected flex at a far edge of a profile cut. I thought I had everything held down tight but the spiral bit managed to pull the sheet up a bit during the cut and roughed up my edge. My fault for not predicting the flex in the plastic well enough. Didn't destroy the piece or the bit, but the noise sure got my attention....

So I have two questions coming out of this. The first was spindle speed. I figured that, when cutting plastic, slow is better to avoid melting. I'm using a three flute carbide 1/4" spiral bit (up cut, which of course added to the problem). The cut was otherwise smooth, but I'm wondering if a different speed would reduce or worsen the flex issue. Or is the solution just to really reduce the depth of each pass? I don't know if this just delays the inevitable when the profile cut reaches the bottom of the material.

My second question is how to clamp or otherwise hold down cuts on this kind of material. I decided not to go with hold downs as the material is so smooth I figured it would just move. Screwing through the surface only works to a point. Once I start cutting out holes and shapes, either I need to put a lot of holes into my work or do something different. I can place bridges into the work, but I've heard mixed reviews. What works for you folks?

I am thinking of building a vacuum table, but that's going to have to wait for a few months.

Thanks for your advice!

-John

[gio666]

Good morning all.

Finally getting some time to use the Raptor and on the inevitable learning curve. Last night was double-sided milling on 1/2" acrylic.

The good news is that the repeatability of the machine is outstanding. Using a mirrored top and bottom drawing and some locating holes for screwing the plate down worked like a charm.

One issue I had was unexpected flex at a far edge of a profile cut. I thought I had everything held down tight but the spiral bit managed to pull the sheet up a bit during the cut and roughed up my edge. My fault for not predicting the flex in the plastic well enough. Didn't destroy the piece or the bit, but the noise sure got my attention....

So I have two questions coming out of this. The first was spindle speed. I figured that, when cutting plastic, slow is better to avoid melting. I'm using a three flute carbide 1/4" spiral bit (up cut, which of course added to the problem). The cut was otherwise smooth, but I'm wondering if a different speed would reduce or worsen the flex issue. Or is the solution just to really reduce the depth of each pass? I don't know if this just delays the inevitable when the profile cut reaches the bottom of the material.

My second question is how to clamp or otherwise hold down cuts on this kind of material. I decided not to go with hold downs as the material is so smooth I figured it would just move. Screwing through the surface only works to a point. Once I start cutting out holes and shapes, either I need to put a lot of holes into my work or do something different. I can place bridges into the work, but I've heard mixed reviews. What works for you folks?

I am thinking of building a vacuum table, but that's going to have to wait for a few months.

Thanks for your advice!

-John

Vacuum fixture is best most times , but depends on how small part gets when cut out and size of pump