Sieg KX1 questions

[boaterri]

I am considering buying a Sieg KX1 mill. Does anyone on the forum have any experience with these machines? Is there anyone in New England with one of these machines that I might talk to regarding their experiences with a KX1?

Thanks,

Rick

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[boaterri]

I guess no one has heard of this mill.

Rick

[hoss2006]

You might have better luck here.
Syil Products - CNCzone.com-The Largest Machinist Community on the net!
Hoss

[boaterri]

Thanks, Hoss, will give it a try there.

Rick

[billfle]

I have a Sieg KX1 which uses the ethernet connection. My laptop runs XP. I want to change over from the Sieg software to Mach3. Problem is I have no idea how to set up Mach3 to address the ethernet output. Any help would be great guys.

Bill

[Steamboat Ed]

Hi gang; new guy here. I've had a KX1 for about 6 weeks now; lots of issues I could talk about but the good news (for me) is we've got a group to help me get the damned thing working right. For starters you should be aware that the machines don't seem to come off an assembly line; I get the impression they're built one at a time as orders come in. I'm thinking quality control is hit and miss: some wires aren't fastened terribly well and more than a few wiring connections are loose. This caused an intermittent spindle crash on my machine that only became evident after a week or so of what I'd call medium vibration machining. Fasteners are tight now and that problem seems to have gone away.
There's a second spindle issue that's got me baffled: some times at the beginning of a day the spindle will NOT come up to speed. I've posted a video on flickr showing the problem. I wrote a spindle exercising program but that doesn't solve the issue; the only thing that seems to work is to invoke the Mach 3 virtual pendant and turn on the spindle there. Once spindle is turning it's possible to use the 'override' control to get the motor's rpm up to something like 'normal'. After a bit of high speed (around 4k rpm) it seems to behave itself for the remainder of the day.
Other KX1 issues are relatively minor: in a tight shop it needs a real enclosure to keep chips off of the PC, it needs a spray mist lube system, the trough is too small for even the smallest vise installation and needs to be remade larger, it needs a light of course and you really need to find some way of controlling spray mist, which gets everywhere. Other than that it's a rockin' machine. I'm using Mach 3 for the first time and it beats the crap out of any other system I've used; higly recommended. Here's a link to the spindle problem video: https://www.flickr.com/photos/steamb...-7215764674530

[billfle]

I have a KX1 and just love it, I use it as often as I can and is the first choice of workshop machine when I want to mill something. They do make a mess with swarf and I have built a cabinet to cope. It is virtually ideal to contain fluids and chips. I have fitted a pump underneath and all the swarf flows into a tank under the front. This is removable for cleaning. Don't expect any support from China, I found that I havd to do major mods but was able to reverse engineer all the electronics to solve problems.

[Steamboat Ed]

That's a really beautiful enclosure you've got there. Can you describe in a bit more detail how you made it?

[billfle]

Hello Ed,
I found the tray that comes with the KX1 is not large enough or high enough to catch the action. I built a new stand for the mill and placed a large piece of cardboard under the machine. I marked the outer limits (moving the X & Y axis and marking the limits. I then used CAD to draw up a tray that would be slightly larger (note the offset, wider on the left). I wanted to use a coolant flush to clean the machine after use so I made it so the fluid would run to the front and down into the resevoir. The tray is shaped sort of like a funnel and flows through a metal screen (front screen of a microwave oven) and into the resevoir. I have a variable speed drive on a high volume pump of about 2/3 hp so that after I finish machining I turn the pump flat out and it carries the swarf down the drain. It is not finished yet but I will shortly complete the front panel in acrylic (same as the sides). This will finally contain any splashing and I will leave it closed. When the job is finished it will be like a dishwasher and will flush virtually everything away. Once I had the base marked out I made it quite high on the sides approx 90mm above the base of the mill. (I should have made it 120mm as it still does splash a bit). The top is the same shape as the base so that the sides and back panels tie the lot together. When the mill is in the uppermost position, it clears the top by about 20mm. I suppose I should have allowed for the draw bolt but when I did think of it it was too late. It now has a hole and rubber gromet. There are acrylic panels along the sides also which allows me to see the cutter from my computer. On the top I have an isolating switch and emergency stop button and a switch to turn on a set of halogen lamps. The whole thing is powdercoated. The top and base are white and the back and sides are blue. I will fit a fan at the back to get rid of the smell of the fluid. The pump is mounted on the stand behind the tank. The box on the front is a removable one with clips I removed from some junk. I have found it is not necessary to remove the box because when I remove the filter just above it, I can get my hand in and scoop the swarf out easily. There is a plastic gauze thing (pot cleaner) in the cavity where the pump draws coolant. This is not ideal but will think of something soon. This all may appear to be over the top but I have a fussy wife that chose black carpet in the house. She can see aluminium swarf from a mile away. By this method I have created a reasonably acceptable existance and a good looking machine. This machine is wonderful to use, the white background inside the cabinet and the four small halogens make it the best machine for me. It is so bright and easy to use. It will be quieter when I close the front but for now it is ok. I am making a 2400mm x 1500mm CNC router in aluminum and in the last month have cut out around 15 litres of swarf. The KX1 would be the best small machine I have as it is good quality, accurate easy to use and will dig it's way to hell.
It gets a bit cool in Tasmania in the winter and with the halogens on it makes it comfortable. It is a bit hot in summer though.

regards

Bill

[deauzie]

I have a KX1 and just love it, I use it as often as I can and is the first choice of workshop machine when I want to mill something. They do make a mess with swarf and I have built a cabinet to cope. It is virtually ideal to contain fluids and chips. I have fitted a pump underneath and all the swarf flows into a tank under the front. This is removable for cleaning. Don't expect any support from China, I found that I havd to do major mods but was able to reverse engineer all the electronics to solve problems.

Hi

do you still have your KX1, I have been offered a basic CNC machine for $3600 would you still recommend these machines
do you have a Youtube page or links with your upgrades and advice

Paul

[andreenoren]

I have a KX1 and just love it, I use it as often as I can and is the first choice of workshop machine when I want to mill something. They do make a mess with swarf and I have built a cabinet to cope. It is virtually ideal to contain fluids and chips. I have fitted a pump underneath and all the swarf flows into a tank under the front. This is removable for cleaning. heardle Don't expect any support from China, I found that I havd to do major mods but was able to reverse engineer all the electronics to solve problems.

Creating a cabinet to manage swarf and fluids is a smart solution for maintaining cleanliness in your workshop. It's also commendable that you were able to perform reverse engineering on the electronics to resolve any issues you encountered.