A Dream Come True; Finally

[HollowPoint]

It's been a long time coming. I'm not really sure of the exact time I've been saving up for this purchase.

Initially I had planned on buying a larger Manual Vertical Mill with all the bells and whistles but, during the time I was saving up the funds I slowly became interested in CNC Mills. Over the past couple of years I've been informally studying G-Code and CNC machines on my own.

I even went so far as to download some freeware Cad/Cam/Simulator software to see if I could get the hang of it. Turns out that it's not that complicated after all.

There are several things that I'm still struggling to learn (circular interpolation at the top of the list) but, for the most part I'm confident I can getter-done.

I've been using a small bench-top mill and lathe for about six years; maybe longer. (I guess that's about how long I've been saving and dreaming) I've posted pictures of some of my projects here on occasion. The problem is that the projects I was doing on these smaller machines just took a long time to complete. In addition to that, these bench-top machines weren't as accurate as I would have liked them to be.

When you have to work an income-producing job during the week, it leaves little time to play around with these bench-top hobby machines.

In spite of that I don't think I'll be selling either of them any time soon.

Yesterday I took delivery of my new Tormach PCNC 770 Deluxe package. Actually it was just the Mill and the Stand. The rest of my purchase will be here on Friday; I hope.

Right now the Mill itself is sitting in my carport behind the house. I have to wait for the "Moving-Kit" to arrive with tomorrow's shipment before I can complete the assembly.

I've had the Ideas and Concepts, and I have the CAD/CAM Software; now I have the CNC technology to bring my ideas into being.

Sometimes posting things like this particular subject can come across like pure conceit, or even worse; it can be misinterpreted in any number of different ways that may cause offense to some. That was not my intent by posting this "Dream Come True."

The personal part of this dream has always been to be able to Dream it up, Draw it up and Machine it up; in that order.

Before, I used to Dream up some project, then I'd hope I could find the time to make some CAD drawings before the dream faded. If I got past that stage, then I'd hope I could find some more free time to set up my bench-top machines to at least get started with a given project. After which I'd start to loose interest in it because the following Monday I had to work and I most likely wouldn't be able to finish it anyway.

The process is still basically the same for me but, now with my CAD software I can draw them up in a few evenings after work. My CAM software automatically converts my drawings to G-Code and my Mach3 Software automatically tells my Mill how to cut my part.

This is over simplified but, I hope you get my meaning. My project "Start-to-Finish" time is alot more streamlined.

I have a list of small project that I've been putting off because I lacked the technology to finish them quickly. Now I'm left with no excuses and alot of anticipation.

The drawings for my first project in nearly complete. It's a mold for making synthetic bullet-tips. I'll post some pictures of it a little later if I get the chance.

I hope the UPS guy shows up early tomorrow. I took that day off so that I'd have the next three days to complete the assembly of this new mill.

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for taking the time share in my good fortune.

HollowPoint

[uncle jed]

Congrats. Hope to see some good stuff soon, after the required learning process and playing with it time. Best of luck to you. uncle Jed

[Matt3357]

What material are you planning on making the bullet tips from?

By the way, super jealous!

Someday....

For right now I am happy as a dead pig in the sunshine that I finally have a house with a garage rather than an apartment with a spare bedroom.

Baby steps.

Matt

[drhall762]

Actually, circular interpolation isn't a big deal. You can instruct the machine with a G02 or G03 to cut in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. If you are in the X,Y plane, and are only programming with X,Y coordinates and a radius, then the arc you program cannot exceed 180 degrees. If you try a circle in this manner the tool will not leave the start point.

With circular interpolation you add an I or J. These are the reverse axis to X and Y. Using I and J you tell the machine how far it is from the tool path BACK to the center of the arc.

That is about all there is to it. is a good example: http://www.cncezpro.com/g02m.cfm

Hope this helps,

[HollowPoint]

Uncle Jed:

Thanks for the kind words.

Mat3357:

The materials I've been experimenting with are simply Hot-Glue-Sticks. I can get them in various colors. I recently ordered and received several sticks in green, red, white, black and the standard clear colors.

I know the common colors used by commercial bullet makers are red and blue but, I figured I could color code my bullets to the charge weights I was using by inserting different colored tips; while at the same time increase the ballistic coefficient . For example: clear for my plinking loads, white for my mild loads, red for my hot loads, etc..

I found that when fully hardened, the consistency of the Hot-Melt-Glue-Sticks is similar to that of the tips I have on my V-Max bullets.

By the way, I'm not being condescending but, don't be jealous. Take heart; I had to take some of the same "Baby Steps."

I look forward to reading of your good fortune in the near future.

drhall762:

Circlular Interpolation:

I must have some kind of dyslexia-mental-block going on because I've read and re-read, I've viewed and re-viewed just about all the information and tutorials I could find on this subject.

With the freeware software I eluded to above, I tried and tried to figure it out on my own. I even bought a CNC tutorial CD in order to try to grasp how it works. (I can almost get it to work but not quite.)

I kind of get it but, not completely. I kind of feel like all the good folks that I communicate with online that have generously and patiently tried to explain it to me just as you have must wonder how I can figure out G-Code in general but, not this particular nuance of G-Code. I wonder the same thing.

I'm afraid that with some subjects, my brain just isn't receptive to this kind of learning. I have to see it being done in order for it to click in my mind.

One of my brother-in-laws is a CNC machinist. I'm going to have to ask him to go through the process line by line, character by character, block by block until it sinks in. I'm kind of reluctant to ask though; then he'll automatically think that means my new mill is at his disposal 24/7. (It's a family related psychological thing)

For the time being, I'll be looking for "Wizards" or "Macros" that are already set up to run Circular Interpolation patterns so that all I have to do is enter the correct numbers for my particular applications.

Thanks again everyone; for the kind words.

HollowPoint

[drhall762]

The link I sent has a pretty good basic program. Mouse over the graphic in the upper left to see what it is cutting. Looks like an "eye" to me. Chop the program parts you need. I'll look to see if I can find my old teaching guides and send you the "plug and chug" section on CI. Trust me, you'll get it. All of my student did, eventually. Circles can be done just as easily on two lines.

[drhall762]

Here is the one I like best. It is for the Haas line but they use FANUC controllers so it should be close. Lots of stuff you may not need in the front but when you get to the programming it is very clear. http://www.haascnc.com/pdf/96-8000.pdf

I have it if you can't download it for some reason I will e-mail it to you. About 20MB.

[ph4570]

That's great HollowPoint. Periodically I go to the Tormach website to drool. I had saved enough money but then had to replace the roof on our house. I did not mind putting buckets out to collect the water but the woman..... I consider it hush money spent. Now I must start saving again.

We need pictures once you get it all set up.

[drhall762]

Just thought of something. Check out MSC. They have machinable wax. Very friendly to cut and when you're done, just re-cast it.

[Doughty]

HollowPoint,
Something else that you can use to practice or "prototype" on is soild house insulation like they sell at Lowes. A 4' X 8' piece is cheap and goes a long way. You can cut it into pieces or cut and glue to make about any size you need. I use the 1" thick blue stuff. The swarf is a little messy, but a vacuum makes for a quick cleanup.
Richard

[HollowPoint]

Before I can do any type of prototyping I have to get it in my back door first.

The moving kit I was waiting for showed late Friday afternoon. To late to attempt anything then.

First thing Saturday morning (that's today) I plan on being at the door of the equipment rental store for an engine hoist and a pallet jack.

My back door measured 31" across and the widest point of the mill table and its Y-motor housing measures 33" with the motor removed.

I'm hoping I can finess it in the door without having to dismantle it any further. I think I can get it to work; I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Time will tell. $25 bucks a day to rent the hoist and the pallet jack with a two-hundred dollar deposit. ($25 each)

I'd like to get the mill in the door and mounted on the stand today if possible.

I tried loading the SprutCAM software that came with this mill package. All went well until I tried to open the program. I got an Error Message that just wouldn't go away so I ended up having to uninstall the software.

Being overly-anxious to get thing put together and have metal chips flying make it doubly frustrating when small setbacks like this rear their heads. As far as problems go, these are just Blips-On-The-Screen of the big picture.

I know I'll get them taken care of soon enough but, right now, "Soon Enough" can't come Soon Enough.

Thanks for the tips on the practice materials.

HollowPoint

[Fishman]

If you can get a 33" mill through a 31" opening, learning circular interpolation will be a piece of cake because you are a magician!

I know I know attack it at an angle and all that but your get er done attitude is awesome. I don't pretend to know anything about Cnc machining but I know all about realizing a dream. Good luck and I hope you get it set up before having to go back to work.

[dragonrider]

I am holding my breath for pictures.

[deltaenterprizes]

Green with envy, but I am glad you got it, one day maybe I will have one.

[HollowPoint]

I finally got my new Mill in the door of my very small shop space.

I only had to remove the X and Y motors to do it; and I still managed to bugger up the lower parts of the door-jamb of my back door.

I was afraid I was going to have to take it apart into smaller pieces and move it in that way. Thank God I was able to finess it in the door.

The good news is, it's on the stand and leveled out. The automatic oiler is now installed. The 4th Axis driver and wiring are done; checked and re-checked.

Today I thought I'd tackle the computer/driver for the mill. I bought my Keyboard and my flat screen monitor off of ebay. I'm still waiting for the monitor to arrive.

In addition to that there were a few items on my purchase list that were on "Back-Order." I new in advance that the Tail-Stock for the 4th Axis and the Tooling kit/package were on that list but, it didn't matter to much.

I already have enough tooling that will work and it will be a while before I get up to speed enough to even think about using the 4th Axis. I had also ordered a gallon of coolant and a gallon of machine oil that I just realized was listed as back-ordered on my shipping receipt.

I still have to deal with my SprutCAM software issues on Monday. Once I get done with the Mill-Driver/computer stuff I hope to have some time to get to the hardware store to price out some components for making an enclosure of some sort. I already know how I want it. (cheap and functional and lightweight.)

With my manual lathe and mill, every time I used them I managed to track metal shavings in to the house. It's a real PITA to get them out of the carpet. Stepping on those metal shavings with bare feet is not fun either.

I just want to minimize that by building an enclosure.

Things are moving along now. I'll try to take pictures next week some time as time permits.

HollowPoint

[Frank46]

Glad you got your new mill (I'm Jealous) indoors. Some years back an indian family moved next door. Husband was a klutz with tools. I had to strip all molding and most of the frame so that they could get a sofa into the living room. Then put all the wood back. Wife was extremely thankful and made up a bunch pf chipattis easy or the curry powder that was well worth the effort. Bout once a moth could find a plate of the chipatties on the table. They were that good. Frank

[HollowPoint]

Hi Frank46:

The damage I did to my door-jamb is something I can live with. It never occured to me to remove the molding and such to avoid this kind of damage. Good idea.

Fortunately the damage I inflicted wasn't on the moldings of the door-jamb. It was mainly on the inside corners of the jambs.

In hindsight, if I would have just inserted a piece of cardboard between the jamb and the mill it would have prevented any damage at all. Oh Well; what's done is done.


I've gone as far as I can with the mill assembly. It's basically all put together and ready for its first run.

The software for the drivers is now all set up so there's nothing holding me back; except for the fact that I'm still waiting on my computer monitor to arrive; and the machine oil I ordered. Hopefully they'll be here today or tomorrow.

With the help of some of the guys over at the CNCZone website I think I may have a handle on my CAM software problems. It turns out that my computer-ignorance and SprutCAM's method of writing their instruction manuals sort of made for a "Perfect Storm" of mind boggling information-overload.

They seem to write their instructions for folks who know about computers and software. I'm an Auto-Upholsterer by trade. The intricacies of computers and software were just never high on my list of priorities. (until now)

I hope to be operational by the end of the week. Then I can start to experiment with the mill itself.

HollowPoint

[Cap'n Morgan]

With the help of some of the guys over at the CNCZone website I think I may have a handle on my CAM software problems. It turns out that my computer-ignorance and SprutCAM's method of writing their instruction manuals sort of made for a "Perfect Storm" of mind boggling information-overload.

Don't worry that you don't "get it" when it comes to circular interpolation, you won't need it. Of course it's nice to be able to punch in the numbers for a simple profile when you're in a hurry, but if the profile has more than a few elements just fire up the PC...

Most, if not all CAM systems has their own CAD system implemented. Most of them works so, so... If you already have a CAD system you feel comfortable with - stay with it. 95% of the time you will probably be doing 2D stuff, and all you need is a "flat" DXF file to work from. Later you can start adding taper (2.5 D) before going full 3D.

Use the built-in tool path verification software as much as possible! This is important as it will give you a good visual understanding of what is going on - and you won't ruin any parts or tools in the process. I take it the CAM software was a part of the package and it includes a post processor?

Good Luck - CNC is FUN!

[HollowPoint]

As I had hoped, the Mach3 driver software that came with this package has "Wizards" that are set up to do circular interpolation. All I have to do is enter the dimensions I'm working with and the computer takes care of the rest.

It's a relief because in the past few months I've been having to learn a total of four different softwares. One of them was the TruboCAD software for Mac computers. It wasn't to difficult to pick up.

I have since switched over to SolidWorks. It's a little more complicated but I finally figured it out enough to make some decent looking drawings. One of the other softwares I was fiddling with was the Mach3 software that came with this mill. I down loaded a free copy last year so I could use the simulator feature to see if my hand written code was done correctly.

Now I have this SprutCAM software that I have to learn. I'll be able to make my drawings with this software as well but, the Solidworks CAD software allows me to make animations with my drawings, do stress analysis and several other more complicated features.

Your are correct. This SprutCAM software does the post-processing. It too has a Simulation feature, as well as "Wizards" and "Macros" that shows tool paths and such to help me avoid crashing my new mill.

I finally got the SprutCAM software to function without giving me Error messages. Now I'll have a chance to do some of the tutorials to get up to speed.

It's true; "CNC is FUN" but, the learning curve is not.

I look forward to making my first part.

HollowPoint

[frankenfab]

The hard part to grasp with G02 or G03 is that our first line of code for the arc is split between data that is about where we are going to and where we started from. You get used to the next line of code being all about what point you are going to next.

In a G02, G03 line, the X and Y coordinate refer to the point you are going to, while the I and J refer to the point we started at. (to the center of the arc, + or- direction included)

That is how I try to break throught the mental block that most students in classes I have taught seem to encounter when we get to that topic. It was the same for me, when I was trying to learn it.

I will also add that I feel it is imperative to learns to write G code by hand. A person neeeds to have that familiarity with writing programs in order to be able to troubleshoot problems with programs written by software. They WILL happen.