Hi Dean ..
You are right in that CNC routing and CNC milling are two different things, though they do overlap a certain amount.
I am probabbly being too generic in my requirements.
I have a requirement to mill thicker aluminium such as 25mm or thicker but not at 1000mm x 1000mm, but probably not more than 400 mm x 400 mm.
I do have a requirement to route other materials like wood, ply, perspex, etc... at around a half 4ft x 8ft sheet so that I could do a full 4ft x 8ft sheet in two separate operations.
I suppose I really should be looking at two machines for that rather than one machine to do it all
I do have a warco WM16 manual mill that I am looking to convert to CNC but the throat size (as with most mills of that gender) is limited to about 140mm and with a bit of clever work with spinning the part around 180 degrees one could cut the part in two operations and perhaps achieve a part of up to around 250mm width which falls short of my ideal 400mm.
What are your thoughts about which direction I should really be looking at to solve my requirements
Many thanks Dean

Quote Originally Posted by JAZZCNC View Post
No sorry didn't see it but I am very busy so only skimming forum every other day so must missed it.



Well, this is the issue, profile cutting thin (2-3mm) aluminum sheet isn't that taxing provided your using correct tools and feeds which is why these weaker machines can do that. However, cutting or milling thicker parts with a good rate of material removal with good finish quality and accuracy is a completely different story and requires a very sturdy machine which is why I know these machines cannot handle it or do a very good job.

As the machine gets larger then it gets even harder so really you need to decide what's most important to you, sheet cutting, or milling.? Because two very different machines are required. Large machines don't lend them selfs to milling aluminum very well unless heavily built so be prepared for it to cost more money.





Search the forum is my advise and look at machines with high sides and gantry sat directly on the rails. Boyan built a massively strong machine which is IMO OTT for most things but will happily Mill aluminum and steel to a lower level.

I don't know of any plans that are any good.!

The question I would ask your self is do you really need to MILL large aluminum parts that won't fit on a smaller machine which is much easier and cheaper to build. One machine that can do it all and to a good standard is very difficult to achieve and not cheap.

If you are serious about me building a machine then contact me directly via PM giving me some idea of your budget and I'll see what I can offer you.