Interesting Mill Design on Hackaday

[epninety]

Saw this posted on Hackaday, thought it worth mentioning here...

Self Replicating Milling Machine

Not sure I'm qualified to have any sort of opinion but workpiece access is a bit restricted, and I can imagine any flex or vibration having odd effects due to the structure.

- Dave

[russell]

If using the X2 mill head and column why not use the whole thing? I don't like the idea of using the rack and pinion for the Z. It must give no end of problems with the backlash.

Russell

[magicniner]

Looking back at this and reading the blog -

"This chatter eventually became so serious that some screws which I had failed to tighten fully began to back themselves out."

:-O

[stirling]

I don't get the "self replicate" bit. Not the spindle - not the slides nor the carriages. Not the racks - not the screws - not even the square bar - not the sweet FA apart from maybe the odd bracket.

[magicniner]

I don't get the "self replicate" bit. Not the spindle - not the slides nor the carriages. Not the racks - not the screws - not even the square bar - not the sweet FA apart from maybe the odd bracket.

Hey,
He'll have a great degree by now and will be telling mere mortals to make parts with a 2mm blind hole at right angles at the bottom of a 100mm deeep 4mm hole ;-)