Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Material Differences
So far, I have machined white acetal, black acetal, and 6061 aluminum with the mill. White (or natural) acetal comes off in little tiny chips and looks pretty good. Black acetal produces long strings, like a very bad reggae style and seems to want a higher spindle speed to remove .030" at a time. But aluminum tends to clog the lead screw, so it requires oil. Acetal is self-lubricating, as it evaporates as it cuts.
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Have you looked into covering the lead screws? Perhaps check at a hobby shop that deals with RC vehicles. I seem to recall seeing small accordion covers for suspension and steering parts.
ReplyDeleteThe other options are to use a vacuum system, or air nozzles to direct the chips away from the work area. You could also mount a small air nozzle to clean the threads close to the engagement points. A constant air bleed while the mill is running would be best. Maybe have it automatically start when the mill is powered up.
Will: thanks for the suggestiob.
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