Quote:
Originally Posted by Cory
Setting Z offset is much safer if you use a ground pin (.250 and up works great), jog the tool to a height above the part that the pin will NOT fit under, and then attempt to slide the pin under the tool with gentle pressure as you slowly jog the tool up by .001 at a time until the pin can slide under the tool either freely or with light resistance.
You eliminate (almost) any chance of chipping the tool by jogging it into your pin/shim/part, since you are going up instead of down. If you were to jog the wrong way, you have a pin diameter's worth of buffer zone before you hit anything.
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Seconded. This method is much safer for your tooling than trying to slide a piece of paper under the tool, and is also much faster (as overshoot is much less of an issue, and it's fast to check height by sliding something underneath). I usually use a 1-2-3 block, but it's honestly whatever you prefer/have lying around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mk.32
The tormach is decently powerful and rigid... imho I run one at the makerspace and for the team:
This is just an example of what is possible with the right tooling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVEERG0mBzU
I've had good luck with GWiz but it takes some tunng to get to run right. Personally with my 1/4 2 flute tools .1-.15 DOC is not a problem. |
I'll also attest that Tormachs are really pretty sweet little machines. Sure, they might not measure up to a HAAS, but they're great entry mill. I also ran one at a local hackerspace (TechShop) and was impressed.
I had no problem running 1/4" 2 flute mills (I beleive ZrN coated) with 3/16" passes in 6061 alu and flood coolant. If I'm remembering correctly, I could get 20 IPM at 4000 rmp without any vibration issues.
You should be able to get press fits out of the Tormach, but it will take some trial and error. Don't expect a 1.125" roughing pass to give you a nice press fit, realistically you're going to have to do something like step down at 1.105" diameter roughing and then do a finish pass at 1.125" diameter (or slightly over, if that's what you find works better). With careful milling and freshman with sandpaper just in case fits don't come out right, we've never needed a reamer.
Another thing: you're going to want to do some research on how FRC teams like to do mill fixtures. Clamping with toe clamps is an enormous PITA, especially if you have to move them every three seconds because you're profiling.
In terms of tooling, I'd get a full number and fractional drill set, extra drills for the sizes you've standardised with (for example, we got extra #7s for #10 screw clearance, #10s for 3/16" rivet clearance, and #21 IIRC for 10-32 tap drill), 3-5 1/4" 2 flute aluminium endmills, 2 or so 1/2" endmills, and maybe a few 1/8" endmills for good measure. A set of parallels can be useful as well.
Get the Tormach Tooling System. It's easy to use, the standard for Tormachs, and plays nice with toolchanges in Mach 3 (the Tormach software).
One last thing, not necessarily related to milling, but a 1/2" hex broach can be an amazingly useful investment. Just something to think about as you're investing in tooling.