Learning how to mill plastics or very thin metals on an Othermill would teach students very little about running a Haas in a professional shop IMO. G-code is a very small part of being a machinist. The other parts which the Othermill does not take into account are far more important.
What makes the Othermill worth the $2000 price tag over a Harbor Freight mini-mill CNC mod?
This seems like a cool tool but I don’t see much use for it in the FRC world. It does seem like a nice tool to have to learn CNC and I think it could be a cool teaching tool. I really can’t imagine it really doing any milling though, and FRC teams really only would use a CNC machine to mill parts. It seems like more of a engraving tool, which I think it would be good at. I might buy one just to play around with, and maybe use it to teach CNC.
If you have the space, a Shapoko would be cheaper for stuff like that.
I can solder SMD on my LPKF milled circuit boards.
Just apply solder mask or be clever with the board design.
Not that this is relevant to FIRST teams, but one advantage to milling PCB is that you can tinker with the trace characteristics. A trick that can be handy with RF work or high speed digital work (neither of which is a typical FIRST issue).
Not to mention I typically work at around 2AM another thing not all that helpful to FIRST teams unless someone takes that machine home. The design of a ProtoMat 92S makes it unlikely someone is going to just pick it up and wander around with it (it is awkwardly shaped and more than 100lbs).
Team 11 has a Haas TM1-P and NextFAB has a Haas VF3SSYT both of which I have taught on.
Even though both machines use CAT40 tool holders with similar pull studs.
Even though both machines have similar controls.
Just the options between the machines can be a source of confusion.
For example: the umbrella horizontal tool changer will load and unload a tool from the same pocket position (so tool 1 is generally in pocket 1), but the side mount tool changer will generally load and unload tools to the closest pocket while storing the tool/pocket relationship. Such that tool 24 might be in pocket 3. If you call tool 24 the machine knows it is in pocket 3 (generally) as things move around. Till someone gets cute and reassigns a pocket incorrectly or fails to set the tool size/weight setting properly.
Then there’s the Renishaw probe I just calibrated on the NextFAB VF3SSYT versus the more conventional workpiece and tool length measuring on the TM1-P with out the probe system.
Even tool path generation can have variance from (just to name some): BobCAD, MasterCAM, HSMWorks.
Even a retrofitted manual mill will generally not introduce systems with auto tool changers. For that you need to move into tools like Tormach with the Tormach Tooling System (TTS) and that ups the costs quickly.
Not that a small machine doesn’t have value.
I have a MaxNC mill I am cleaning up.
It has closed loop steppers.
It reads G-code and I can export from BobCAD or MasterCAM to it.
It has a spindle assembly with an ER16 collet.
Why did I bother with that MaxNC mill?
It supports a 4th axis.
It has support for limited rigid tapping.
It has support for probing.
It has support for tool length offset touch off.
I can carry the whole machine with a machine vice by myself.
It fits in a crate that I can ship via UPS.
It has a 1/3 HP continuous operation spindle motor and can handle a 1/2 HP spindle motor.
There is a standalone DRO/control improvement for the MaxNC mills.
Used - it cost me less with improvements, repairs, tools and shipping than $2,000.
In comparison:
The spindle motor on the OtherMill looks to be driving an ER11 spindle cartridge (so the maximum tool shank is smaller).
It uses a 1100Kv motor so it’s probably rated at 350W-450W continuous so around 1/2HP.
It looks not to have any of the other features listed above from the MaxNC feature set.
The base price for the MaxNC10 is around $1,600 US.
The base price for the OtherMill is around $2,200 US.
For $2,000 on an open loop stepper system I wonder if the money wouldn’t be better spent on a larger footprint bridge mill.
Something better able to work on larger plastic or wood pieces or do carvings that might pay off the printer.
I can see recovering the cost of a machine like that, then building into the next level machine progressively.
I doubt making PCB prototypes like this will pay for the machine any time soon.
Even using my LPKF ProtoMats at around $12k each took awhile to recover the cost with professional work ongoing.
Targeting students means that professional PCB work is not really the goal.
Also it seems to me the OtherMill could (but does not) have a 3D printing attachment.
Then at least it would be $2,200 US towards a dual purpose machine.
The question becomes does the OtherMill control have room to control the potential extruder stepper(s).
Yeah, there’s no real reason to make your own PCBs anymore. Board houses have become so cheap and easy to work with. If you want simple, take a look at Oshpark, they charge $5/in^2 for a 2-layer PCB and you get 3 of them for that price. Just upload your Gerbers, they’ll do a DRC, you pay, and receive them in a couple weeks. There are other board houses that will do similar things (and possibly donate their services), but I believe the owner of Oshpark is an FRC mentor and will only use US-based board houses (for US orders).
Oshpark actually got me my stuff in less than a week last time. +1.
I’ll guess it’s because you’re in California (according to CD) and I’m in Ohio and Oshpark is in Oregon.
I see the list price as $2,199. For less than $100 more you can get a Taig CNC mill. I love mine.