Been seeing quite a lot of chat regarding custom parts and CNC machines to get started. Thought id share the experiences that lead to a product we hope will be of use to members of this forum!
Last year my team and I (non-robotics related, we’re a tech startup in the UK!) were developing a 3d printer and had an issue - we wanted to produce a tiny custom rack and pinion - with no backlash and very high accuracy. The problem is, small precision parts often can’t be made accurate or strong enough on any 3d printer that an average maker/startup has access to.
Having received frankly enormous quotes from local machinists, we scanned the market looking for a CNC machine of our own to do the job within a reasonable budget - but we found exactly nothing. There were ideas to convert old machines but the lack of documentation and readily available parts put us off that idea.
If we were having this problem, we knew others would be too. Enter The MicroMill.
Using the manufacturing connections from our 3d printer project, we designed and built a 3 axis milling machine capable of producing high quality, usable parts out of wood, plastics and light metals such as aluminium and brass. Its enclosed body and small volume also make it ideal for producing custom circuitboards and intricate parts quickly.
Each machine is assembled by us in the UK using almost all European parts (the motors we are buying direct from the manufactures with our own modifications applied). The spindle itself is a specially modified flexible-shaft arrangement from Proxxon and everything needed comes in the box. No sourcing your own spindle motor as many of our ‘competitors’ expect.
The MicroMill uses open source firmware - which means you can use any CAD/CAM workflow you like - just export an .NC g-code file and you’re good to go.
In terms of pricing, we’re about 95% complete on finalised component sourcing. The shipped price (with enough cutters & materials to get you started) will be comfortably below $999.
We’re launching on Kickstarter soon and would really appreciate feedback and questions from the members of this forum.
Why do manufacturers of these kinds of kickstarter-esque devices NEVER put pricing on their site?
Having to deal with a sales rep to discover if this device is even inside of my possible price range is an instant way to have me consider other devices, like a Taig, Sherline, or any of the other industry-proven models.
Its a totally valid point and one that we agree with!
As it stands, the ‘earlybird pricing’ for our Kickstarter campaign is £649 with free UK/EU shipping. This works out to approximately $818 with $31.50 insured shipping on top of that.
For that, you get a complete MicroMill with no assembly required. It comes with the Proxxon rotary tool, a pack of end mills and a selection of materials/files to get going with. We’re also including a ‘getting started’ guide to quickly bring people up to speed with the CAD/CAM workflow and setup of a CNC machine.
Ah, we’re going to get that label changed now as its poorly worded. The bed size/workpiece size is 115x110x64 - the axis/tool itself will travel a little further than that to ensure it clears the piece should you need full-area machining.
This post has been very helpful already, thank you very much.
I’m not sure that answer will get provided, mostly guessing by the “specs” given on the site.
NEMA-23 is a mounting format, and has little to nothing to do with torque, speed, or step resolution of a stepper. It’s the same as advertising a mill by claiming it has a “very tall” drive motor.
Really neat! I’ve been looking to get into CAM, and as such have been kicking around a few ideas for cheap and decent CNC systems.
I’d like to have a more thorough understanding of what this product is capable of. Any chance I could get some more detailed specs on the stepper motors and the spindle motor?
I would suggest you rename it something other than MicroMill, as Alcoa has trademarked that name for a mill that rolls sheet aluminum, and Taig makes a benchtop milling machine (also available in CNC) they market with that same name.
You want your name to be distinctive from existing products in your target marketspace.
Yeah…
I wouldn’t think this machine would be useful for making gearboxes or the like, but was hoping I could get a ballpark for *how *useful it would be for FRC. If it can reliably make clearance holes in aluminum it could still find a place for competition-ready parts. Either way, it would be interesting to see how it compares to an X-Carve or other entry-level machines.
Considering a Nema23 can range from (averages) 0.39nM to 2.4nM, the power for this thing to cut aluminum at any reasonable speed could be totally great, or really terrible.
My guess by the cost is closer to the less great side. But, when it comes to machine tools, the proof is in the pudding. Once we know what kind of tolerances, speeds, and other REAL specs, we can gauge how useful this will be.