Cutting Aluminum on a Mostly Printed CNC (MPCNC)

The first time that I make some real parts out of aluminum on my MPCNC.
Music:
"It just makes me happy" by Dj Quads ( / aka-dj-quads )

[@geektoolkit]

Awesome work!!! I think the days of thinking that MPCNC can't handle aluminum are far behind us. This was inspiring, and the data of the depth/speed/feeds is going to help the community greatly. Well done!

[@alexfletcher8465]

@ThangNo there wasnt one

[@kylenleonidas1131]

Pro tip: watch series on Flixzone. I've been using it for watching loads of movies lately.

[@robertbennett8017]

@Kylen Leonidas Yea, I've been using flixzone for months myself :D

[@ameliabuns4058]

Aren't the tolerances here worse than a 3d printer ?

[@crimpers5543]

@@ameliabuns4058 yup

[@JunkWorkshop]

I will start building mine in a few days Thank you for sharing your settings 👍🏻 Greatings from Italy buddy.

[@greensheen8759]

I wasn't expecting the platform to be able to run aluminum so fast! This is awesome!

[@BrianLeeWho]

Wow, I was totally blown away by this. When I saw the title of your video about cutting aluminum on a MPCNC I was like no way. I built a heavy duty CNC router and always feel uneasy about cutting aluminum on it and here you are cutting at a very respectable speed with good chip removal on a MPCNC. Amazing! I'm subscribing!

[@byoung255]

I was blown away too. I've got a 6040 with a 1.5kW water cooled spindle and still get chatter with hardwoods. I haven't even tried aluminium.

[@molomono9795]

@@byoung255 In my experience it's easier to machine aluminium than hardwoods. You should really try it out.

[@justtestingonce]

Then it’s not a heavy duty cnc router, aluminum is a soft metal. What’s the HP on your spindle?

[@jerameyhager8135]

Whaaaaat? Chatter with a 6040 in wood? I have a 3018 over here. Stock with some random bolt ons I've made to stiffen it up. I've cut out some really nice 6061 aluminum parts, that came within 50 thousandth accuracy. On a 150 dollar machine.

[@asalottin]

This was very very cool and earned my sub! After 1,5 year of 3D printing, I’m getting my first CNC this Christmas - very excited with the possibilities! Thank you for your time to put this great content up on KZbin.

[@StephenBoyd21]

Nice job my friend. The parts came out looking really clean.

[@pjak2000]

Beautiful cuts. Congrats.

[@atouchofa.d.d.5852]

I love how you put screws in the holes you made! Everybody uses weird ways when this works great for alot of work.

[@eugenes9751]

You need special bits for milling aluminum. Very few flutes (1-2), and a hard angle, to move the chips out fast. You're turning the aluminum into powder. Also, you have to go at the right speed for the specific bit, going too slow causes a lot of heat. Going faster reduces heat buildup by leaving the heat in the cut bits instead of the cutter. Amana Tools and Onsrud make some of the best bits for Aluminum.

[@SebastianEnd]

Meine Herren, Respekt. Das hätte ich in der Tat nicht von der Maschine erwartet. Aber das zeigt mal wieder ganz klar meine Meinung. Es muss nicht immer die super steife Stahlmaschine sein. Auch kleine, leichte Maschinen haben ihre Berechtigung. Und du zeigst hier eindrucksvoll was damit möglich ist. Wer sich nicht grad eine Fräse im Wert eines Kleinwagens in die Garage stellen will und einfach nur etwas zum Basteln will, der ist ganz offensichtlich hier sehr gut bedient :) Klasse gemacht, Daumen hoch!!! Grüße, Sebastian

[@hyperhektor7733]

Gibt auch Leute die Beton genommen haben xD

[@themechanix393]

Hust, 35er bosch rexroth:-D

[@christopherreichelt3303]

wenn ich sehe "speed x8", dann frage ich mich schon ob es sich lohnt billige Stanzteile die man vermutlich für ein paar Cent bekommt selbst zu machen und am Ende ist der Fräser stumpf. Das lohnt sich nur wenn es Spezialteile sind die man sonst nicht bekommt. Auch habe ich Zweifel ob es den Lagern und der Mechanik einer Fräse gut tut wenn die zu bearbeitenden Materalien härter sind als die Konstruktion der Fräse selbst.

[@themechanix393]

Wieso sollte das der Fräse schaden? So lange die Schnittkräfte im Rahmen bleiben und die Späne den Führungen nicht schaden, macht das der Maschine keinen Unterschied.

[@hyperhektor7733]

@Christopher Reichelt , Für Bleche gibt es bessere Methoden das stimmt, das war kein gutes Anwendungsbeispiel, Bei dickeren Teilen lohnt sich eine CNC auf jeden Fall. wer mehr Speed will muss sich eben eine 2,2Kw Spindel besorgen usw. Das ist hier nicht die beste DIY Maschine auf YT :), um sich ein Urteil zu bilden ob es sich lohnt sollte mann noch andere Videos ansehen. Hier mal jemand auf sehr hohem Niveau kzbin.infovideos?disable_polymer=1

[@WinterEC]

Nice series of videos! I hope more will be forthcoming. Perhaps you could do one discussing the successes and failures of the MPCNC you've had thus far? Or maybe one on the limitations? Or using it to make parts to upgrade the machine itself?

[@AndreMaxP51]

Hi, really nice job. What board are you using to control and firmeware. Thanks

[@Nacionarg]

Truly awesome work. I've watched your other videos on this mpcnc build and I'm encouraged to build my own after seeing this precision. Did you use microstepping?

[@leonbrauns]

Yes, I am using 16x microstepping.

[@clist9406]

Very nice , I want to build a cnc now

[@johnnaskalski1295]

Well done!!! Did you consider compressed air nozzle to cool endmill and help chip evacuation? 3d printed of course... cant wait for your next videos!!! 😎👍

[@JeremiahL]

I just subscribed. Thanks for the vid. I have the same problem. I need some 80/20 brackets, but I don't want to pay a premium price for 2D cut outs. Thanks again

[@satchelsieniewicz5824]

What steppers are you using nema 17 by whats like what current rating and length

[@spudnickuk]

Thank you for sharing, good info, Can you tell us what steppa motors and spindle power and controller and PSU that was used Cheers,

[@xantrios]

I think he use Nema17 and the Spindle is a AMB 1050 FME-P. Maybe check out his other videos about the MPCNC for more/detailed Infos.

[@GameShifu]

It would be cool if you made a projector lens for showing large format movies on your lounge room wall.

[@thediscoman2001]

have you got the dxf file for those would love to do those for my 3d printer would save a lot of time for me, and great video by the way

[@HelioCoelhoJunior]

Nice work ! I´m just curious: Do you have belts driving the X and Y axes ??? Have you built your machine based in the standard MPCNC project ?

[@kickflipinlee]

This cool beat should be named "LET'S DO Exciting aluminum molding BY MPCNC"!!

[@marlonglodo1930]

Hi sir what type of spindle you used? Thank you

[@guilhem1369]

What a fantastic job! Really awesome, congratulations! (Just an advice, when you are measuring a part with your caliper, use as much length possible of your caliper on the part, not just the end. Like so you will be more accurate)

[@Traderhood]

awesome!

[@Sloansteelsigns]

Great video! A couple questions I have: The bit was single flute, also was it HSS or carbide? Also what is the spindle type your using?

[@leonbrauns]

The bit is carbide and the spindle is an AMB 1050 FME-P.

[@MartinPittBradley]

Amazing

[@ELValenin]

Can it Handle 7075 aluminum as well?

[@jon4715]

how did you finish the edges?

[@therealsourc3]

Be sure to use carbide end mills.. they are really worth it, because you can essentially have 8 times higher feedrate than with a tool made of HSS. Will you fabricate better mounts for this cnc or will you just leave it with PETG mounting? :)

[@brukernavnfettsjit]

Very good result! Im pretty amazed how well it cut aluminium. What type of cutter is it? The 1 or (0) flute cutters I have are normally meant for plastics, but perhaps I should also try them in aluminium.

[@leonbrauns]

It's a single flute end mill and it works really well in aluminium ;).

[@chuxxsss]

So where is the part list for this and software used please.

[@RPMlegacy513]

Great videos, thanks for letting us see your process. Question for you, why not just build a dust collector and use a shop vac to collect the chips vs setting up an air blower? Would a shop vac be powerful enough to suck them out of the way? Ive seen most guys setup a blower vs a vac for chips, not sure I know why. thanks!

[@leonbrauns]

Compressed air is more reliable especially when deep slotting.

[@st3ddyman]

Nice. What spindle are you using?

[@leonbrauns]

I use the AMB 1050 FME-P.

[@Anonymouspock]

Will your air blast also include minimum quantity lubrication?

[@qiangdeng8795]

Nice!Can i have your motors list?

[@Michael-lo3ht]

What machining I have done with aluminum it's not something you can push too fast, even on a heavy duty machine. If you go too fast it melts and gums up the bits and leaves nasty surfaces. Great job. Encourages me to look for something similar. What are some of the details on the spindle motor, etc?

[@LuLeBe]

Just to answer for those reading this these days: If it's too hot you're feeds are too low or your spindle RPM are too high. Meaning you're "rubbing"the tool against already cut areas too much. Decreasing spindle speed is the easiest option on many machines when feed rates can't be increased due to rigidity issues. Although something like this machine should be able to handle 50mm/s or so rigidity wise. Take deeper cuts but with shallow step over. Use helical toolpaths etc to not cut on both sides of the tool for that, except for when you're first plunging, but there a helical pass can also reduce chip load. It's very involved and especially the less solid machines that us hobbyists have require quite some experimentation. But it is possible to get great results as long as the machine is accurately built.

[@npbwolf]

were do you buy the aluminum crack form?

[@Motorcycleman1997]

amazing repeatability! what are you using to power the tool? Did its shaft bend when abusing DOC?

[@leonbrauns]

I am using a "FME-P 1050" by AMB. The structure of the MPCNC is the limitting factor here, definitely not the spindle.

[@billmcdaniel1834]

I think you said you were controlling with F360? Can you give more detail on that? Are you using the Rambo board?

[@enraied12]

please sir if you do not mind I need the dimentions and the speed of your cutting tools !! better if you have a link that can I buy a one , thank you very much for your answer and also for your vedioes

[@createforcuriosity225]

Clean cut ! I will test it on my 3D printed CNC, thanks !

[@leoadrian21]

can please share the design file of the aluminium angle joinner? i whant to make some of them.

[@IAMGalvan]

What kind ir Dremel is they righ one to cut?

[@ShuhDonk]

Do you have a parts list available for this build and stl's for all the printed components?. thanks!

[@leonbrauns]

Check out www.thingiverse.com/thing:3101774

[@sdfwv]

Hi Please can you tell me: do you considered Root 3 or RS-CNC and if so, why you chose MPCNC?

[@leonbrauns]

I haven’t heard of both of them before starting to build the MPCNC.

[@berendlucasvanderweide]

The chip-evacuation also greatly depends on the grade of aluminium you use, (some types tend to gum up) 6061T6 has good properties for machining. But you are best off with ramping instead of plunging; this way each contour is .8mm deeper than the previous one, until the desired depth is reached. For slotting aluminium i personally always use this ramping strategy.

[@shitwithagopro]

Plunging outside your stock is preferable to ramping, IMO. That's how most of his cuts are set up here, but it can be easier to ramp when you're working with big sheet material.

[@berendlucasvanderweide]

@@shitwithagopro yeh, i fully agree, but for almost every part machined here, the stock was taken from the bed and cut to size to plunge outside the stock, wasn't sure the poster knew about ramping

[@alterstassfurter5743]

Du hast meinen Tag gerettet...LOL Ich will mir einen Tisch für die 420er bauen...aus Bosch-Profilen, da brauchts ja auch Diagonalen zum Versteifen...Verschraubt werden die dann eben mit solchen Blechen...homemade...! :-) BTW...man muss die Maschinen nicht immer an der Kotzgrenze fahren...technische Parameter lassen sich gut im Internet erkunden, meistens geben gute Werkzeughersteller doch gewisse Daten mit.

[@moritzheinl8449]

Cooles Video:) Die MPCNC fräst Alu ja echt ganz ordentlich dafür daß sie aus dem 3D Drucker kommt. Welchen Arbeitsbereich hat denn deine MPCNC in X,Y,Z ?

[@leonbrauns]

So etwa 300x600x50mm.

[@moosifulman]

Going in drum must have been rough.

[@rickmccaskill7888]

I am building one of these CNC. I was wondering what you set your speed, feed rate, and plunge rate? Also what router bit did you use. Thank you.

[@leonbrauns]

It's shown in the video (for example at 3:35).

[@eliasmartinelli6321]

Is this a good cnc machine for a beginner and do you know better diy cnc's for Aluminium cuts? Regards from Switzerland

[@CrazyMedic]

Yes this is a super way to get into CNC Routering, also not a massive outlay but very useful

[@paytufo]

What machine/motor are you using to cut?

[@40mick]

What bit did you use?????

[@juergenschubert3247]

Welchen Fräser hast du hier genommen? Mit welcher Geschwindigkeit fräst du?

[@h4mp3l]

www.amb-elektrik.de/produkte.html#fraesmotor

[@albertvillalobos1377]

Hello I’m a machinist, I think for the kind of part you need it would be good to use a sheer to cut it out of sheet metal and then drill the holes with a drill press or the cnc

[@traviscadden]

There is almost always a better way to do it than with these machines but the joy of using a tool you built yourself and which has the flexibility to do many jobs is great! And in this case I'm pretty sure he just wanted an excuse to try his new toy on a challenging material to test its limits.

[@ryankrammes8245]

I did not have success with aluminum on my MPCNC. I think I need to reprint my gantry with a stiffer filament.

[@thebeststooge]

Which filament did you use? The main reason I don't mess with this machine is because I have never found any plastic to be stiff enough short of VERY expensive PEEK that takes a blast furnace for hotend temps and heated bed temps to extrude.

[@ryankrammes8245]

@@thebeststooge I printed mine in PETG. I think PLA would probably be stiff enough but I know from experience that PLA will eventually crack out in my garage where the CNC is.

[@djarmagedd]

I had issues with stress cracks at many locations until I heat treated all my parts (or at least the screw holes) If you have a heat gun, focus on slowly heating the screw holes and surrounding area until you cannot see layers but be careful deforming the part.

[@ELValenin]

@@ryankrammes8245 if the PLA breaks try Polycarbonate, hard to print but stiff and strong

[@sotm6078]

What software did you make your CAM G-Code with?

[@trialnterror]

What software are you using to run this?

[@st0mper121]

Ok i have been on the fence about getting a MPCNC i kinda think you just put the nail in the coffin for me. Now i just need to figure out if i want the low rider or the other one

[@twychopen22]

where do you live? I had to go with the MPCNC because of the availability of the electrical conduit. I can only get 23.5mm readily and inexpensively.

[@ELValenin]

What grade of aluminum was that?

[@bastelbudi]

welche legierung hat das aluminium.

[@ReactionTime344]

Darf ich mal fragen wo sie ihren Aluminium kaufen? Hab auch ne MPCNC gebaut aber hab kein alu handler gefunden, Danke!

[@leonbrauns]

Das Aluminium kommt von motedis.

[@tedwingate]

It seems like a poor design decision to have a single bolt on one axis. Were you constrained in some way and not able to make the L plate larger?

[@leonbrauns]

The aluminum profiles are going to be arranged to a cuboid, so there will be at least two plates on each end. As it doesn’t have to hold any significant weight I felt comfortable with that size.

[@papablopapapablo8123]

It's just the begining. Now you can cut any other plates. May be someone like theese: openbuildspartstore.com/plates/

[@Jopakilo]

Thank you for your video. I am recently building a cnc. I have some questions about the power supply and motor. I am seeking help from you. What kind of spindle motor do I need and output enough power to do Aluminum milling? What kind of power supply do you use for your cnc? Can you share the spec and the wiring setup please?

[@karoma7898]

This is the fastest hobby cnc machine I've seen so far... Leave it to the Germans to be good even at hobby levels

[@stp-tech1826]

Good! Отлично получилось, красиво

[@liquerinfrnt]

For future reference, on a machine with some slop like this, you usually want to mill conventionally instead of climb cutting. This let's the cutter preload the spindle and motion components in one direction, instead of releasing the preload as you move forward and get vibrations. Might let you cut a bit more aggressively without chatter. Nice machine though!

[@aguslucero6699]

could you please explain it in a way somenone from another country like me could understand it? :)

[@liquerinfrnt]

@@aguslucero6699 Basically leadscrews or light machines have lots of flex and backlash, and when you enter into the cut the cutter pushes away from the workpiece, preloading all the components. If you climb cut, you move the motion components forward, releasing that preload. The cutter then bites again, which builds that preload again, resulting in vibration, chatter, and broken tools. With conventional cutting, the cutter is constantly preloading the components, but the motion never releases that preload, so the cutter stays in the cut with much less vibration and chatter. Here is a good video on it kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZLPnmiVa7iIma8

[@aguslucero6699]

@@liquerinfrnt Thanks for taking the time to explain it to me

[@SebastienChedalBornu]

Interesting, will try on my ox

[@SebastienChedalBornu]

But climbing or conventional is only effective when your not slotting. So a 2d contour without cutting larger thant the mill just like in this video will not change anything

[@sachinrhode]

WHY NO COOLANT ?

[@rrhett2119]

How about your holes? What was your milling strategy there? (Feeds/speeds/rpm/bit/etc.)

[@leonbrauns]

1/8″ single flute end mill20000rpm 5mm/s Helix toolpath with a 5° angle and 3mm diameter.

[@Nightmare_Garage]

May I ask why you countersunk the holes and then used socket head cap screws that done even recess into that chamfer?

[@leonbrauns]

@Nightmare_Garage I just added a small chamfer to remove the burr. It is not intended for use with countersunk screws.

[@Nightmare_Garage]

Brauns CNC oh ok! Makes sense! Thank you for the response

[@wesleyfraser3058]

No cutting oil?

[@non7sens]

What spindle are you using?

[@leonbrauns]

That's the AMB 1050 FME-P.

[@yuviyuvi2315]

Which driver board g

[@TheAlexLegolas]

You dont need to cut wood table. Make 0.07 offset and then brake peaces by bending. Also you wouldnt need to move the screw clamps.Use grinder to clean the surfaces

[@cray-]

Why make all that extra manual labor for yourself when you have a percent good machine which can provide such a lovely finishing pass? Only takes a moment to zip in a few screws & let the machine do the hard work, much faster.

[@TheAlexLegolas]

cray- Cause this is the faster way and more productive. Less quality but more parts. And there is no enough wood on world for us. Also you dont need to be all the time with your mashine,cause you dont move the clamps. Make one hour program start it,go play with kids,after it finishes,clamp another,run the program,you will finish grinding for 15 min,45 min play with kids. If you dont have kids,buy one more mashine,and you will not have brake time. This way will give you so many parts that you will not think about finish.

[@cray-]

@@TheAlexLegolas I think we must agree to disagree on this. In my experience, letting the machine do the work instead of manual labour is much more efficient use of one's time. You are comparing the time it takes to put screws in vs, the time it takes to hand finish each part. There is no comparison which one is quicker. Anyway, both will work, so is a moot point.

[@Damjanhd]

I think slower cutting like 0.5 mm will give better tolerance

[@PJ-po1dk]

Is this an actual CNC machine or a 3D printer modified for CNC? That bracket that is holding the router in place looks 3D printed but that could just be my monitor I am watching your video through.

[@SwapSupra]

is those stepper motor running 12v or 24? is 12v running the stepper in series would be enough to cut alluminum at low speed?

[@ulrichkliegis4138]

Mit welchen Fräsparametern (Drehzahl, Vorschub, welcher Fräser) arbeitest Du da jetzt? Ich versuche gerade, meiner MPCNC gute Manieren beizubringen, teils gelingt es schon, teils noch nicht so. Dank vorab!

[@gurugerus]

Steht im Video ab 3:45

[@ulrichkliegis4138]

@@gurugerus Ahja, jetzt. Hatte mich so auf die Fräserspitze konzentriert, daß ich das übersehen habe.

[@Cael817]

Don't take this the wrong way but you would have a much better day if you get a PH2 bit for those screws instead of a PZ2. Anyway, grateful for the info here, im still in the process of practicing in plywood on my machine.

[@ProvokedTomcat]

well if you're going to say anything about it, weren't they self-tapping sheetmetal screws going into wood?

[@oceanhouse8080]

Water flooding would stop plastic state chip formation....

[@remainsmemories626]

Why use air blast when you can use vacuum cleaner instead? Printing adapter for that shouldn't be difficult

[@Etacovda63]

suckings a lot weaker than blowing - probably a combination of a blower blowing the swarf towards a vacuum would be a good idea.

[@marlonglodo1930]

hi may i ask how thick the aluminum you cut? thanl you

[@craigrmeyer]

If you put some 3mm stainless steel plate into that thing, what the heck would happen?

[@martinkorwald8098]

how much is the total cost ?

[@kostasvasilopoulos4468]

whats the model of your cnc...any links??nice job

[@garfield-vl5os]

Kann man die Teile für eine MPCNC auch auf einem German REPRAP NEO drucken? Ich habe nämlich so Einen. Der hat nämlich nur 15x15x15 cm Druckraum.

[@leonbrauns]

Ich glaube das sollte passen. Kannst dir ja auch einfach die STLs runterladen und im Slicer nachschauen.

[@garfield-vl5os]

@@leonbrauns Nein leider nicht, ein Teil von der Z-Achse hat leider knapp über 16cm. :-( :-(

[@BabbaSt64]

@@@garfield-vl5os Auch nicht, wenn Du das Teil diagonal auf dem Druckbett platzierst?

[@j4nch]

Hi, I'm not familiar(yet) with CNC, but I would love to build a MPCNC for various projects. Just curious, all the metal chips you make when usining, can you reuse(melt) them? Or at least recycle them ? Just curious, since metal is a finite element ;)

[@WhenDoesTheVideoActuallyStart]

I'd imagine it'd be easy to reuse them for casting, but you'd end up with a *lot* of slag and parts weaker than comparable machined ones.

[@markevans2236]

It has been awhile since you got your MPCNC going. What are its good and bad points for you?

[@alfiolocatelli5093]

Yes but that's a 1kW more spindle... Right?

[@muskokamike127]

Just a few comments on "wow you can cut aluminum" there are many different grades of aluminum, some harder and some softer. Each will require their own DOC and Feed rate. So don't go running out and pick up a T6 plate and start machining if T3 was used in the video. I have also heard (don't quote me on this) that HSS tools are better for aluminum than carbide. I have yet to do a side by side comparison so your result may vary.

[@shitwithagopro]

Harder aluminums tend to cut better, it's the soft stuff that gums up and wrecks tools. Not sure about HSS but carbide will take much higher surface footage, and often with these little routers we are already pushing a lot of SFM and low chipload.

[@funbraker46]

Der Messschieber ist ein ungemein praktisches aber ungenaues Messmittel, vorallem wenn es falsch gehandhabt wird! Er neigt bei der Messung zwischen den Schneiden zum Materialflex, da die Hebelwirkung dort am stärksten ausfällt. Für eine genauere Messung sollte du das zu messende Werkstück möglichst weit nach oben zwischen die Messschenkel bringen, noch genauer misst du wenn du das zu messende Stück auf eine flache Unterlage legst und den Messschieber an der Unterlagenkante entlang mit voll aufliegenden Messschenkeln führst. Auch wenn diese Genauigkeit womöglich garnicht benötigt wird sollte der Umgang mit dem Messmittel trotzdem stimmen. Ich will damit auch garnicht klugscheißen, schaden wird es unter keinen Umständen! :D

[@timthomas9105]

Just wondering, I saw you screw it down. But a lot of people use double sided tape. Just asking.

[@leonbrauns]

Double sided tape works great for parts which have no holes and need to be machined from all sides. However I would always prefer screws because it's easier to work with those.

[@sebastianporombka5847]

Welche Alu-Legierung fräst du da?

[@leonbrauns]

AlMg4,5Mn0,7

[@martinesquivel5206]

Hello, could you correct the precision problem you had? I want to build it but I want it to be very precise

[@jeremyjeremy2574]

Nema17?

[@hermangaviria690]

Can it cut steel?

[@AwesomeRedKite]

what router are you using?

[@coffinsnail6930]

try cutting oil or some cooling fluid

[@smoke0082]

Не правильный уголок! Надо делать по 2 отверстия на каждый профиль, а тут получается что один профиль держится на двух болтах, а второй всего одним. Конструкция получится не жёсткая, будет качаться!

[@TheZabmix]

я печатал такие уголки вообще на 5 отверстий на 3D принтере с 95% заполнением толщиной 8мм, по жесткости так же. а тут 3 где одна вообще никакой роли не играет, что обычный угол из 2-х отверстий.