Mini 3Dprinted Lathe

[@turboprint3d]

As a machinist this looks pretty decent . Great job

[@TommyHoughton]

Legendary content, I'm a huge fan of 3D printed machinery and tools. My favourite part was definitely the tolerance testing at the end. I'm sure this video and many of your future ones will perform insanely well. I can't wait for the next video!

[@PolyProject3D]

Thank you!

[@pepisesportsdevirl2295]

excellent use of parts and the results were incredible. looking forward to updates on your project making. great work!!!

[@PolyProject3D]

Thanks!

[@Amrsingh]

​@PolyProject3D Hello! Would you ever consider publishing the files or offering them for sale online, or is that something you would never consider doing. If ever do let me know seems like a fun project

[@zayanh2823]

This is really good, especially for your application! I appreciate you showing the process and the test results at the end. Good job bro!!

[@GatorGlider]

Very cool! I could see this being adapted into a CNC lathe pretty easily. I also think you should try gearing down your spindle for more torque. Awesome project!

[@MatchaMakesThings]

This is some spectacular engineering here!

[@CraftedChannel]

Best attempt at a 3d printed lathe I've seen so far. You have a work capable tool. All others I've viewed are pretty much worthless. I would regard this as a mostly metal lathe and not a 3d printed lathe but still the best I've seen. I would suggest your carriage feed be a single start screw as it travel looks quite fast. I've been studying this mountain of a project for years. The stopping point is a spindle. There is no way I've perceived to obtain a low cost or produce a simple home produceable spindle of any kind of acceptable quality.

[@PolyProject3D]

Thank you! Although like you said the majority of the machine is metal. I consider it a 3d printed lathe because the only machine I used to bring together all of the functional mechanical and electrical parts was my printer. but I do take your point and I hesitated to call it a 3d printed lathe at first for the same reason you pointed out. The lead screw for the Z axis is very fast but since it is a 4-start screw, It can be back driven enabling me to move the carriage by hand making it convenient to measure parts and remove/install the work holding part. (this makes the machine unusable for facing a part but since all of the engine parts I have in mind for this machine only require the roundness advantage on their diameter it was not an issue). In any case, the machine can use any T8 350mm lead screw for the Z axis, so it is easy enough to swap it out for a finer pitch screw if needed. you are absolutely right about the spindle, this is why I didnt use gears or a belt drive to a separate spindle to get more torque

[@YourComputerExpert]

@@PolyProject3D If any parts needed to be machined with anything else than a 3D printer, then the name would not be justified. But as far as I can see, these are just off-the-shelf parts combined with 3D printed parts, so I'd say 3D printed lathe is a fair name.

[@carlosrobles9148]

I have to admit I am thoroughly impressed! The precision is unparalleled

[@Pluap]

Looks fun and functional, especially for small but precise parts like yours. You got a new subscriber for this project

[@WangleLine]

This is incredibly cool!! Thank you so much for showing off the lathe

[@PolyProject3D]

Thanks!

[@kubiz198]

Nice project! The lathe looks really neat, especially the workpiece mount seems well thought out

[@OddJobEntertainment]

pretty impressive accuracy and precision for a home built mini lathe. I was supremely skeptical at the outset, but genuinely impressive.

[@PolyProject3D]

Thank you!

[@SEEEZD]

Wow, thats impressive! this channel is so underrated

[@PolyProject3D]

Thank you!

[@kwaaaa]

I'm quite impressed! Great job on the design and execution.

[@bonovoxel7527]

Dude, it's awesome! I'd like to buy your blueprints one day, a mini like this may come very handy!

[@DylanPW]

Likewise! I've wanted a small lathe just to machine down stuff like dowels etc, this would be perfect for that!

[@JonasDecker-z3x]

Pretty nice i would recommend usign brushless spindle tho .can be made from a big chinese rc car motor and a pulley for transmission

[@faisalalsharaf5823]

Nicely done. Looks pretty sleek as well.

[@oliviali]

Amazing project! I was wondering if you might open source this project? Would love to build my own

[@bmatic2069]

following

[@PolyProject3D]

Hi Olivia Li, I haven't made any files available for this machine but I may do so in the future. Thanks for leaving a comment, and if you have any questions about the machine or about building a 3d printed lathe, id be happy to answer.

[@knobbymcfeck]

@@PolyProject3D Hey! I was wondering what kind of linear rail that thick one for the tool is called? Thanks, and good stuff!

[@PolyProject3D]

@@knobbymcfeck Hi, its a THK HRW21 rail with a wide carriage.

[@knobbymcfeck]

@@PolyProject3D Thank you so much!

[@RustyCantRead]

Impressive! I have some rails and threaded rod that would work nice for this, I think I might try to make one of these

[@V6CL]

This is a truly exciting video.

[@PolyProject3D]

Thanks!

[@hberg321]

Can you tell us what cutting bit you are using? I built a 3D printed lathe with a similar extruded aluminum bed and a brushless DC motor which turns a spindle via a belt. However, the results I got using a triangular carbide bit were worse than useless and I haven't taken the project any further forward. What I found is that instead of cutting the plastic workpiece a carbide tip just ploughs a groove into it and the piece is destroyed. I wasn't able to break any chips whatsoever but you are clearly getting completely different results. I'd love to know what material the cutting bit is and the blade angle.

[@PolyProject3D]

Hello, The cutting tool is high speed steel and its angle is somewhere between 2 and 5 degrees. Although, any steel could cut PLA.

[@SimpleJimmyBlueChip]

Would love plans for this. Good stuff

[@QuinnyOnMain]

that's really cool! it would be awesome to have access to the files and a hardware list, as I'd love the opportunity to build my own

[@JavierChiappa]

Excellent! You know what would be incredibly cooler, to design an attachment to make it a vertical milling machine as the unimat lathes.!

[@riccardosammataro7145]

thats exactly the reason why i need a lathe

[@JohnScherer]

Excellent project and well executed.

[@Geoff-Howell-Golf]

Excellent work, such a great project.

[@PolyProject3D]

Many thanks!

[@SmashingBricksAU]

The tolerance test defiantly shows the machine potential.

[@Serwius1]

Хорошая самоделка, достойный аппарат.

[@PolyProject3D]

Спасибо!

[@henhen7890]

I think you just need a fly wheel for the motor, lathes usually have a chuck that are pretty heavy that basically serves as a fly wheel.

[@kurtnelle]

What's the runout of that head stock? Where is the chuck? Where is the tail stock? You need a dial indicator to test for roundness.

[@802Garage]

Extremely cool. 3D printed mill next! Hahaha.

[@xenotrixx]

I love it. Now I’m thinking of building a similar machine, only a bit bigger. ^^

[@Ezrielthefallen]

That is so cool! Good job!

[@PolyProject3D]

thank you!

[@WooHooSum]

Dude this is sick! Id love to get these files and might even be willing to pay!

[@RollingBarrel]

Looks excellent! Are there going to be any follow ups with details on how folks can build their own?

[@marthinwurer]

As long as you're working with plastic this seems like a fantastic tool! I wonder if it has the rigidity to work with aluminum or brass?

[@JDLeeArt]

Any chance you may release the files and a parts list? I was working on building something very similar but your design looks a lot more precise.

[@johncall4525]

That is really cool!

[@crazyhippo3306]

Bro i don't get why ur print look so clean it's almost look like resin print🔥🔥

[@Iamtherodlight1453.]

Absolutely brilliant so cool

[@emanueliratliff4263]

I would love to see the .stl files for these parts! This is impressive, tight engineering at its best. Subscribed, dude.

[@bami2]

Brilliant, nice build!

[@PolyProject3D]

Thank you

[@augurelite]

this is awesome! :)

[@phenioxrj]

What is the name of the tool you are using to measure the "roundness"

[@PolyProject3D]

Hello phenioxrj, the tool is referred to as a micrometre the one I have is a Mitutoyo Ratchet Thimble Micrometre

[@knucklehead83]

The lathe is awesome. I'd love to see you build it. Any plans on a lathe build video?

[@booleyP]

Hi Poly, love your work. Do you mind sharing any resources how you learned to 3dmodel and how you learn to build such projects? I am a beginner in 3d printing and also modelling, if you don't mind sharing any files or recommend any books to help me.

[@jazekerxx7535]

that's a really nice lathe. how stiff is the frame? can you use the lathe for soft metals? there are two things i would upgrade and that's the used motor. when you touch the object with the cutter you see the RPM drop immediately. i would use a brushless DC motor because they have enormous torque, even at low RPM. and add a 3 claw chuck. other then that very well done!

[@nicholasbackus492]

this bad boi needs a lathe chuck (which i bet could also be printed)

[@linusx1x]

looks cool! do you share files? would love to work together

[@ga6287]

Are these files available for download?

[@josephjames3320]

Super cool but could you upload a file and parts list?

[@landroveraddict2457]

Are you going to release the build plans for this very cool lathe? You won a sub! I want, need and desire a tiny accurate desk top lathe.

[@PolyProject3D]

Hello, thank you for subscribing! I'm glad you like the lathe. But I don't currently make files available for my projects. If there's anything you would like to know about the machine or about building your own, I would be happy to help.

[@TheDIMONART]

@@PolyProject3D Right, work hours must be payed. No free STL`s🙂

[@jamiethomas4079]

I can almost copy your design just by looking at the one shot of it, that's what makes this so impressive! Simplifying things this elegantly takes a lot of work. I've been wanting to build a mini lathe and your video makes me think I can just do it with my current knowledge. Some of the other ones are over complicated. Did you use pla+?

[@PolyProject3D]

Thanks! I used pla basic

[@relativisticvel]

Do you have plans and a BOM for the lathe?

[@rizalardiansyah4486]

Nice project! I wouldn't mind a long version upload explaining the design process. Certainly it has some if not many drawbacks, but hey! At least you don't have to sand parts by hand anymore!

[@notaboutit3565]

Any chance you’d be willing to post the project files?

[@christianferracane]

would be awesome to get the files. i was just starting to look for ideas on how to make my own and this looks perfect for my application too. will you ever share the project? congrats on the design!

[@jonathanrealman8415]

No STLs and BOM? :(

[@samandoria]

Best mostly 3d printed lathe ive seen! What linear rails are you using? Seems like you have matched the mounting holes of the top slide to the bed carriages? Love the simplicity and how you work around/know the limitations of fdm/plastics to get the machine as rigid as possible while leaving the complicated parts to 3d printing.

[@PolyProject3D]

Hello, thank you! I am using mgn12 for the parallel rails and a THK HRW21 for the perpendicular rail. I like to think that this lathe is 3d printed because the only machine I used to integrate all of the parts together to form the lathe was my 3dprinter. I bought or already had every other part as it is in the machine.

[@samandoria]

@@PolyProject3DThanks for the info. I agree, it's the sensible and practical view of a "3d printed" machine. For example while there are reprap(self replicating) 3d printers with the linear motion system, frame and so on 3d printed most reprap printers use a lot of "vitamins" or non 3d printed parts where it is needed or greatly improves the function. I this is a good example of that balance while your engines are great examples of pushing a manufacturing technique and set of materials to its limits. Do you have any ideas or plans regarding future improvements to workholding?

[@PolyProject3D]

@@samandoria Thank you, I have some plans for different work holding devices (for different individual parts) but I don't think ill make a universal work holding system to hold a range of diameters because its convenient enough just print the interface part.

[@sashgorokhov]

Nice project!

[@witnessnz]

Very impressive, next up a DRO for it !!

[@toxaq]

Cool. Any reason you didn't use the chuck on the drill?

[@СергейФилиппов-п3о]

I liked the video about the lathe. And the STL files on the machine where you can find them for repetition

[@albertglej770]

Hello. How can I design so nice curvy surfaces like those on your lathe? I really like the look of the electric motor part. Thanks.

[@PolyProject3D]

It is fairly straight forward, using extrudes and fillets

[@TheMrMused]

Bloody brilliant! Are you planning on putting together a bill of materials? (bed, lead screws, etc)

[@christanvandijk5106]

Wow, that is really impressive. I am looking forward to your new engines. What material did you use for the cutting tool?

[@PolyProject3D]

Thank you Christan, it’s a tool steel referred to as high speed steel. I don’t know the exact type but realistically any steel will cut a polymer. I suppose the harder tool steel will stay sharp for longer though.

[@Tekenduis98]

Great work!

[@PolyProject3D]

Thanks!

[@bartekpudo9624]

Nice Job man !

[@PolyProject3D]

Thank you!

[@notoioudmanboy]

Very cool man.

[@greggv8]

Use one of your air motors to power the lathe.

[@sodium.carbide]

you really need a better control on spindle motor. but any how, great work.

[@YourComputerExpert]

I'd like to also make this, is there any chance you will upload this together with a brief guide tot makerworld or printables?

[@jokerdabaixada8181]

Where do you sell projects to print?

[@jkrules4161]

i dont really see the point, the motor sounds like it slows down when cutting plastic.. idk what do I know

[@PolyProject3D]

The point is in the parts it produces and how they can improve my future engines. Having said that, your observation is correct, the motor has very little torque. But for a lathe made from plastic, having a spindle/motor with substantial torque the machine will deform itself as it cuts the workpiece. For a plastic lathe, this could permanently ruin the alignment of the spindle to the parallel rails. I’ve designed this lathe to be well on the safe side of that tradeoff because to me it’s accuracy is more important.

[@hdl4259]

Verry nice little machine. What type of filament you are using? PLA or ABS?

[@Streetduck]

Hi, deine Drehbank sieht klasse aus, gibt es eine Möglichkeit diese nachzubauen? Es wäre für mich genau die richtige Größe, um am Schreibtisch was bauen zu können. Danke für dein Video 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@hayden3928]

really impressive! I want to keep my engines as accessible as possible for when I finally get it finished. That being said, a lathe would be awesome, and I hope to get one eventually. Making a precision machine from 3d printing is wild. Question: Are you worried about roundness deviation for the piston rings, or did you machine that too?

[@PolyProject3D]

Thanks Hayden, in previous engines without any additional work on the sealing faces of the piston, I've been able to get a decent seal with minimal friction. I suspect its because the O ring can take up some of the roundness deviation. but, with a more precise sealing face, maybe I could get a better seal with less friction. however, machining the groove for the O ring would require a different cutting tool to match the profile of the groove. its defiantly something to consider for future engines.

[@hayden3928]

@PolyProject3D that makes sense. If you're looking for a lubricant, silicon based grease is great for these things

[@cristianciorchina]

Nice project, how to get sources?

[@SkatingAllDayErrDay]

This is awesome, I've been looking into doing this myself - any chance you plan to open-source the project?

[@richardhall2542]

Hey man. Do you have the cad files available for this lathe? Could be helpful to have a similar tool for a project ive got coming up.

[@electronicshobbyistmushtha5448]

stl files?

[@juver890]

That's super cool

[@PolyProject3D]

Thanks!

[@carlcrott8582]

Could you sell one of these completely built? plug + play?

[@testboga5991]

Pretty neat. But I hope no resin printed parts are used in the structural elements. There isn't a single resin that doesn't creep over time, making todays accuracy irrelevant in two weeks.

[@PolyProject3D]

Hi, its all FDM but thats a very interesting point about resin prints. Thanks for letting me know!

[@honixfpv2772]

Damn why you got so few subs? GO GO GO man, keep it up and running, you´re on a great way!! :))

[@PolyProject3D]

Thank you!

[@alf3071]

can this cut aluminium?

[@nikbivation]

love this!

[@sovahc]

I think you can cut aluminum on it with the point cutter. Sort of. Better to buy ER16 Taig of course 😸

[@Brett_M]

Hey, i am interested in making this for myself. Do you have any of the print files (stl)? Or any cad files (STEP)?

[@BlackPulsar13]

Здорово конечно, но прямой привод детали это явно ошибка, двигателю не хватает крутящего момента. Необходимо двигатель подключать через редуктор, как во взрослых станках, хотя бы ременной.

[@tomsuica8731]

Whats a lave?

[@Big_White_X]

OMG O_O i need that O_O do you sell the files?

[@witnessnz]

Oh and power feed ❤

[@chuvvyyk]

Inspiring

[@ericcxxxx]

link pz

[@ReShapeFabrication]

This looks incredible! If you need any metal 3D printed parts, please reach out! We are a startup offering metal 3D printing services.

[@critical_always]

Great job on the bed. The motor needs gears.

[@PolyProject3D]

Hi critical_always, it would be nice for the spindle to have more torque but consider the purpose of this machine, the parts are already printed close to their finished size. more importantly is that adding gears would require me to 3d print a spindle and compromise the precision of the machine. the purpose of this machine is precision.

[@kokodin5895]

why didn't you use any gearbox reduction? as an electrician i am slightly confused because you are using low torque self comutating motor with no actual speed controll, all you have is voltage choping switch that limits time the motor is on in any timeframe. plus those kind of motors should not operate without load because they can run away but back to no gearnox issue. i can see how you used spiral gear on the motor shaft as a mounting point, that is clever by itself, but since you are cutting plastic centrufigal force and high speed of rotation are fighting against your accuracy because you loosing cutting force to heat generated by friction and are you machining pla or resin prints on that? so to summorise you may want to put areduction gearbox to your machine to achive more granular speed controll and constant load on the motor to prevent runaway scenarios , in caseyou cut thermoplastics they would benefit from sharp tools , stiffness and slow speed if resin you woulsn't gain much due to brittle ature of resins but it could be more accurate due to slower cutting speeds because it looks like single point scratchinf tool now nice project but there is room to improve it

[@PolyProject3D]

Hi kokodin, with regards to not using gears, I answered this to another comment "it would be nice for the spindle to have more torque but consider the purpose of this machine, the parts are already printed close to their finished size. more importantly is that adding gears would require me to 3d print a spindle and compromise the precision of the machine. the purpose of this machine is precision." Having said that, there certainly is room to improve this machine but I don't think adding a gearbox would be appropriate. I have not experienced problems with the accuracy of the machine. With regards to the potential run away motor issue, the motor is running under some load, the load of the fan and the friction in the bearings. adding a gearbox would minimize the load on the motor in relation to cutting force but while the tool is not in contact with the workpice, the motor would only have the additional load of the friction within the gearbox. I should also say that this piston has a much larger diameter than most of the parts I plan to machine on this lathe. and that I need to do more machining to fully understand its accuracy. I appreciate your reasoning, thanks for your comment.

[@kokodin5895]

@@PolyProject3D you could also try driving motor from lower voltage dc. it is an universal motor so ~60vdc is considered safe voltage, would require different switch and probably start capacitor but otherwise it should be ok since you not using full speed anyway. i don't know if you live in 115 or 230 v part of the world but motor don't really care and there would be much less arcing than very low duty cycle ac , the only problem is would you have to start on full speed or would it start from slow speed without buzzing, generally drill motor don't really like running backward because brushes are offset to one side to make them last longer in forward direction but backward they kind of run against the grain of comutaor so direction might be importanyt here have fun and don't hurt yourself

[@PolyProject3D]

Thanks, do you think re-orienting the commutators upside down would resolve this. I did notice that the brushes did not make good contact with the commutator at first but it seemed to just take some braking in. and now it runs as it did in the drill. now that the brushes are broken in, would it be worth re-orienting them upside down? I now avoid running it in its original "forward direction" also, would lowering the voltage decrease the torque of the motor at low speeds? Thanks, btw its supplied with 230v

[@kokodin5895]

@@PolyProject3D if you not running it at full speed it technically never sees more than 10-50 v spikes so voltage is not really a problem,. on dc it should run faster for any given voltage related to the same ac voltage because ac has that zero crossing point when no current flow. and dc is just dc, "always on" With running in reverse you should have that forward backward switch on top of regular on of one that switch swaps direction of static cols in relation to the brushes.(swaps brushes cables ) energized coils on the roror are always somewhere around 90 degree from the stator coils but a bit off center to push kickstart ti and either repel or atract the rotor coils while on ac they switch polarity following the voltage on dc they just stay polarised in one direction all the time and so is the rotor the problem is not really with the coils although reverse running motor has slightly different mechanics, brushes are pushed inside the brush holder instead of being pulled out and wear out on the inner side so you should regularly check or replace them if they start getting thinn because at some point they can catch on comutator slot and snap violently in half if they are not snug, normally they just arc more and motor run a bit slower and hoter because it is not really designed to run backward long term but only if you have motor with brushes off center. if your motor would have brushes ded center on the comptator fom the start it was designed to run both ways relatively well (although worse than one directional motor like in vacum cleaner in either one) and should have those small beeds on motor wires between brush and stator coils those motors can run either way but brushes wear out faster no both sides if you often change direction because they are alsways slightly pushed to the side of brush holder by the comutator on paper universal motor is a simple creature 3 coils in series (the middle one spins) to change direction you simply connect the middle coil backward to the other two and this works both for ac and dc, unicersal motor is immune to reversing dc power on the input i probably messed something up because i am not very good at explaining the short version is if it doesn't spark, you probably be fine, if it spark more one way, you can't do muchbecause it would require rotating both buishes around the spin axis by very small angle

[@PolyProject3D]

@@kokodin5895 Thank you for this information! The motors brushes where on centre with the commutator when they where in the drill and I've kept them on centre in the lathe. when I first ran the lathe, they sparked a bit but only when running it in reverse until I ran it for some time in reverse and it seemed to create better contact with the commutator and stop sparking. it also now starts more easily in reverse (now forward on the lathe) but ill keep an eye on the brushes for wear and I only run it in the new forward direction (original backwards) now as I noticed it seems to preferer that . Thank you! I very much appreciate your advice on this matter!

[@P10101G]

Sehr Toll!