Production Drilling in the Flex CNC

The welding shop had a large stack of 3x3 angle iron that needed 5/16" holes machined in every piece. We set up the ‪@FlexMachineTools‬ G20-04 cnc mill to tackle this job and knocked it out in a day. The Flex performed great for this job!
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[@Emu0181]

The machine seems a bit of overkill for this job, but having done similar jobs with a hand drill and measuring tape, a real time and sanity saver for that quantity. Nice to see the flex in use

[@LoremIpsum1970]

Hope the guys in the field take as much care setting out the framing!

[@dontlitethat]

Finally a hole that you did not chamfer… I’m writing this one on the calendar!

[@PhotoArtBrussels]

lol

[@inkman996]

I tell ya, I am shocked that he has not somehow turned this into at least a three part series.

[@colinfahidi9983]

I was hoping for a 5 part job. I can't get enough of Abom.

[@JohnSmith-dp2jd]

I doubt it'll be an issue with drilling angle iron, but for through spindle coolant on a drill like that, you ideally want a sealed collet or you're not getting the full pressure down at the cutting edge. It takes the path of least resistance, so it'll go through the splits in the collet, not down the tiny little holes in the drill. For shallow holes in mild steel that will clear chips out just fine, but something to keep in mind if you want to use it for deeper drilling in anything like stainless.

[@thomasrahm]

Really like the mix of manual and cnc on this channel. Great stuff!

[@jonathanzellner906]

I liked the video, and respect you doing what you need to as a business, but I miss the old school one off parts. There are a dozen cnc channels out there.

[@dbriggs1689]

It nice seeing those machines work.

[@hibiki54]

That FlexCNC is badass now that we see what it can do for a small job shop. If I owned a welding/fab shop I would immediately invest in one of these.

[@zacharymihlrad1045]

There’s a lot more a small job shop can do with $300k and 300 square feet of floor space.

[@Rimrock300]

@@zacharymihlrad1045 A shop set up for creating video content, having sponsorship, just have to run some demos now and then. An ordinary job shop needs to run the machines full day, and there is alot one can get done with 300K and 300 sqf for sure.

[@stevebumstead9840]

Nice to see some production work on that monster.😃

[@Garth2011]

That extra 9 seconds is worth it vs. buying replacement drill bits.

[@hasletjoe5984]

Thanks Adam! Great to see a different project in the shop all the time!

[@PhotoArtBrussels]

Great to see you move to production runs. It must be quite a change from the manual machining. I read some people come with a bit harsh comments. I find it is great you have the opportunity to invest in your training and future. Adding CNC to your precision manual machining will enable you to accept more work, hone your skills and grow. Glad to see the Flex in action. Step by step you'll get the CNC in your fingers, build your confidence and speed to program and setup work.

[@amalfi460]

Each hole took less than a half second, amazing speed

[@ronnydowdy7432]

I am glad you got help quickly. The machine is nice. Great job.

[@angelramos-2005]

Congratulatios,Adam.Very well done.Thank you.

[@workaholicada319]

I couldn't be happier to see you using Flex in production. Hope your business continues to develop and benefit

[@hubbsllc]

This job just shows the potential! It’s amazing.

[@DrunkenBobDole]

Having a thru coolant drill is great but you need a sealed collet to use them properly, most of the coolant is lost and you don't want to rely on it when deep drilling. On the other side, thru coolant with an unsealed collet can be very useful for endmills and solid drills.

[@helicopterjohns]

Like that smile on your face. The real nice thing about CNC is that the real work is doing the programming and setup. You can make 1, 100, or 1000 pieces and they will all be accurate to specifications. I enjoy the design and programming. Running the machine can become boring on long production runs. 😊

[@edsmachine93]

Very nice Adam. I think that Flex machine will turn out to be a big asset. Thanks for sharing the process. 👍👍

[@garychaiken808]

Impressive. Good job. Thank you 😊

[@spawn2228]

Highly recommend sealed collets for through spindle coolant. Game changer

[@waikanaebeach]

Good to see you using the Flex on a production job. Keeps the business going and the investment earning

[@JesusvonNazaret]

Good job, great use for the newish machine

[@cncit]

Dormer tools are always really nice, I've used them for years, never a problem with the quality.

[@karlmckinnell2635]

Looking forward to seeing more collaborations with the welding shop, some beams and tubing 😊. Machine seems well suited to fabrication work.

[@terryjennings2356]

To take full advantage of the through coolant tools, you need to run them in a sealed collet.

[@robertkessell]

Cool video. Only thing I could suggest so you have actual coolant through your drill and not through the collet around the drill is different collets. They make collets that will stop the coolant from going through them and force the coolant through your tool. I have run them before and they work really nice.

[@Zorxyable]

Or just use a heat shrink tool holder.

[@patmcnally6]

Adam your Learning curve is getting better 😊

[@ronaldmeyn2618]

That machine is badass

[@brianmoore1164]

You stayed so calm when the bit broke. Nicely done. I would have spoken to it using my special words.

[@anklebiterwoodworks2818]

I am so jealous of your CNC. I built my 48"x48" CNC router myself and upgraded as well, but...just looking at your CNC, my wallet in my back pocket just keeps kicking my rear and reminding me I work for a living. Doesn't matter how heavily I sit on it to shut it up. LOL! LOVE the BIG machines. ETA: when that carbide drill bit went to work...OMG! Like a hot knife through butter.

[@jerrylondon2388]

You are years beyond Abom. You have an understanding that he will never have. And as a result when you graduate to larger, more powerful equipment you will be productive right out of the gate. I doubt if after months of training, and more than a year of hands on, you would struggle drilling a few holes. Congrats on your initiative!

[@floridaflywheelersantiquee7578]

Thanks for sharing the cnc

[@outsidescrewball]

Enjoyed…great discussion/demonstration/video production

[@andrewjmcgee]

outstanding!!

[@thealchemist5376]

Love your work Adam!

[@lonniebrock3282]

Adam I think the word is getting out about your next step up to fabrication jobs you might get busier than what you want but that's what you have been setting your shop up for and I would say that's great for your future endeavors congratulations in advance great business thinking

[@colinfahidi9983]

It was set up for video production.

[@henrymorgan3982]

Great machine. Hope you get more production jobs! Great class!

[@juangarza7732]

As always great content

[@floodo1]

It must be a real pleasure to watch the heft of that big ol gantry sliding around precisely controlled by the computer and the laser calibration. What a sight!

[@DownToNerd]

i don't know if your flex CNC table is large enough but what the factory used to do where i worked jobs like this was having two setups doing the same job. This allowed us to change one side while the other was going trough the program and vice versa. Depending on the size of the production run you can save insane amounts of time. Great to see the flex in use for production

[@larryrobinson7492]

I would be deburring those holes while the next two were running. Most people are too lazy for that.

[@DownToNerd]

@@larryrobinson7492 i was also thinking about the deburring when they mentioned the galvanizing

[@jadesluv]

Nice Adam, very nice!

[@hcloud]

There are sealed off er collets ment for through coolant drills, so that the stuff only comes from where it should.

[@ripcordres]

That is quick, indeed

[@richardsvensson5154]

That's just like punching a hole through paper. Nice to see Flex CNC doing it's thing.

[@rustyshackleford928]

Good stuff Adam.

[@gislemark79]

To save more time, make it go to home in both Z and X in the same operation.

[@Stefoshark]

Hi from Canada, i'm myself a CNC operator, nice job, YES big machine just for holes but you need to learn somewhere, have a nice day & Be safe p.s. sorry for my writing im french

[@clarenceburton9654]

Awesome 😎 job , keep on machining !!!! Lol 😮

[@clintchapman4319]

That's some milling machine you have there! That's huuuuuge!

[@andarthome142]

This job is easy on this machine, like you say in the the video this machine wil do far more better on bigger jobs, more different holes and bigger material, and then you need a crane above it, thats also can be cnc controlled, nice machine, thumps upp.👍

[@havenisse2009]

Man, if a fly were to leave a footprint on one of your vices you'd spot it. Amazing precision. Interesting video.

[@firesurfer]

I used to do jobs for a decent sized company that had a giant press to stamp out holes in angle iron. The noise was deafening. Up to 1/2 holes in 1/2 steel without even breathing hard. It was a primitive computer that used paper tape with holes in it like a ticker tape machine. This was 40 years ago. Fast too.

[@JPGuay]

Almost unreal !

[@russtuff]

That machine is killer.

[@AlmostMachining]

Nice work Adam! Good to see the shop doing exactly what you set out to do with it. No you dont need full coolant through the tool. Great setup and learning about work piece interference.

[@bcbloc02]

The sad part is knowing what kind of job this is it would not surprise me that once they get these parts to the job location that the installers don’t wind up wallering bits thru the holes to obtain alignment. Machinist standards almost always clash with construction standards.

[@oceanlover1663]

Thats why slotted hole work in these situations

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Well done Adam, nice machine.

[@HH-Machining]

To get the most advantage of the through coolant tooling, you should get yourself some sealed ER collets. Dormer is a really quality brand :)

[@akfarmboy49]

Flex jobs are very interesting jobs to me.

[@EspenMolven]

Nice! You could set up a line laser at z-level to be able to spot those off-height parts.

[@Musicalbullet]

Great video! I would suggest some coolant thru sealed collets. That way no coolant pressure will be wasted spraying through the splits in the collets, and directed out the end of the tool.👍🏻

[@carlbyington5185]

BUTTER !!

[@josephweaver7140]

Another 4 vices & you could run 4 pieces at a time. Maximize the abilities of the Flex!!

[@whatsagrinder]

it took me a bit to train our machine shop to relax to welding tolerances. they are not aerospace parts, its structural, if its within .125, your awesome. chances are, the wall isnt even square or flat.

[@peejay1981]

That drill cuts like it's butter!

[@gettingoldsuckss]

Never heard drilling Op sound like that. Love to see with high speed camera and maybe see surface finish under microscope.. looks awesome

[@markwheeler202]

If the length of the pieces are different, then by placing them back-to-back, you're creating a mirror symmetry, so the holes will be off when the angle iron pieces are re-oriented the same. Maybe it doesn't make a difference for this application.

[@Rimrock300]

He did explain in a comment that it is the spacing between the holes that is important, while both ends of the angles will stick out into 'the air', having some +/- allowance

[@rodneywroten2994]

now that will be a gret machine to have

[@seansysig]

Crazy fast precise drilling. A human would take 1-2 minutes a hole.

[@testi2025]

You can get the tool holder fan with folding blades. It’s perfect for pushing that coolant of your parts. And it fits most magazines.

[@tankerboysabot]

Looks like if you had 6 or even 9 clamps you could get so muchore production out of it. Theres a lot of room for activities on that entire machine. 👍👍👍

[@peterouellette3874]

Rock and roll

[@Ddabig40mac]

Nice job for the flex! I would recommend planning for operations and tooling to make unequal leg angle iron and channel. As well as planning fixturing to mill weld prep bevels onto flat bar.

[@oldmelodie1003]

Hi Adam, Please do not use a collet chuck with solid carbide drills with internal cooling. Almost all of the coolant is lost through the collet and the required coolant pressure cannot be achieved. You have an induction device. Clamp the drill in a shrink mount. I work on a Giddings and Lewis boring mill myself and know what I'm talking about. greetings from Germany Paul

[@SUMOCAT86]

Or use a sealed collet or a nut with a seal.

[@oldmelodie1003]

​@@SUMOCAT86correct 👍

[@osgeld]

yea he has a induction device for heat fit tooling, it was one of his hour long advertisements a few month ago which has never seen the light of day since

[@ScottPankhurst]

@@osgeld other paid content to push out, presumably.

[@oetken007]

Oh nice... a video with the flex cnc. For changing the workpieces one of these magnetic on off holder thing for your crane would be nice.

[@blah_z]

Nice

[@caploader111]

Showing how square those vises were was impressive, but then you went back the other way you were just FLEXING.

[@frfrpr]

Impressive machine. Lots of responsibility in managing the equipment. Positive end result for all involved. 👍

[@sinchrotron]

It is funny to see the keyboard with wasd highlited :)

[@Yooper45]

Use a sealed collet if you want to force the coolant through the drill instead of through and around the drill.

[@arjanvanraaij8440]

Dormer is our the go to brand for drills an taps.

[@Uncle.J.32]

You should make a production run of welding table kits. I would happily buy one - Cheers

[@user-dn4iv2ne6r]

Nothing beats a couple of terrified minimum wage kids with an old drill press out in the gravel and a few dull and worn out bits. Make sure it's at least 90 degrees and they don't get a break until the job is done.

[@TheManLab7]

Those were the days.

[@324atleD]

They were doing it wrong. You need a $200k machine like shown here.

[@TheManLab7]

@@324atleD life's SO much easier these days for all those youngsters 😁👍🏻😉

[@BerndFelsche]

Nice to hear where these "insignificant" bits will end up. Maybe get a tour as an extra reward?

[@user-ol1zz5kx9h]

Парень молодец!👍

[@michaelcurtis8286]

Hey Adam, they sell collet nuts and like a seal that seal your collet so that all the thru coolant goes through the drill and not through collet also. Just a tip if you need more pressure to clear in deeper holes

[@justinl.3587]

There are also dedicated thru coolant collets that will block the coolant to only travel through the tool. Both work well either way.

[@LoremIpsum1970]

Coming from a structural/civil eng background, this is interesting to see. I don't think I've seen a regular structural steel fabshop with this level of precision, truly a pro piece of work, especially knowing the rolling tolerances of hot rolled structural steelwork. Just hope the guys in the field take as much care setting out all the framing! 👍 Like my grandfather used to say in his day everything was built to give or take half a brick...😲

[@walterhiegel3020]

Adam...you are doing great. You are learning programming...seeing what can go wrong changing your approach and finishing successfully. Awesome.

[@jerrylondon2388]

Did you see him doing any programming? Ever?

[@walterhiegel3020]

@@jerrylondon2388 yes

[@jerrylondon2388]

@@walterhiegel3020 Right, he pushed Cycle On, then called Tech Support!

[@walterhiegel3020]

@jerrylondon2388 ok if that's the way you wanna characterize it. I see Adam as someone who has never done programming. Titan had the same issue and he turned out OK. Sometimes you just need a little help to get started.

[@jerrylondon2388]

@walterhiegel3020 I was an industrial trainer for a Fortune 5 company. I had 2 levels of students who attended class technicians and salesmen. Technicians would take one class, go back to work for a couple of months, then return for the next class. Rinse, repeat! Salesmen (like Abom) would take one class after another. They were there to learn the model number, and to be able to turn the product on and off. And perhaps learn some minor operations. Tech support was always on speed dial. Salesmen were never rated on their performance in class, basically just auditing. Technicians companies paid $5,000 - $10,000 a class, they wanted to see some results before spending money on further training. If I had "purchased" a $200,000 CNC machine and "paid" for training, I suspect, I like most, would be working my ass off to be able to get some return on "my" investment. If I had taken 3 or more classes, I must be the best, most advanced technician they had ever seen. Just not seeing it!

[@mjshorty19]

You might want to invest in some sealed ER collets so the thru coolant works correctly. And also that noise is typically because the drill might be running out which is typical of putting a drill in a standard ER collet

[@oldmelodie1003]

Exactly 👍

[@forresta65]

I bet Howie was glad he didn't have to drill all that by hand!

[@mdvener]

Really a great looking job. You get better and more confident each time you use your CNC machines. I do miss your home shop n manual machining but you need to keep up with today's way of doing things. And doing a great job. Manual, or automated it is all looking great as everything you do. Thanks for sharing, n stay safe.

[@user-ku3qi2hb3y]

Hey this is Allen I watch your videos all the time please put sum new videos much love brother 🙏

[@peteengard9966]

Too bad you didn't make a jig to hold a half dozen at a time. The table is big enough. Nice to see the machine working.

[@oldiron4135]

Two things, do as you wish with them. First, instead of adding coolant and water from evaporation all the time, id cover the flex bed with something, itll slow down a lot on evaporation when not in use. Something you can roll up while your pulling it off. Tarp maybe or similar? 2nd, you start getting in to these bigger part runs, get yourself a manual magnetic lifter and run it from your gib crane. Some of those magnets, although fairly small can lift several hundred pounds. In this case, I would pick up two pieces together, moved to flex and lowered them in place. When done, pick them up and move them to to cart and start process all over again. When machine is running thats when you go back and straighten out what you put down and get next two ready for moving. Its all about making money and making every movement you make count. What did this take to run? 1/2 a day, with a lifting magnet cut that in half if not more.

[@silasmarner7586]

He mentioned this, or the need to lift on/off with a jib crane (close enough!) didn't he? Or was it too long to watch for you by 6:30?

[@oldiron4135]

​@@silasmarner7586Just gave him a tip on what I've used in the past to do this type of stuff. It is always nice to see what others are doing to improve ones capabilities and efficiency. Apparently, you dont see it that way. But since you brought it up, then yes, it was a long winded video to watch a half a million dollar machine drill holes. One of the most lame jobs to do in a machine shop is to drill holes repeatedly. In which I shouldnt even comment as he doesnt read them anyways. And yes, I have more important stuff to do then fanatsize over someone elses videos. If ya dont want the tip to use, then keep it scrolling, it wasnt directed at you.

[@oldiron4135]

@@SteveColluns-hm2xx Welp, just looked up the flex vmc, and its listed starting price at like $194,000. I doubt delivery and setup/rigging is included in that. I think rigging he contracted gimself so. So that machine is probably coming in at a quarter of a million at least. Not my point, its just drilling holes so.....

[@oldiron4135]

@@SteveColluns-hm2xx I dont know what your going on about, as to my original comment, this has no relation to it. Im not judging him by any means, I dont care to as I dont know him, even if I did know him, why would I? What would I gain by doing that? Work ive seen him do, he does a great job. As far as these machines go, I dont know the contract they have and what is stipulated, and im not going go and guess upon it, it has no effect on me what so ever. I guess the only thing I would say, but its only my opinion, I wouldve taken a partial class in cnc before making any contact with any company to see if its something I wouldve pursued further. I dont know if youre envious, mad, happy or whatever the case may be over this, in either case, you could just as easily contact them and make a deal of sorts. For all I know, you work for a street dept, or fast food joint or whatever and have no shop of your own. Unless you have some type of tie / contract to what hes doing, which I doubt, then id just let it go. Nothing is stopping you from doing what he is doing. Back to my origional comment though in which this has taken a wild turn and way off my subject, sometimes its nice to know what other shops are doing for production efficiency one maybe hasnt thought of or tickles an idea. Thats all I had done was tossed a couple ideas into the mix. I don't care to know the rest of what hes doing in his shop. If he wishes to tickle the idea of a magnet and or covering the flex, then by all means, do so, if not, then don't. Im not her to to bash him, it foes me no good and or him. Thats really all I have to say on what he does.

[@oldiron4135]

@@SteveColluns-hm2xx And yet youre still replying. If ya cant get past the first period, then you should just move along. If i hurt your feelings, then i cant help ya.

[@travnturner]

holy cow man. safety glasses.

[@robertschmidt6383]

That is such an easy machine to see working. Should be running doing something everyday. I'd be interested in how much $$$ it actually makes per job and the confidence level to earn that money.

[@Rimrock300]

It's a realtively low priced CNC, with a very large table. Can be customized for the individual customer. It is typically used by companies working with large structural beams. To those companies buying it, it saves them quite some time compared to the way they've done it earlier with more manual work and moving of the parts involved, accoridn to different videos I've seen. So the money they make, is often first of all the money the save by going for this machine instead of the old ways. It's a 3-axis CNC mill, which is the most 'basic' CNC machine. the money earned greatly depends on your products. One likely do not buy such a machine 'just like that', but have one or more specific tasks for it. I like the idea of this machine, and the not too high cost, and I can see it being usable to for many different tasks

[@user-lw1ey8eo5b]

Круто колега.Так держать.Україна смотрит.

[@ktmturbo5836]

finally🎉🎉

[@TheMadWookiee]

That is to easy for that machine but fun to watch 😊 may I suggest a hand held squeegee to go over the iron when done instead of blowing coolant all over

[@paulcopeland9035]

"That is too* easy....."