[pgf]

Looking for some clarification. I've been doing some window shopping for a new mill recently, and realized that I'm unclear on a specification.

What does the Z "working area" number actually measure? Is it simply total Z travel? Or is it maximum space between the bed and... the bottom of the Z carriage? the nominal base of the collet? the nominal tip of the tool? Having more vertical space than travel distance could be useful if you were trying to hold parts in a vise, for example, and could raise the spindle in its brackets to compensate.

I got thinking about this because the mill I'm replacing is home-built (and the only one I've owned or used), and when I went to measure, to see what I currently have, I realized I wasn't sure what I should be measuring.

As examples that enable my confusion: The Genmitsu 4040 Pro Max seems to claim 100mm of "clearance height", but just 78mm of "working area". https://www.sainsmart.com/products/4040-pro-max
The workspace graphic for the AnoleX 3060-Evo Pro, however, implies that their 73mm is simply to the bottom of the raised carriage. https://anolexcnc.com/cdn/shop/files...76b9b8f87d.jpg

My current mill has roughly 3" of useable travel, but a little more than that of vertical space. So it's more like the Genmitsu in that regard. The AnoleX would be a step down. (OTOH, they'd both be HUGEly better than what I currently have, in all other respects!)

[cncmakers001]

Looking for some clarification. I've been doing some window shopping for a new mill recently, and realized that I'm unclear on a specification.

What does the Z "working area" number actually measure? Is it simply total Z travel? Or is it maximum space between the bed and... the bottom of the Z carriage? the nominal base of the collet? the nominal tip of the tool? Having more vertical space than travel distance could be useful if you were trying to hold parts in a vise, for example, and could raise the spindle in its brackets to compensate.

I got thinking about this because the mill I'm replacing is home-built (and the only one I've owned or used), and when I went to measure, to see what I currently have, I realized I wasn't sure what I should be measuring.

As examples that enable my confusion: The Genmitsu 4040 Pro Max seems to claim 100mm of "clearance height", but just 78mm of "working area". https://www.sainsmart.com/products/4040-pro-max
The workspace graphic for the AnoleX 3060-Evo Pro, however, implies that their 73mm is simply to the bottom of the raised carriage. https://anolexcnc.com/cdn/shop/files...76b9b8f87d.jpg

My current mill has roughly 3" of useable travel, but a little more than that of vertical space. So it's more like the Genmitsu in that regard. The AnoleX would be a step down. (OTOH, they'd both be HUGEly better than what I currently have, in all other respects!)

Z “working area” usually means Z-axis TRAVEL
how far the machine can move the toolhead up and down during cutting.

[pgf]

Thank you. Do machine makers ever specify the other number? I.e., how far off the bed that trave can be used?

[peteeng]

Hi pgf - Commercial mills have the travel and the clearance height (distance from the bed to the bottom of the collet) specified usually but their spindle is fixed. What you are looking at are routers. A "Mill" is usually good to cut steel, these machines are not intended or capable of doing that. But small routers usually spec the travel (in X Y and Z) and since the router can slide in the clamp its a bit hard to spec the clearance ht. So you will have to interpret the information supplied as best as you can. Also ask the supplier for more info on the travel and clearance hts. "Z working area" is incorrect English. They mean Z working travel. Also yes you will need more clearance ht if you use vices or long tools, then you will need matching travel to be able to use those tools. Its a bit of a juggle... You need to know what sort of jobs, fixtures and tooling you typically use to figure out if the machine will do what you want it to do.

Peter

[pgf]

Thank you for that very clear explanation. You've confirmed all my suspicions. (And I'll be more careful with my use of "mill" vs. "router" from now on. :-)

[awerby]

At the risk of pointing out the obvious, Z-axis capacity is not the same as the travel in Z. If you want to cut to the bottom of a piece of material 2" thick, you'll need a tool that sticks out 2" from its collet, and you'll need more than 4" in travel to clear the part.