[aucran]

Hi guys,
I'm still on the fence about whether or not to buy a NM-145 while they are still in stock.

The concerns I'm having are about learning the CAM and mill control software. I had a college class in CAM a several years ago, but it was using MasterCam and I honestly don't remember too much from it.

The other concern is, is the mill itself going to be a hobby to keep it running smoothly, or does it work often enough to produce parts.

I know you guys are biased, since if your in this forum you've probably already invested in a Novakon machine, but I just want some reassurance that I'm not wasting any money.


Thank you!

[aucran]

Also, can anyone tell me if it is possible to over travel the X axis to drill holes on 15.300 centers?

Thank you

[steveb946]

Also, can anyone tell me if it is possible to over travel the X axis to drill holes on 15.300 centers?

Thank you

I measured about 14.5" max X-travel without hitting the hard stops.

This is a very well designed machine--especially the electrical system with the newer Spindle Motor driver and the Sinusoidal drivers for the stepper motors. I furnished my own computer system board, power supply and hard disk and Novakon kindly provided the proper mounting plate. This means that I have local warranty support on any of the computer parts.

Expect that upon delivery, you will need to partially disassemble the X & Y-table to clean and inspect the moving parts. Especially, you must verify that the one-shot lube system is working to supply oil to all the parts.

Shipping damage is quite possible. I was very fortunate, since Novakon used a super-careful exporting shipper called Polaris Transportation 1-800-409-2269. The local delivery here in Tucson Arizona was DATS trucking (with lift gate for residential delivery) , also very good at handling such heavy machinery. Get some EXPERIENCED help with machine rigging to safely uncrate and place the machine.

[rpovey]

There isn't really any easy way to increase the X travel, in the cursory look I had, you could probably increase Y trave, but it'd require changing the ballscrew and the axis cover.

The crushed X axis oil line seems to be a common issue, there is no stop to prevent it becoming crushed when the axis hits the end of travel. Novakon suggests replacing one of the ballnut mounting screws with a longer bolt and a lock nut to act as a stop.

The electronics seem well put together.
If you provide your own computer it's important to know that the Mach configuration on Novakons website is (or at least was) completely wrong. Once corrected I could run rapids at 150IPM easily (probably considerably more).

Mine did get damaged in shipping, the PSU mounting board in the electrical cabinet shattered (probably due to a drop), damaging some wiring.

Novakon does run them prior to shipping and mine came with attached measurements which are pretty close to what I measure, so there is an inspection process.

Mine was surprisingly accurate out of the box backlash of 0.0005 in X and no measurable backlash in Y.

I don't run mine for production, so I can't comment.

[ihavenofish]

There isn't really any easy way to increase the X travel, in the cursory look I had, you could probably increase Y travel, but it'd require changing the ballscrew and the axis cover.

absolute max travel on the x is shy of 15" if i recall. getting more than that is possible if you altered the free end bearing mount on the ball screw giving it clearance.

the y can run out to 11" of travel stock with the guards removed, however you only have a little over 9" from spindle to dovetails, and of course without the guards, you have to be careful of debris getting in everything.

[aucran]

thank you for all the information guys.

After a few emails back and forth with Khai, I feel a little more confident now.

The restriction on the X axis is something I can work around, probably make a jig. Its just a hole pattern, so I think I should be fine.

The stated work envelope still works for everything else I'm planning on. So with the sale, I think I'm sold.

Thank you guys, I'll probably be back with more questions and problems .

[steveb946]

thank you for all the information guys.

After a few emails back and forth with Khai, I feel a little more confident now.

The restriction on the X axis is something I can work around, probably make a jig. Its just a hole pattern, so I think I should be fine.

The stated work envelope still works for everything else I'm planning on. So with the sale, I think I'm sold.

Thank you guys, I'll probably be back with more questions and problems .

How is your mill order coming? Keep us up to date here, and there are quite a few great helpers to answer your questions!

Steve

[aucran]

Hi, still waiting on it actually.
Khai said it would be about 4weeks then he said they were running a week behind.
I'll email and get an update.

I did ask for extended wiring on the cabinet so I could mount it to a wall, so if they only had a few left and finished, they may have had to rewire the whole thing for me. Which is fine for now, I'm still cleaning my garage.

I'll update this again when I get it.

[aucran]

Hi all, I got my mill in and set up. So far I've only used Mach to do some drilling and facing but everything looks like its running.

A couple of problems on arrival:

The Right Angle fitting to the coolant pump was broken. John promised me a replacement so all will be fine here.

The Pin that keeps the R8 Collets from rotating in the spindle is oversized. I have some old collets with the slot ranging from 0.150-0.190" and I'm guessing my Pin is 0.163 or so in diameter. John's recommendation was to remove the Spindle and grind the pin down to spec. Not fun, but doable. Is this pin really needed, could I just remove it? I seem to remember a post on the IH forums that they said the only thing taking out this pin will do is make tool changes a little bit faster. Can anyone confirm this?

What type of coolant is recommended? I'd prefer something that doesn't mind sitting for a few days if possible. 90% of my work will be on AL6061, with the rest brass and steel.

What CAM software are you using, if you opted to provide your own PC?

Thank you.

[rpovey]

What CAM software are you using, if you opted to provide your own PC?

I like CAMBAM for most simple parts.

[AiR_GuNNeR]

For CAM software, check out VisualMill. It's really easy to use and has great instructional videos.

The $4000 price seems like a GREAT deal. Do I remember seeing that the closeout price carries NO warranty however?

Are these zero backlash screws on these machines? I have a LMS X2 type CNC mill right now but the .005" backlash is driving me nuts.

[aucran]

I haven't tested mine yet, but I remember reading one of the older threads in this section (while researching) that someone measured >0.001 backlash.

[rpovey]

They claim 0.001, mine measured <0.0005, pretty good for a single nut on a ball screw.

[AiR_GuNNeR]

I'm also trying to get a feel for how sturdy the 145 is. Is anyone familiar with the RF-45 type square column mills? Looking at some of the pictures, the castings *appear* similar size. Does anyone have experience with both the NM-145 and the RF45 class mills?
Thanks
Eric

[ihavenofish]

I'm also trying to get a feel for how sturdy the 145 is. Is anyone familiar with the RF-45 type square column mills? Looking at some of the pictures, the castings *appear* similar size. Does anyone have experience with both the NM-145 and the RF45 class mills?
Thanks
Eric

the nm145 is smaller than the rf45. bigger than an sx3.

[aucran]

Hi guys, I'm stuck and could use some advice.

I'm working on removing the spindle so I can turn down the anti-rotating pin that captures the collet.

I got the spindle assembly out of the mill but its built into the sleeve. On the collet end of the sleeve, it doesn't look like I can make any more progress to opening the sleeve.
On the opposite end, There is a pulley captured by a pin. The pulley cannot be removed except for sliding it down towards the collet it end. Unfortunately, the pulley also is partially blocking access to 4 bolts, which I think are holding the sleeve together right now.
I suspect that I need to remove these 4 bolts, but I haven't been able to do it yet. (There's not a lot of access to them and they are on pretty tight).

Any advice guys?

Thank you.

[aucran]

Got those 4 bolts removed (marked with the red arrow in the previous picture)

Did not help. Now I'm not not sure what to do next >.<

[aucran]

Nevermind guys, the pulley needed to be pried off. I got the spindle apart and the Anti-Spin pin ground down to fit in all my collets.

That was a pain though, I hope I didn't damage any bearings while I was in there, I'm not looking forward to doing it again.

[AiR_GuNNeR]

Thanks for posting the solution. Did you need to use a gear puller to get the pulley off?

[aucran]

That probably would have been handy...
But no, I just stuck a Flat Head Screw Driver and pried the pulley away from the dark grey cover below it. Doing a little on either side at a time. It wasn't as bad as I was thinking it was going to be.

After the pulley comes off, the rest of the dis-assembly is pretty straightforward. Everything else slides up that same direction with some encouragement.