[Vicanic]

I am about to start working with a Taig mill and I just had a couple questions first. My friend purchased this package on a recommendation from another friend of his who owns one, and is doing the same type of work that he and I intend to do

TAIG CNC Mill W/ Dolphin + Mach 3 + PC - Taig Mills - Taig Machine Tools - Miniature machine tools and unique hobby items

Now I've been doing a bit of reading, and I'm pretty sure I've figured out just about enough to break something ;D, but I've seen that most people when they talk about their rigs, always mention their motor controller. It's most commonly the Gecko G540. Does this package come with some sort of stock motor controller, and these people are just mentioning their upgrade? Or is a motor controller something we need to purchase? Anything else that I need to make this thing ACTUALLY cnc ready?

Also, we intend to be milling 4in x 4in x 1/3in blocks of 7075 Aluminum for injection molding small plastic parts. Do I need to purchase/devise some sort of coolant pump, or can I take some sort of other measures?

About tooling, I've been looking at all kinds, and for the types of parts we're going to be milling, I think I'm going to need a small 'V' cutter, a 1/16 endmill, and a couple different sizes of micro endmills, as well as a large facemill, relatively large to what we'll be doing, for squaring up oversize stock. Any other suggestions for tooling, the parts are pretty intricate, but there will be no undercuts or anything like that, also, does anyone have any recommendations where I can get those types of cutters for cheap, so I dont have to worry about breaking them? They can be chinese imports, I'll buy some good american made ones when I figure out what I'm doing ;D.

Are there any other considerations I'm missing? FYI Intend to use Solidworks, SolidCAM, and MACH3. Is this going to cause any problems as far as compatibility?

A pre-emptive thank you for your time,



TJ

[Vermiculite]

Somebody with more experience may chime in but you need to contact them to see the details of what is actually included. Can't see any mention of motors or controller in the description. There isn't really any stock motor controller. Most people seem to sell/use the Geckodrive or Xylotex controllers but there are others out there (some good, some not so good). Maybe check out other Taig dealers such as Soigeneris. Apart from the different models, the Taig machine doesn't change from dealer to dealer as they usually ship it directly from Taig to you. The only difference will be the stuff you add to it (motors, controller, PC ect...).

As for coolant you can spray/mist or flood but now you might need to consider an enclosure. There are systems you can buy or make (I use a pond pump for flood). I am not in USA so can't really help with tooling but instead of a face mill you might consider the Taig fly cutter.

Regards

Verm

[awetmore]

You should get the Taig 2019, not the 2026 that is included in that kit. The 2019 has quite a bit of extra X travel which you'll probably find very useful.

Since that kit doesn't tell you which drivers are used it is hard to recommend it.

[Vicanic]

Oh wow, now I'm not sure if this package even comes with motors

well would some 200 oz-in stepper motors work for my application?

btw, the package has already been purchased, shipped, and received. I'm just waiting on my buddy to drive it up to me from New Orleans.

[Jeff-Birt]

Any dealer should be able to help you understand what parts you need to get going. My first suggestions is to call them and ask your questions and find out if there are any other items you may need. I would also suggest asking what type of technical support they include.

[cameraguy]

Also, we intend to be milling 4in x 4in x 1/3in blocks of 7075 Aluminum for injection molding small plastic parts. Do I need to purchase/devise some sort of coolant pump, or can I take some sort of other measures?

About tooling, I've been looking at all kinds, and for the types of parts we're going to be milling, I think I'm going to need a small 'V' cutter, a 1/16 endmill, and a couple different sizes of micro endmills

I have a Taig for very much this setup, and yes you will need coolant. Running these small tools you will very much depend on the faster speeds the Taig offers. The only mod I would suggest eventually is one we did - a micro VFD and a small Chinese water cooled spindle to take top speed to 24000 RPM. These are available relatively cheaply, and a tiny 1HP VFD that runs off standard wall current is all that is required depending on the spindle you get. You can get bigger, but it usually isn't required and the VFD and power requirements get hefty. The little ones can even be cooled by a PC water cooling rig, available far more cheaply than an industrial heat exchanger. They even use ER11 or ER16 so they use the same collets and tooling as the Taig spindle.
The Taig spindle will likely work fine for a while, but fine detail work in metal with sub 1/16" tools can always benefit from a bit of a speed boost.

Also, look on ebay and places for Chinese carbide tooling. I used to buy my profile bits from an American company for $12 a pop, until I found out that they were just importing them anyway. Now I buy the same Chinese ones direct for $12 a five pack.

[awerby]

most people when they talk about their rigs, always mention their motor controller. It's most commonly the Gecko G540. Does this package come with some sort of stock motor controller, and these people are just mentioning their upgrade? Or is a motor controller something we need to purchase?

[Taig makes their own controller boxes to sell with their CNC-equipped mills. One is an open-loop half-stepping controller that runs in step/sirection mode, the other is the DSLS system that uses encoders on the motors to stop motion if there's a fault. The Gecko G540 is a third-party board which some vendors put in a box.]

Anything else that I need to make this thing ACTUALLY cnc ready?

["CNC-ready" means that it's prepared (with motor mounts, etc) to accept a set of 23-frame motors and controller that you supply. It doesn't mean it's ready to run under CNC control.]

Also, we intend to be milling 4in x 4in x 1/3in blocks of 7075 Aluminum for injection molding small plastic parts. Do I need to purchase/devise some sort of coolant pump, or can I take some sort of other measures?

[It would help, although some users do the lubrication and chip-sweeping by hand, so it's not absolutely necessary.]

About tooling, I've been looking at all kinds, and for the types of parts we're going to be milling, I think I'm going to need a small 'V' cutter, a 1/16 endmill, and a couple different sizes of micro endmills, as well as a large facemill, relatively large to what we'll be doing, for squaring up oversize stock.

[There's a limit to the size of face-mill the Taig can handle effectively. I wouldn't go over 1/2" diameter at the face. You can get a fly-cutter from Taig to help with squaring-up; since it only has one point, it can sweep a wider area with less resistance.]

Any other suggestions for tooling, the parts are pretty intricate, but there will be no undercuts or anything like that, also, does anyone have any recommendations where I can get those types of cutters for cheap, so I dont have to worry about breaking them? They can be chinese imports, I'll buy some good american made ones when I figure out what I'm doing ;D.

[You might try getting HSS or cobalt steel tools to start with. They're less expensive than carbide and less brittle; if you're breaking them before they're wearing out, then you'll save money this way.]

Are there any other considerations I'm missing? FYI Intend to use Solidworks, SolidCAM, and MACH3. Is this going to cause any problems as far as compatibility?

[That should all work fine. Pay attention to what you're using to hold the workpiece firmly in place during milling. There's an old machinist's saying - "if you can't hold onto it, you can't machine it."]

A pre-emptive thank you for your time,

Good luck -

Andrew Werby
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