[port_huon]

I got these collets for my 6040. A bit cheaper.

[Michel30]

I bought one of those collet sets my self, I didn't receive them yet though.

There seem to be two version of collet nuts around: an ER11 and an ER11A, where the ER11 collets don't fit with the ER11A nut as delivered with the 6040's.

Is this right, does anybody know?

[RussellK]

I bought one of those collet sets my self, I didn't receive them yet though.

There seem to be two version of collet nuts around: an ER11 and an ER11A, where the ER11 collets don't fit with the ER11A nut as delivered with the 6040's.

Is this right, does anybody know?

That's one of the things I was trying to clarify before ordering, and the off-putting 2 week wait for delivery.

That said, I just tried a 0.4mm pass at 900mm/min at 18,000 RPM and it just melted the metal, welding some into the flutes. I tried cleaning it out as best I could, but a second attempt back at 12,000RPM saw the cutter snap, which is a bit boring as it was the only decent 3.125mm shank cutter supplied - the kit included a couple of 6mm end mills, but the second collet they supplied was also 3.125 (I assume it was meant to be a 6mm collet).

[MarcusWolschon]

but the second collet they supplied was also 3.125 (I assume it was meant to be a 6mm collet).

Yes, I got mine with a 3.125 and a 6mm collet and some simple cutters and engraving bits for both.
The 3.125 is quite nice as it fits my existing Dremel cutters.

[aarggh]

In the end I bought a set of ER11 collets, and several new nuts, problem solved. The collet supplied was crap and annoying to use. The sets new cost hardly anything anyway and I could have the collet sitting in the one of the spare nuts handy when I needed to change cutters.

cheers, Ian

[Michel30]

and several new nuts

So they were ER11 nuts I presume? Do you have a link for us?

And does the spanner included with the 6040's fit those ER11 nuts?

So many details, so many questions :-)

Edit: I am confusing myself..
1. supplied collets + nut = ER11A
2. required collets + nut (+spanner) = ER11

[Christopher583]

what cut depth you doing?

[aarggh]

They were plain ER11 nuts, I bought them that long ago I don't have a clue who from sorry, but they are as common as hens teeth, maybe check out ctc or discountmachine I think it is on Ebay? As I mentioned, their so damn cheap it's not worth worrying about. It is very handy though when using different cutetrs/drills to have extra nuts so the assembly is ready to just swap over. So far as spanner, standard 17 or 19mm from memory, nothing special, as ER11 is pretty small.

cheers, Ian

[RussellK]

I'm currently looking at getting these collets and these nuts , except the latter appear to be marked ER11-A, so maybe not "plain ER11" nuts?

So confused

[Michel30]

I noticed the same confusion on ebay about those nuts: advertised as ER11 and marked ER11A in their pictures :-)

Well as pointed out, if the wrong ones are delivered they won't be wasted I guess.

[RussellK]

Except after x many weeks of waiting, if the damn things won't fit with each other it could be mighty frustrating.

That said, it seems unlikely a vendor would sell collets and nuts that don't fit each other - that being my understanding of the ER11 vs ER11-A issue, I assume the collets and nuts of either type will actually fit the spindle...

[aarggh]

Except after x many weeks of waiting, if the damn things won't fit with each other it could be mighty frustrating.

That said, it seems unlikely a vendor would sell collets and nuts that don't fit each other - that being my understanding of the ER11 vs ER11-A issue, I assume the collets and nuts of either type will actually fit the spindle...

I bought my collets from that seller from memory, I'll check in the morning the nut and the collets I got. The collets are definately right from what I can see in the pic, the crappy ones that came with my machine had a much shallower retaining groove, and just don't seat well.

cheers, Ian

[aarggh]

Wouldn't you know it, there's no stamp on my collet, and I can't find the spare ones. The one I'm using does look identical to the ones he lists as ER11 but the heading says ER11-A, best if your ordering, ask him to ensure the nuts match the collet. I did also find two different lots of ER11 collets in the shed, one a little longer than the other, so i'm not sure what the go is there, but they do happily fit into the same collet fine.

cheers, Ian

[Janice584]

I got these collets for my 6040. A bit cheaper.

[pipedreams]

Does anybody know the diameter of the ballscrew ends on the 6040 CNC router?

I purchased just the mainbody 6040 router from carving-cnc. I need to purchase the correct shaft couplers to attach my Nema23 (1/4" shaft) stepper motors to the X, Y, and Z ballscrews.

I know for sure the diameter of the ballscrews is greater than 1/4" (6.35mm). I think they are slightly over 7mm but I dont really know.

Also, does anyone have a recommendation for a particular set of shaft couplings for my setup?
Thanks everybody and I will try to post a full review once I get it all up and running.

[Nickolas587]

I bought one of those collet sets my self, I didn't receive them yet though.

[tbuckler]

I'm definitely a beginner when it comes to CNC. I'd like to be able to do basic shapes, holes, and chamfers on aluminum no more than 1/2" thick and 3" x 2". I can't imagine ever needing more than a 3 axis. Would the 3020 model be able to accomplish that on aluminum? The spindle motor appears to be 230w vs 1500w on the 6040. Unfortunately space is a deciding factor in my "shop" and I think the 6040 would be just too big.

[RussellK]

Does anybody know the diameter of the ballscrew ends on the 6040 CNC router?

8mm

[aarggh]

I'm sure someone will chime in the small one is fine for aluminium, but in my opinion it's just too small. If you want to do serious aluminium machining, not just light engraving, you really need a bigger spindle. I certainly wouldn't go below the 0.8kw spindle a lot of the 6040's come with, 1.5kw is even better and do nicely. Anything less and it will struggle, sputter, and die. A 230w motor just doesn't cut it for anything but light work with wood/plastic materials really.

I'd highly recommend getting a 6040 over a 3020 unless your planning on mainly PCB work. You will definately appreciate the extra capacity and also quite importantly, the extra mass, for the very slight cost increase. I can guarantee you'll outgrow a 3020 fairly fast. Just bear in mind unless you love electronics, you'll need to factor in the cost of a G540 controller, but even with that, they are still cheaper and far better machines than any comparable ones in that class available.

cheers, Ian

[pipedreams]

Thank you very much. I just ordered some 6.35mm by 8mm couplers. I will update when I attach them.