[kNucklBustr]

Still new at this. Done some slotting and holes in aluminum plate. Some drilling using the rotary.

Had a problem today, where the piece got so hot it expanded between the rotary's 6jaw chuck and the dead center tailstock.
After about the 5th linear slot, the rotary skipped steps, I guess the strain against the rotary was too much. End of job, in the trash.

Do these X feeds and Z DOC look correct ? Mill is turning at 1700rpm.
It seemed to cut well w/ nice chips. Hand spraying WD40. There is no coolant spray on this machine.

Heres my handwritten gcode using Mach3. Spindle is manually turned on. 6061T6 aluminum round.

% 1st Side 3/8 mill 2F DOC.570 2.00Dia 7slot
G90 G20
G0 Z0.100
G91 A-51.434 (Rotary)
G90 X0 Y-0.368
M0 (Spindle on)
Z-0.200 F2
G01 X-12.13 F10
G91 G01 Z-0.130 F2
X12.13 F10
Z-0.130 F2
X-12.13 F10
Z-0.110 F2
X12.13 F10
G90 G01 Z0.100 X0
M30
&

[Fastest1]

Am I reading that right? Are you doing cuts at -.110"-.130" at a feedrate of 10ipm? If so it seems reasonable. Especially for slotting.

[kNucklBustr]

The calculators call for 10.2
But I had a heck of time finding what the DOC should be for a 3/8 2F.
1/2 the diameter of the bit. But seemed alittle heavy.
(the first cut at Line #6, .200" DOC, is actually off the side of the round, more like a .150 DOC.)

About 30mins, the part sure does get hot. Find a way to cool this down.

[rs4race]

Air works great to keep things cool.

[kNucklBustr]

Air works great to keep things cool.

My compressor is a wee 12gal 110v. Constantly running will trip the breaker along w/ the mill.
Maybe a CO2 tank ?

[rs4race]

My little compressor runs quite a bit too. I had recently thought about trying a low pressure air pump. The type used to pump rafts and inflatables. I think you would get the airflow needed with a lot less noise and power consumption.

[kNucklBustr]

My little compressor runs quite a bit too. I had recently thought about trying a low pressure air pump. The type used to pump rafts and inflatables. I think you would get the airflow needed with a lot less noise and power consumption.

You have a cold air cooler tube ?

[DonKes]

You probably have a good low pressures air source -- the output of a vacuum cleaner !!!

Don

[rs4race]

That doesnt sound like a bad idea. Use one side to suck up your chips and the other to blow air as coolant.

[Fastest1]

That doesnt sound like a bad idea. Use one side to suck up your chips and the other to blow air as coolant.

I did this at 1 time on my little Dyna DM2400 (I am referring to using both the blow and suck of a vacuum cleaner). It worked ok. I used a panty hose stretched over the spindle and table enveloping the work area. That was cheap and eliminated any rogue chips.

Another source of low pressure air is an old compressor from a refrigerator. They are usually readily available whenever you see a fridge being thrown away. They are almost dead silent. Not a lot of volume. I did rig one onto an old compressor tank. Takes a little time to fill but it does it silently and cost me little to nothing.

Dont forget a simple hand pumped fertilizer sprayer. It is plastic, you pump it by hand, the nozzle is adjustable and would be easy to mount it that was the plan. If set to mist or fog it would last a considerable amount of time before needing to be pumped up again. If you are like me, standing and hovering over your machine while running a long code is boring. Pumping it up might break the monotony.

[DonKes]

Dont forget a simple hand pumped fertilizer sprayer. It is plastic, you pump it by hand, the nozzle is adjustable and would be easy to mount it that was the plan. If set to mist or fog it would last a considerable amount of time before needing to be pumped up again. If you are like me, standing and hovering over your machine while running a long code is boring. Pumping it up might break the monotony.

A similiar item is a foot pump for a blow up boat. Hands Free !!!

Don