[brutus_sp]

Hello everyone, i'm planning to build a milling machine for working on aluminum. I'm trying to decide which type of frame construction is the best, to ensure high precision. I see a lot of machines are built using t slot extrusions, i wonder how stiff they are.

The other option i've thinking about is to make the frame of aluminum plates, bolting them to one another using corner braces. Would that be sturdier than an extrusion frame?

thanks

[A_Camera]

All depends on the dimensions of extrusions and plates and the size of the machine, as well as what you mean by "precision" and which milling speed you expect. You must also consider the tool sizes as well as the type of work, cooling/no cooling and so on. For my needs the extrusions I am using is good enough, but that's not necessarily the same as good enough for you. Extrusions can be as stiff, or even stiffer than plates, but of course, that's impossible to say without knowing any details about the planned dimensions. There are also different extrusion and aluminum quality, so it isn't very easy to answer your questions without knowing more detail.

[brutus_sp]

A_Camera, the plates i've been considering are 10mm thick, i would use one to form the base, and 4 others bolted together to form the column, since i can't get aAl pipe with a wall thickness of 10mm.

As far as milling speed goes, i don't need the machine to be fast. I would happily trade speed for accuracy.

[brutus_sp]

Also, regarding the dimensions, i was thinking something like X=30cm, Y=20cm, Z= 25cm