Hey guys, total newbie here ...
I'm looking to get my first CNC mill. Right now, I'm planning to get Grizzly's version of the Super X3 and CNC it with CNCFusion's kit.
I'm going to working almost completely in 7075 aluminum. From what I've read, aluminum should be milled at far higher spindle speeds than the Grizzly's top speed of 1750 rpm, which seems to limit it to about 20 ipm.
My budget is limited, but I need to able to produce parts in a reasonable amount of time. Right now, simulations at 20 ipm are coming in at several hours. How can I improve the mill's performance? I have a 5hp motor lying around, can I simply install a bigger motor and change the gearing or will that blow out the bearings? Can I feed at at higher rate by using carbide or adding a flood coolant system?
Is there a better choice for the mill? I really can't swing more than $3500 or so for the mill, motors, and control, so I can't simply go buy some monster mill.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cliff