Recent content by mhajicek

IME a good post will modify planes to a useable solution.

You can get it stress relieved (aluminum, plastic, or basically anything), but that adds lead time and cost. I'd had success having acetal stress relieved for critical thin parts.

Tapping and most deburring should be done by the machine.

I only use N numbers at toolchanges. In addition to making the programs considerably smaller, it makes it much easier to edit if needed, and to search in the program. That said, if you use the M98, the line numbers don't need to be changed.

Or, use an M98 at the end of the first to call the second.

I'm going to disagree with you on that one. If you have the skills, and people know you have the skills, the work will come. No salesmanship needed.

Which spindle taper, and how hard do you run? 30 taper studs are under-engineered and prone to failure.

Running a machining business is a competitive endeavor. If you don't already have the skills, you won't be able to compete, unless you get extremely lucky. So first, work on developing the skills. Tech school, entry level machining jobs, or hobby machining while keeping your day job. Trying...

I'll sometimes single block until the tool is in the cut, more often just 25% rapid while hovering over the feed hold and keeping an eye on distance to go. Can't slow down and "prove out" every program when doing prototypes and short runs or I'd never make any money. Once the tool is in the...

If you want to get your feet wet in 5 axis and don't have enough parts lined up to keep a 5 axis busy yet, just get a VF or VM and slap a trunnion on it. You get a platform that's mature and debugged, as opposed to being a beta tester. Plus you have a bunch of 3 axis table space for 3 axis...

I had a TRT160Y on a VF-3SS for six years, and with dynamic roughing Ti with a 1/2" 7 flute at Helical's recommended parameters the trunnion would move a bit over time unless I used eight of those clamps tightened with cheater bars. I also had to put two strips of .010" shim under the edges...

I watched a Tormach struggling to take baby cuts in aluminum. It was screeching like a banshee just taking a .100" x .100" cut with a half inch endmill. Surface finish was crap, and the guy couldn't hold a tolerance. I think he was feeding at about 10 IPM. I'd rather cut parts freehand. If...

Counterweight?

In that example, why not clamp that whole array of parts with uniforce clamps and machine the whole pallet in place, saving toolchanges and part transfer? There's two pallets, so you can reload one while he other is running.