Sherline Mill XY Ballscrew Retrofit (upgrade) part 1 & 2

Hello PM~
This is a mini mill for hobby use.
But I have been using them for production for small plastic parts.
at first it was ok, but some complicated movements are required soon after.

But the original screw is terrible for CNC.
it is only 1mm pitch with 8mm diameter lol
the but is like 11mm OD.
you can imagine a design like that will develop backlash quickly and not last...

So, I thought of retrofitting the X and Y axis with ballscrews.
the biggest problem is everything is designed so small!
so the screw has to be offset to the side (the ball nut is too big to be placed centrally)
I have some used KURODA 8mm ball screws lying around, so that should do the job for small scale plastic part production.

surprisingly the teflon plastic gibbed anodized aluminum dovetail ways are quite reliable for plastic parts.
I haved owned this machine for 7~8 years and shows no sign of wear!
I have machined numerous parts on this machine, and also some aluminum as well.
there's virtually no wear and tear (aside from my mistakes)
so there is no need to install linear guideways.

hopefully I can complete this project without major problem!

before thread is locked, sherline sells ballscrew-bearing-couplings for the mill and a secondary anti-backlash nut if you want to keep the acme (better quality on these machines). If you are making a lot of parts they make 'industrial' machines not listed. almost everything is the same, but built to run 24/7.

memphisjed said:

before thread is locked, sherline sells ballscrew-bearing-couplings for the mill and a secondary anti-backlash nut if you want to keep the acme (better quality on these machines). If you are making a lot of parts they make 'industrial' machines not listed. almost everything is the same, but built to run 24/7.

Click to expand...

oh, I did hear they upgraded the machines with ballscrew type. that's good to hear.
as for secondary anti-backlash nut, do you mean the two nut configuration? I already have that.
it's a pain having to readjust them often. they wear out fast.

what do you mean by thread being locked? have I done something against the rules?

just checked the forum rule.
sorry for posting sherline related stuff.

yep, rules lumped it in with other mini mills (which it is far above in every respect).

There is only so much to get out of a recycled screen door.

MrStretch said:

There is only so much to get out of a recycled screen door.

Click to expand...

You can get a lot out of them.

It the brand supposed to he talked about here? Absolutely not.

Do 98% of the people here have a use for them? Unlikely.

Are they light weight machines made for small work? Yes

Are they junk?
Nope, lots and lots of people make very complicated precise parts with them.

Made here in the USA, what other manufacturer makes an entire line of tools? Everything from angle plates to rotary tables and lathe chucks, collets, fly cutters... the works..... all designed to be compatible with each other.

They are a very good way for a hobby guy to get small but quality tools and learn a lot about feeds and speeds, setups, working with limited power. Grinding their own tools etc.

Again.. not appropriate to discuss here, but not to be condescending snubbed as cereal box toys.





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