What Mill (CNC or otherwise) would you buy for no more than $10k?

[KevinZ7]

The mill would be solely for prototyping designs, and we would get value out of CNC capability as it would allow us to prototype complex shapes. That is of course unless the premium that you pay for CNC makes it not worth it.

Primarily would be machining plastics, however the ability to drill stainless would be a benefit.

Also, are any of the mills around the $1k mark, ie:

http://www.micromark.com/microlux-high-precision-heavy-duty-r8-miniature-milling-machine,9616.html

Worth looking at?

Thanks
-Young ME with limited milling experience

 

[berkshire]

The next question will be; How big a part are you intending to make?
B.E.

The good engineer does not need to memorize every formula; he just needs to know where he can find them when he needs them. Old professor

 

[KevinZ7]

We've never had to make a part bigger than 3"x3"x1" before, however to be "future proof" something along the lines of 6"^3 should be adequate.

 

[KENAT]

Does it need to be a mill or would a router perhaps work for you? Might mean you need a separate pillar drill for you SST holes but could work out for you.

Does the tool need to be brand new? I have colleagues that seem to collect machine tools off Craig's List!

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[mfgenggear]

I would suggest a miniature CNC controlled mill.


Mfgenggear
if it can be built it can be calculated.
if it can be calculated it can be built.

 

[PrecisionT]

I would just say you are going to get what you pay for. Not sure what kind of tolerance you would need to hold on your parts but anything in the 10k and under range is not going to be tight.

Travis,

 

[MikeHalloran]

Desktop tools sure are cute, and they're good enough for government work in brass, plastic, or aluminum. But NOT for stainless steel.

Make friends with a used machinery dealer.
Maybe you can work something out.




Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[mcgyvr]

Pick up one of the mini mills that has an option for stepper/servo jogging and Mach 3 and have fun..

 

[SnTMan]

If I were buying used I'd buy the one that came with the most tooling.

Regards,

Mike

 

[kjoiner]

Kevin,

Here are some from Little Machine Shop.

http://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_category.php?category=1241045623

Tormach also makes small CNC machines.

I've got a Micromark mill very similar to the one you mention in your post. Mine does not have the brushless motor but I switched it over to belt drive. There are CNC conversions for these mini mills and a pretty good following in various forums. All of the machines of this type are made by the same Chinese company and are sold by Micromark, Grizzly, Harbor Freight etc. Go on Youtube and look for 'mini mill CNC conversion" and you will find videos of these machines.


Kyle

 

[mfgenggear]

http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/schoolofengineering/research/cnclab.aspx

Mfgenggear
if it can be built it can be calculated.
if it can be calculated it can be built.