This is in the Mechanicals and CNC section, and more about CNC than arduino...
I'm contemplating a DIY CNC router/mill build, the end goal is to be able to cut 2.5D parts from aluminium, to a precision equal to or slightly better than plastic parts printed in a typical cheap FDM 3d printer.
I've been looking at options for linear rails, various types of sliding mechanism, ballscrews and leadscrews.
They all have notes about the maximum forces they can handle exerted along the direction of travel (irrelevant obviously for the sliding ones, but relevant to lead/ball screws), and at various "vertical" and "horizontal" directions perpendicular to this axis.
But how does one get an estimate of what forces the mechanisms actually endure when running?
Where can one find info on how, and I guess this may vary with depth of cut, feed rate and spindle speed, much force is needed for a spinning milling bit to advance in to an aluminium workpiece?
Thanks
Good question.
There are charts telling about depth of cut, spindle speed, feed rate, for best efficiency. Then the tool and the machine are supposed to manage that.
Usually one will observe the result of the cut and that way find the limits for the machine.
Not being a CNC designer, "one" doesn't.... There's no formula for that.
You bet it does!
What kind of cuts are You aiming at? Precision at low speed or large masses of material removing?
For hobby CNC: you'l always have too few feedrate, 'cause your frame is too weak ore - more often - your steppers can't do it.
Here you can go to get an estimate:
Where might I hope to find suitable vaues to put in that calculator, for typical aluminium alloys? I can work out where I might work out machine parameters from, and how by varying them I'd get a flavour for the performance specs I'd need to meet and the milling bit type I should choose, but I'm not familiar enough with metallurgy to know where to source the other figures.
Thanks
Material handbook, datasheet of producer, website of the company that offers the calculator ...
Don't confuse the method used to move a carriage with the devices that stabilize the carriage. The carriage holds your aluminum block.
The final cut with your milling machine will be a "climbing cut". You can look that up and see why it is absolutely necessary.