Some useful excerpt to help who is starting milling.
eheh :))


From Maxnc Yahoo Group:

--- Tom Paul Grissom wrote:
> Sorry to be bearer of bad news but, there is no instruction manual. I
> believe the theory is learning by screwing up. I have had my machine for
> around 11/2 years and am only now able to do any real work. This group is
> the best spot to ask questions but you have to be rather specific, which is
> hard when you don't know a lot about the machine. I have the Maxnc10-2 cl.
> In order to actually use It I have had to replace the motor, bought
> replacement at graingers, and wire it to it's own power cord. When power
> was run through the mill servo errors occurred every 5 minutes or so, a bit
> longer run time with brand new motor but not even new brushes helped once
> motor broken in. On separate cord it runs for many, many hours (some of my
> programs are rather complex and take 20+ hours to cut.) without servo error.
> I have been told that rather than having to power the motor independently
> you can directly ground the mill. No I don't mean the ground on the wire, I
> mean drive an Iron rod 6' into the ground near the machine and run a ground
> wire to the mill. I feel it is easier to simply run motor off own cord.
> The setscrews have a tendency to loosen at the wrong moment. I have had the
> z axis drop off the motor in the middle of a program. I found a little lock
> tight in the setscrew hole helps, but makes it harder to take apart. Oh,
> and yes the highly annoying and unpleasant whine the control box makes is
> normal. Variation in speed of movement is normal, In my experience,
> especially in the Z axis going up (gravity thang!).
> Now on to actually getting code; Since I use the 4th axis rotary I found
> only Deskproto usable to create G-code for my complex pieces. If you are
> cutting in only 3 axis and it is fairly simple, any cad should be able to
> produce polylines for the max program to create the code. Or you could code
> by hand. It is fairly simple if you understand Cartesian coord.s and keep
> the Gcode sheet near. If what you are cutting is more complex I would check
> out Deskproto, STLworks, and Vectorcad, I am told BOBcad's new versions is
> really good but have not used it. Regardless of how you get the code make
> sure you take the bit's radius into account.
> The Machine itself is relatively simple. The most vital thing is
> centering the machine. You MUST know where 0,0,0 is in your drawing/code
> and on the mill. You must make certain that the area to be milled is free
> of collision with mounts and is within the usable area of your table. It is
> also key to set the Z properly. If you cut too deep your bit will wobble,
> bend, or break. The material you cut and the type of bit will determine how
> deep you can cut in a single pass. ( I only cut in wax and wood so I always
> run at 60ipm, (no I have not tached it, I have no idea how fast it actually
> is moving. But it is faster than if I set it at 10.) I set the
> descend/drill to 20%, and the high material removal to 50%. I am using,
> primarily, a high speed jewelry ball bur and always run motor at full.)
> Sometimes it is better to clear with a larger bit and then follow with a new
> path for a smaller bit. If doing 3d surfaces, like sculpture, ball or round
> bits rule. I have made a slotted measuring thing to make sure when I change
> bits I get them the same length each time. This means I don't have to reset
> the z and can change bits during a program. I exclusively use DNC (option
> 7) to cut as this allows the program to be stopped and restarted where it
> left off.
> When actually using the mill you will find you must take the machine
> apart. Make careful note of where everything went and be certain you can
> put it back together. Then clean and "grease" the ways as you put the mill
> back together.
> If I think of anything else I will Post it. But regardless, Please ask
> specific questions and the folks on this board will answer as best they can.
> Don't worry if it seems simple or stupid just ask. Better to look foolish
> than break something.
>
> Hope I wasn't to vague and helped.
>
> Tom Paul Grissom