Thanks for the upload! What software do you use to design your stuff? Fusion360? If so, any guides showing how you setup the machine profile? Understanding it may be a chore to do a video on it, it's a rare topic and no videos are specific to the bulkman ultimate bed unit. Cheers and keep up the great work!
I mostly use Fusion 360 and Vectric Aspire. Aside from the dimensions, the kinematics of each machine will vary greatly based on motor and controller and driver selections. I like the idea, it will have to be more of a general guide, I think.
Hi, thanks for watching and thanks for your question. I am pretty happy with the machine for the price. At 1000 mm on the gantry, I think I'm at the limit for rigidity. I wouldn't touch the 1.5 meter. The 500x750 would probably be a pretty good choice for aluminum. Here is a link to my review of the machine mechanics for a more detailed answer: ua-cam.com/video/30FFjWYf0hA/v-deo.html
i was just pricing one of these out with servo motors and water cooled spindle on a 500 x 500 bed- a few things holding me back- the $500 shipping from HK, my ability to assemble it and i'm not sure it'll work with the vectric vcarve desktop software with ready2control pp I already have. i currently rund a nextwave shark 120 but it's not robust enough to cut aluminum & brass plate. what are your thoughts?
My thinking is that servo motors will be very fast for the size of the machine. You have to decide if that speed is worth the cost. I use vectric for design as well as fusion 360. The compatibility will be determined by which control system you decide upon. There are a lot of variables as to which control system you choose. I personally prefer to output a file and run on my mach 4, but this is just preference. As for the shipping, it's not cheap, but these machines are heavy and coming from the other side of the planet. They arrived pretty quickly and in very good condition. It's a trade off for sure but a year later I still feel it was worth it.
@@CNCMakerNW thank you for responding. i guess I just assumed servo's were the "best" option if they were available. i'll be cutting metal 50% of the time and hard wood the other 50% - i figured I could throttle down the servos? I don't have much experience setting these up (i'm actually a medical device technician by trade lol) - I've been using my nextwave shark for a year full-time, just now learning the difference between the nema 17, 23 & 24 steppers. if you think the servos would be overkill- i'd consider the n23 steppers. I've been reading up on cnc routers now for weeks- i've narrowed it down to the fox alien vasto or this QB pro. i love the gantry height on the QB pro, ball screws and all-metal gantry. I've budgeted $2500 for a decent quality cnc router. ugh, still undecided...
@@northamericancannonllc i understand, it's a big decision that lasts a long time. There are a lot of variables and they all have different impacts. I love my QBpro and find that I walk over to it as often as I use my Avid CNC that cost $14000, but I built my own controller system with higher voltage (48v) stepper drivers and only bought the mechanical kit from them. There are many ways to approach a diy build.
If your spoil boards are MDF ( AKA Medite ), and you get it wet, it is going to swell up. I spray mine with several coats of clear spray from your local hardware store. I route a lot of aluminum and use a single flute cutter. It's too easy to clog a 2 flute cutter and then all hell breaks loose - snapped cutters, crappy finish,...
Thanks for your comment! A 2-flute cutter running at 1/2 the feed rate (or twice the RPM) is exactly the same as a single flute cutter at a given rate, but performs better in slotting operations in my experience. Maybe try slowing your feed rate with the two flute mill. I use air to clear my chips, either with the m7 or manually. I am glad o-flutes work out for you. I only route aluminum when a customer orders it and then only to make prototype parts. Oils don't swell MDF. I can't see any reason to get any water based anything near my spoilboard. If that is your thing, I'm glad it works out for you, but then, don't you have to spray it every time you surface your spoilboard?
I'm looking at picking up an Ultimate Bee unit. I can't find much information about them online as far as reviews. You and one other UA-cam guy is about all I can find. I'm wondering overall what are your thoughts? Does it seem like a good machine for the money? I'm just getting into this part of my woodworking hobby and don't want to buy something I'll regret later.
Thanks for watching! For the price point, and for the rails, ballscrew linear, and reinforcement behind the x-axis I think the MECHANICAL portion sold by them is great, fantastic even. But, I would avoid the all-in-one black box controllers from them or anyone at all costs. If you buy one, it will be your bottleneck. One of the mental hurdles for me was that one needs to budget as much for the controller as the mechanical side. Then the spindle in to of that. I'm sure there are other opinions about that out there. I do have a video with my first impressions of the machine, ua-cam.com/video/30FFjWYf0hA/v-deo.html I will be doing a longer review in the coming months.
@@CNCMakerNW I see. Not having the knowledge of everything, If I purchased just the mechancals from Bulk-man, where should I get the rest of the electrics? Is there a beginner user friendly setup that easy setup for newbies? I was hoping for an all in one solution where I just push go and it just works well out of the box. Maybe that's not possible unless I spend a lot more for a CNC?
@@mtnjak the best (and most expensive) is the plug and play system from AvidCNC. I use one on my larger CNC machine. They also offer a kit that you can DIY for some savings. The controller I put together for this machine is pretty much a clone of theirs, so you could follow their DIY guide as an option. There are also some kits that use Standalone controllers that are OK, I just don't have experience with them. The one I have heard good things about is the Masso CNC controller. Let me clarify a bit: the black box wouldn't rapid over 1600mm/min. The controller I built is set to 8000mm/min for rapids, and it can do more. If you want to build a machine and click go, the black boxes will work, they will get the job done. They're just not fast enough for production speed cutting.
@@CNCMakerNW oh, I see. Well, what I'm wanting to do is to create some low production stuff. I'm looking at wood items (not metal). Some inlays, small boxes, etc. Maybe batch out 3 to 6 at a time. Nothing too major to get started with my one man operation. Sounds like the stock Ultimate Bee kit would work for that purpose? I care less about speed for high quantities and more about accurate results in smaller quantities.
Thanks for your question! I like Lubrimatic Plews & Edelman 11312 All purpose grease. Some folks like white lithium grease but I think it's too viscous and a bit too sticky.
Can I? How fast? How much deflection do I get for every 1000mm/min? Do you think it's possible I did some experimentation to determine what my mill could do before I made videos about it? I'll tell you what, you tell me the depth of cut and cut speed you want to see. I'll make a video of it and show you why you're wrong. Sound good?
@CNCMakerNW you seem offended by it, which I respect that. The main bottle neck in achieving more efficient material removal without breaking the endmill in the setup would be the workholding method you are currently using, not the machine's rigidity. Although it's not very clear in the video, the chips are way too small, indicating a less than ideal material removal rate, and there is a few reasons for that; 1. 2 flute endmill need slower spindle speed and higher surface speed, if increasing either wasn't an option, I would suggest staying away from 2 flue endmill, stay with o-flute endmill 2.The plunge wasn't deep enough and there isn't enough cutter engagement, in the video, you are only using the very tip of the endmill, which would make smaller chips. 3. Milling strategy, if you use adaptive toolpath (ideal on desktop CNC router), the deflection would be minimised in comparison to the current conversational milling. It is also more forgiving on workholding. Your setup was better then mine, there's no reason it can't achieve a faster MMR than mine. Cheers
@@99897767 Thanks. You're about 50% correct on what you said here. I'm milling highly detailed parts in 2d profile in 1.5 mm 6061 Aluminum. The DOC is 0.5mm. I'm cutting 16000rpm @800mm/min. I didn't ask for the theory, I asked you to state how fast you think I should have milled these parts. I know the theory. I'm guessing you've watched a lot of sped up footage on you tube because this is pretty fast for the desired finish and accuracy. Maybe post a video of your machine doing something and I'll see what you mean. I'm the mean time you just posted a rude comment and then lectured me without context. Cheers
@@CNCMakerNW I don't know why you think it came across as rude, if anything I am boasting your machine's capabilities For the part you are making, if you start with a spiral down using adaptive tool path, you can cut the full 1.5mm with no problem. So for the toolpath it could just do a quick 2D around the entire part, 2D adaptive for a finishing pass(better surface finish and details) Your current workholding method won't allow a good surface finish due to the deflection/vibration on the MDF and the clamps bolting it down. A better way of doing this would be to use CA glue painters tape workholding on a piece of MDF, then bolt that piece of MDF onto your T-slots. Leave tabs in op1(2D conture) and op2(2D adaptive) and if needed, add a op3 to clear the tabs. This should allow as much rigidity in the workholding as the material is very thin. To remove it, you can gently heat up the metal and the glue should release itself. I wasn't mentioning speed and feeds in the original comment because "going faster" doesn't mean cranking the feed up, but to have a better toolpath so it could have a faster material removal rate. If you would like a demo video on how I would do a similar part I could do that and share the fusion file.
@@99897767 I think you're illustrating my point perfectly. There's more than one consideration happening here besides how fast you think I should be Machining. This was a short run of 4 parts. The part was mounted with tape and glue in a pocket in the mdf and is very stable. The clamps are only holding the mdf pocket board down. You can't see the whole picture from a video, so your advice is mostly misplaced. You literally said my work holding is wrong, then described the work holding in the video. If you don't know why that's rude, I can't help you. I chose the tool path, speed and method, including a ramp instead of a spiral to avoid the spiral down instead of pushing MRR for a test run. Thanks for the comments on my video, but you're just not even wrong.
Thanks for the upload! What software do you use to design your stuff? Fusion360? If so, any guides showing how you setup the machine profile? Understanding it may be a chore to do a video on it, it's a rare topic and no videos are specific to the bulkman ultimate bed unit. Cheers and keep up the great work!
I mostly use Fusion 360 and Vectric Aspire. Aside from the dimensions, the kinematics of each machine will vary greatly based on motor and controller and driver selections. I like the idea, it will have to be more of a general guide, I think.
The finished cutting is? Need to show the finished product from several angles to show true capabilities.
Dale
I hear you. When the doctors put me back together I'll make some better demos for y'all.
How do you like this machine? I am thinking on buying the 500×750. Does it mill aluminum pretty easy and do you think it is rigid enough
Hi, thanks for watching and thanks for your question. I am pretty happy with the machine for the price. At 1000 mm on the gantry, I think I'm at the limit for rigidity. I wouldn't touch the 1.5 meter. The 500x750 would probably be a pretty good choice for aluminum. Here is a link to my review of the machine mechanics for a more detailed answer: ua-cam.com/video/30FFjWYf0hA/v-deo.html
i was just pricing one of these out with servo motors and water cooled spindle on a 500 x 500 bed- a few things holding me back- the $500 shipping from HK, my ability to assemble it and i'm not sure it'll work with the vectric vcarve desktop software with ready2control pp I already have. i currently rund a nextwave shark 120 but it's not robust enough to cut aluminum & brass plate. what are your thoughts?
My thinking is that servo motors will be very fast for the size of the machine. You have to decide if that speed is worth the cost.
I use vectric for design as well as fusion 360. The compatibility will be determined by which control system you decide upon. There are a lot of variables as to which control system you choose.
I personally prefer to output a file and run on my mach 4, but this is just preference.
As for the shipping, it's not cheap, but these machines are heavy and coming from the other side of the planet. They arrived pretty quickly and in very good condition. It's a trade off for sure but a year later I still feel it was worth it.
@@CNCMakerNW thank you for responding. i guess I just assumed servo's were the "best" option if they were available. i'll be cutting metal 50% of the time and hard wood the other 50% - i figured I could throttle down the servos? I don't have much experience setting these up (i'm actually a medical device technician by trade lol) - I've been using my nextwave shark for a year full-time, just now learning the difference between the nema 17, 23 & 24 steppers. if you think the servos would be overkill- i'd consider the n23 steppers. I've been reading up on cnc routers now for weeks- i've narrowed it down to the fox alien vasto or this QB pro. i love the gantry height on the QB pro, ball screws and all-metal gantry. I've budgeted $2500 for a decent quality cnc router. ugh, still undecided...
@@northamericancannonllc i understand, it's a big decision that lasts a long time. There are a lot of variables and they all have different impacts. I love my QBpro and find that I walk over to it as often as I use my Avid CNC that cost $14000, but I built my own controller system with higher voltage (48v) stepper drivers and only bought the mechanical kit from them. There are many ways to approach a diy build.
If your spoil boards are MDF ( AKA Medite ), and you get it wet, it is going to swell up. I spray mine with several coats of clear spray from your local hardware store.
I route a lot of aluminum and use a single flute cutter. It's too easy to clog a 2 flute cutter and then all hell breaks loose - snapped cutters, crappy finish,...
Thanks for your comment!
A 2-flute cutter running at 1/2 the feed rate (or twice the RPM) is exactly the same as a single flute cutter at a given rate, but performs better in slotting operations in my experience.
Maybe try slowing your feed rate with the two flute mill. I use air to clear my chips, either with the m7 or manually. I am glad o-flutes work out for you. I only route aluminum when a customer orders it and then only to make prototype parts.
Oils don't swell MDF. I can't see any reason to get any water based anything near my spoilboard. If that is your thing, I'm glad it works out for you, but then, don't you have to spray it every time you surface your spoilboard?
Hi, where did you get the touch probe from. I've ordered an ultimate bee
Hi there, I can't find the exact link, but this is close. a.co/d/0aAUNAZ
Do you think a 500x750 Ultimate with 2.2Kw spindle could do 7075 alum comfortably?
As long as your feeds and speeds are managed correctly absolutely
I'm looking at picking up an Ultimate Bee unit. I can't find much information about them online as far as reviews. You and one other UA-cam guy is about all I can find. I'm wondering overall what are your thoughts? Does it seem like a good machine for the money? I'm just getting into this part of my woodworking hobby and don't want to buy something I'll regret later.
Thanks for watching! For the price point, and for the rails, ballscrew linear, and reinforcement behind the x-axis I think the MECHANICAL portion sold by them is great, fantastic even. But, I would avoid the all-in-one black box controllers from them or anyone at all costs. If you buy one, it will be your bottleneck.
One of the mental hurdles for me was that one needs to budget as much for the controller as the mechanical side. Then the spindle in to of that. I'm sure there are other opinions about that out there.
I do have a video with my first impressions of the machine, ua-cam.com/video/30FFjWYf0hA/v-deo.html
I will be doing a longer review in the coming months.
@@CNCMakerNW I see. Not having the knowledge of everything, If I purchased just the mechancals from Bulk-man, where should I get the rest of the electrics? Is there a beginner user friendly setup that easy setup for newbies? I was hoping for an all in one solution where I just push go and it just works well out of the box. Maybe that's not possible unless I spend a lot more for a CNC?
@@mtnjak the best (and most expensive) is the plug and play system from AvidCNC. I use one on my larger CNC machine. They also offer a kit that you can DIY for some savings.
The controller I put together for this machine is pretty much a clone of theirs, so you could follow their DIY guide as an option.
There are also some kits that use Standalone controllers that are OK, I just don't have experience with them. The one I have heard good things about is the Masso CNC controller.
Let me clarify a bit: the black box wouldn't rapid over 1600mm/min. The controller I built is set to 8000mm/min for rapids, and it can do more. If you want to build a machine and click go, the black boxes will work, they will get the job done. They're just not fast enough for production speed cutting.
@@CNCMakerNW oh, I see. Well, what I'm wanting to do is to create some low production stuff. I'm looking at wood items (not metal). Some inlays, small boxes, etc. Maybe batch out 3 to 6 at a time. Nothing too major to get started with my one man operation. Sounds like the stock Ultimate Bee kit would work for that purpose? I care less about speed for high quantities and more about accurate results in smaller quantities.
@@mtnjak you definitely can. And, if you decide you want it to go faster later, then just upgrade to a mach 4 system.
What kind of grease do you recommend to use on the linear bearings and ballscrews?
Thanks for your question! I like Lubrimatic Plews & Edelman 11312 All purpose grease. Some folks like white lithium grease but I think it's too viscous and a bit too sticky.
@@CNCMakerNW never heard of either you mentioned, I’ll have to check them out. I appreciate the great info thanks!
Does this machine have the servo motors?
Thank you for your question! No, no servos here. This machine has NEMA 23 Stepper motors with 48 volt 480watt powered drivers.
What type of bit are you using?
It is a Yonico 2-flute 1/8" spiral end mill.
that's way too slow, you could run much faster and deeper with that setup
Can I? How fast? How much deflection do I get for every 1000mm/min? Do you think it's possible I did some experimentation to determine what my mill could do before I made videos about it? I'll tell you what, you tell me the depth of cut and cut speed you want to see. I'll make a video of it and show you why you're wrong. Sound good?
@CNCMakerNW you seem offended by it, which I respect that.
The main bottle neck in achieving more efficient material removal without breaking the endmill in the setup would be the workholding method you are currently using, not the machine's rigidity.
Although it's not very clear in the video, the chips are way too small, indicating a less than ideal material removal rate, and there is a few reasons for that;
1. 2 flute endmill need slower spindle speed and higher surface speed, if increasing either wasn't an option, I would suggest staying away from 2 flue endmill, stay with o-flute endmill
2.The plunge wasn't deep enough and there isn't enough cutter engagement, in the video, you are only using the very tip of the endmill, which would make smaller chips.
3. Milling strategy, if you use adaptive toolpath (ideal on desktop CNC router), the deflection would be minimised in comparison to the current conversational milling. It is also more forgiving on workholding.
Your setup was better then mine, there's no reason it can't achieve a faster MMR than mine. Cheers
@@99897767 Thanks.
You're about 50% correct on what you said here.
I'm milling highly detailed parts in 2d profile in 1.5 mm 6061 Aluminum. The DOC is 0.5mm. I'm cutting 16000rpm @800mm/min.
I didn't ask for the theory, I asked you to state how fast you think I should have milled these parts.
I know the theory. I'm guessing you've watched a lot of sped up footage on you tube because this is pretty fast for the desired finish and accuracy.
Maybe post a video of your machine doing something and I'll see what you mean.
I'm the mean time you just posted a rude comment and then lectured me without context. Cheers
@@CNCMakerNW I don't know why you think it came across as rude, if anything I am boasting your machine's capabilities
For the part you are making, if you start with a spiral down using adaptive tool path, you can cut the full 1.5mm with no problem. So for the toolpath it could just do a quick 2D around the entire part, 2D adaptive for a finishing pass(better surface finish and details)
Your current workholding method won't allow a good surface finish due to the deflection/vibration on the MDF and the clamps bolting it down.
A better way of doing this would be to use CA glue painters tape workholding on a piece of MDF, then bolt that piece of MDF onto your T-slots. Leave tabs in op1(2D conture) and op2(2D adaptive) and if needed, add a op3 to clear the tabs. This should allow as much rigidity in the workholding as the material is very thin. To remove it, you can gently heat up the metal and the glue should release itself.
I wasn't mentioning speed and feeds in the original comment because "going faster" doesn't mean cranking the feed up, but to have a better toolpath so it could have a faster material removal rate.
If you would like a demo video on how I would do a similar part I could do that and share the fusion file.
@@99897767 I think you're illustrating my point perfectly. There's more than one consideration happening here besides how fast you think I should be Machining.
This was a short run of 4 parts. The part was mounted with tape and glue in a pocket in the mdf and is very stable. The clamps are only holding the mdf pocket board down. You can't see the whole picture from a video, so your advice is mostly misplaced. You literally said my work holding is wrong, then described the work holding in the video. If you don't know why that's rude, I can't help you.
I chose the tool path, speed and method, including a ramp instead of a spiral to avoid the spiral down instead of pushing MRR for a test run.
Thanks for the comments on my video, but you're just not even wrong.