FlatCAM to generate gcode from gerber and bCNC to run the machine work for me. Also, flip the spindle mount over. It will stabilize the depth of cut. The machine actually supports probing if you hook the copper of the board up to the A5 pin on the header and ground the spindle (be sure to isolate the copper from the machine). This will allow you to probe and compensate for errors in the height of the copper on the PCB and control the isolation width. I've made a bunch of very high quality boards with this machine - not as good as having them manufactured, but a lot faster.
@@UnmitigatedLiberty of course the autolevel is a MUST in PCB milling, indeed bCNC has it's autolevel function where you can select the number of points to probe. I have nevere tried the other software, I will for sure give them a chance:)
@Doug Cote Indeed that is the way we used to do it before PC's and CAD/CAM software became available. I still write G-code for simple bolt patterns, circles, etc. I worked for a bus manufacturer in the mid 70's and they had a huge CNC punch press just outside my office. There was a guy in Engineering whose only job was to translate sheet metal part drawings into G-code for the punch. He had a CDC PDP-8M Minicomputer to help with nesting parts, but the majority of the code was written by hand. I can still hear that punch cutting curves in 4 ft. X 8 ft. sheets of steel by "nibbling" using a 3" round punch. Made a HELL of a racket!
As others have mentioned, FlatCAM and bCNC are pretty good. For flatcam, the beta version from git is radically enhanced and is fairly stable. Use auto levelling. Always. Never fix PCBs with clamps, as it warps the board and makes it flex under pressure from the mill. You are working on 35 micron copper. So you need precision. I use scotch blue tape (the really flat version) on both the support (some MDF), and on the back of the board. Glue them together with superglue, and you have a very stable and rather flat surface. Auto level will do the rest for the flaws in the flatness. There is no cure for a lack of stability, so you have to have taken care of that. I manage to do TSSOP (0.2mm traces) this way. Test your mills before using them for real. Many chinese mills are off or leave burr that will be a mess to clean up properly later on. Go slow, high RPM. 8k RPM is a minimum. If you do not have high (16k+) RPM, in aluminium 6060 (a regular, rather soft version, but that trends to stick to the tools), go very slow, use 1 or max 2 flutes, and take very shallow plunges: 0.2mm depth at a time. Don't try harder Al (like 2017) or steel if you do not have the RPM nor the stiffness. Roughly speaking, the spindle RPM will mainly determine the speed you can go, the stiffness of the CNC will determine the precision you can obtain. This is a subject in which you can put a lot of time. You will find out the strengths and weaknesses of the different tools that are available, and you will spend a lot of time and money on it (even when you buy from China) Would it be profitable to use professionally? Not unless you need really fast turnaround times. Lately I have seen more and more non-chinese PCB shops that can be pretty cheap and fast. Will it give a lot of fun and will let you mill custom panels and housings? Yes.
One of my first programming jobs was programming a CNC machine ... in 1978. That machine was state of the art and worth over US$100,000. Seeing this video and knowing the price is such a thrill.
I worked on CNC machine for couple of years, so here is some advice to make your experience better: - Use ArtCAM to generate g-code. It not only has a versatile array of options and code encodings, but also takes in consideration material warping due to pressure from the mill, so it will generate path to counter the warp. I don't know about any other software that does it. ArtCAM can have a tool base, takes into consideration angle of a tool tip when generating a path, so it will not damage any unwanted parts, if the tool can't reach in there, so your connectors wouldn't be eaten away by the too wide of a tool. Additionally it can work with reliefs too. Back in the day I modeled and milled pendants, buttons, badges, plaques, etc from brass, copper, plexiglass, graphite (real soft, but very dusty) and aluminum sometimes. - Use Mach3 to run the code. It is very cheap and versatile, supports a lot of machines, and it is highly configurable. If you use ArtCAM in the combination with Mach3 you want g-code type "G-Code Arcs (mm) (.tap)" - When choosing materials you need to take into consideration if they are more brittle or elastic. Brittle materials you can easily mill, like brass ZAMAK 3 and ZAMAK 5 type. Widia tool is the best since it is very hard and can take a lot of pressure. I even managed to mill steel, although you will need a way stronger motor for that, then the one that came with the machine, and at least 4500 RPM and very slow feed rate. - Copper and aluminum on the other hand you don't want Widia or it will break as soon as it touches the material and you will have jagged edges. This is because elastic materials are bending around the tool and heat it up, then pull it back. Widia can take a lot of pressure, but only vertically, even a smallest amount of pressure on the sides and it will break. If you drop it, it will break. For those kind of materials you actually want stiria tools. They are waaay better. They are a bit softer than Widia tools, but for elastic materials, they are perfect. - Other than brass, you also want fluid to help with milling, to keep your tool cool and to assist during movement. For copper you want machine oil, which works for steel too, for aluminum I found that 70% alcohol works best, and plexiglass is milled perfectly with water. Otherwise plexiglass will mill with mate surface and most often you want clear surface where mill is passing thought the material. Listen to my advice, or not, its up to you, just wanted to share a bit of experience and most importantly have fun in your craft :)
This was adorable to watch, being a machinist my self, and brings me back to the days when I was a teen - Making PCB by hand and going to Radio-Shack. Lots of rookie mistakes (not that you were looking to be a "machinist" by any means). So much fun to do this stuff when you have a mill that works for you! Definitely need the right tools for the right jobs though. You'll want something along the linnes of a 2 flute 1/16 straight endmill, maybe even carbide, but if you use HSS (high speed steel) it would be easier to do what you are looking for without adjusting for the taper of that engraving tool. You could do a 1/8th for a majority of the dead space between traces, then when you want closer, you use a smaller tool to get closer to the tolerances you are looking for. Changing tools is key to these kind of works. You can get very very intricate with a 1/32nd tip, but you have to go fast and light around the traces and do multiple outlines on the contour passes. Neat buy for something that cheap! I was surprised actually that it could mill out even that amount of material like that. Build out a small blower fan and a nozzle to help blow out the "swarf" so your cutter doesn't dull out or break, keeps it cool too for the cut.
Some quick recommendations: 1. Bolt it to something heavy. Like a metal plate or block of wood. The added mass will help with any vibration (and keeping the mill from dancing across the table). 2. Check the bed's height with a feeler gauge. This will make setting the tool height easier, and you'll be able to measure for any tilt in its mounting. 3. Add a wasteboard that you can then mill flat relative to the machine head. Even with software correction it will still help with accuracy.
just a tip: dont let your wires create loops. Although this is a very small piece of circuit and the wires aren't that big, it is a long going habit of mine. Once, in my electrical classes, our teacher explained why you should never let your wire create loops, and he demonstrated it. It basically becomes an inductor, and it can lead to some metal melting, and eventually a huge fire. Take care, great project!!
Just as a hint from a machinist/mechanic: Tools usually come with a rated cutting velocity or Vc. Using that and using the diameter of your tool you can calculate the recommended spindle rpm using this formula: (Vc [m/min]*1000)/(PI*diameter). In the case with your tools I would just set the spindle speed to max really since assuming the tool tip from that 60° cutter has a dia of 0.5mm and a rated Vc 0f 50 you'd be looking at 31000 rpm
Yea when you get down to the smaller diameter tools it just becomes a matter of crank it up all the way and calculate federate. Every human being should have a copy of the Machinists Handbook. It has all your speeds and feeds for every type of cutting tool you could ever want for any type of material you will cut, from wood to inconel.
A really easy way to improve your clamping is to add a piece of material on the other side of the bolt. The idea being to support both sides of the washer so that it stays closer to flat; probably easiest just to use a few scrap pieces of whatever you are cutting. Alternatively drill a couple of holes through the plate and clamp through those holes.
I do this exact thing on that exact machine. Get either a .4mm end mill or a dual flute v bit. Use flat cam for gcode production. It also helps to 3D print a spoil board that has a corner you can slot the PCB into so you don't have to line up the pcb to the machines x and y axis every time.
Good job! I mill prototype PCBs with that CNC type too, only a larger version. I am able to achieve somewhat finer resolution by using a probed Z height map, but this step will slow down the process somewhat so it depends on what is necessary. Prototypes are meant to be quick, so only do what is actually required. I think your results are very good, knowing you just got this machine. I also built an acrylic/wood enclosure with dust extraction, an enclosure to protect the motherboard, active cooling of the stepper motors, emergency off switch, push-pull style blowing and sucking away the milled chips close to the router bit using Loc-Line flexible hose, drag-chain on top for the router and Z-stepper cables, additional ball bearing for securing the lower section of the Z lead screw, end stops, plastic end caps for the 2020 profiles, and other miscellaneous things, but none of that is really required or perhaps worth the effort. I also used a pro CNC router some years ago to mill boards, and of course it is possible to achieve better results with pro machinery that are more precise and heavy-duty, and also closer to 20000 or 30000 RPM instead of ~8000-9000RPM, but they cost ~100 times more. If I need quality boards, I finalize a more compact PCB design and order from JLCPCB like everyone else. I now use FlatCam and Candle. Sometimes I use cheap Chinese V-bits (0.1 or 0.2mm), and sometimes I use (also) cheap, second-hand refurbished 0.4mm end-mills from professional CNC shops that sell lightly used bits on eBay. I usually use very thin double-sided tape to stick the PCB to the backer board instead of hold-down nuts.
@@avramitra Very good. As far as I know, this type of chinese CNC has in the last few years been upgraded twice with newer versions including many of the additions I made already part of the package. These might be slightly more expensive, but if you need these features it would most likely be cheaper and significantly less work to buy a CNC with them from China than to make some custom DIY-job yourself like I did. I spent waaaay too much time and money on mine, even though the base package was very cheap.
@@LittleRainGames I disagree. Both SMD and double sided boards are possible. It's just another tool people can use, and it offers a lot of maker flexibility with milling, drilling and cutting PCB and also other material. It is correct to point out the difficulty level is quite high, and the difficulty is further increased by going for a low-end machine like this. A professional machine will make many aspects of PCB milling easier and more productive, but that's also why they are so expensive. I do some etching too, but am not really a fan of chemicals. That's my my personal preference, for other people they have to choose what they like depending on their project types, work space, ventilation, noise considerations, project deadlines, tools they already own, availability and pricing of ingredients, materials and accessories, primary areas of interest, preexisting skills, budget, and many other factors. Good luck and have fun everyone. :)
I bought same CNC over 5 years ago, slightly larger 2418 model. The least rigid parts are X axis rods. 2418 model has 10mm rods, and it's still not enough to mill aluminium. I wanted to swap them to linear rails, but forgot about this project. Your video made me remember about it, and now I'll find it and finish the upgrade. And the reason I forgot about CNC was 3D printer. You should buy it too. :)
Wow, this brings back memories when I first tried to mill boards of my own. It's really difficult to overestimate just how difficult this is, to get usable results with medium thin traces and pads. You find out really quickly that no board is completely flat, which can spell the difference between no trace and breaking a bit when you're using extremely thin v-bits. You really need to probe the board with a small mesh size to capture all the potential dips and bumps. Use silicone oil or another light oil to prevent chips from sticking to your bit as well as extending the bit's life, and run the spindle speed as high as it will go with carbide bits.
This is very fascinating. I must say, I really appreciate that in all of your findings (mistakes), you kept the chuckle and remained positive. It made the video very pleasant to watch. Keep it up, thanks.
In PCBs, I first drill the holes and then the tracks, because if you drill the small pitches, they detach. I learned it by making mistakes ... many. Congratulations on your video which also shows the errors ... and this is much more than just seeing a perfect video ...
Just an observation from a manual engraver. On my Taylor Hobson CXL engraver I use "fences " that slot in the bed slots This keeps the workpiece straight to the bed and resists the work becoming loose when its being engraved
When cutting metals it is extremely important to properly set your spindle speed. This controls the velocity of the cutting edge through the metal. Small air cooled spindles operate at RPM's so high that you are limited to very small diameter tools. For instance, if your spindle is running at 24000 RPM you will not want to use a tool larger than about .010" (.254mm) in aluminum. Using too large of a tool will increase cut speed so high that it will quickly dull and start pushing around material instead of cutting it. When using very small tools make sure they are of very high quality; miniature tools are difficult to properly manufacture. The last time I used a micro end mill I believe I paid $50 USD, (it was a .050" long reach reduced shank square mill i think), and snapped it in half 3/4 of the way though the job. Small tools are tricky to work with. I would also recommend using liberal amounts of lubricant, tap magic is great for aluminum, but in the end this machine is simply too small to effectively use larger tools and will always struggle cutting metal no matter what modifications you make or tooling you select. If you really want to cut metal pick up a mini mill with an R8 collet; that is about the bare minimum to make anything useful.
Nice CNC! You deserve many likes to contribute to the replacement of broken tools. That said: I think that for the use of conical tools you should take more into account that the plates are not completely flat, so you could use only very thin cylindrical tools and mill the material in successive passes of only 0.2 or 0.3 millimeters in order to preserve your expensive bits. Or you can previously map the surface of the plate and add the shape to your z coordinates so that the tool always penetrates the same depth into the plate
Professional engraver here. A tip for these engraving mill tips: use Rocol RTD Compound paste mixed with fuchs ecocut plus (or similar micro oil), mix them until you get a mix that has consistency of an egg yolk. you will vastly increase your tool life by applying a generous layer on the working surface. Also these engraving tips are very poorly sharpened out of the box. I use Kuhlmann SU2 - Diamond Edition to sharpen these, which ofc gives amazing end result, but you can get any generic tool grinder to give you much better results with the tool.
Put a nut or something like that underneath the opposite sides of your clamping washers to tilt them slightly down into your workpiece. You want the clamp force pushing down on the face of your work, not sideways on the edge
I have 3 years of experience in aluminium CNC router machining. My best tips are the following : - Use climb machining instead of conventional (climb leaves a clean surface finish on the parts' side of the cut) - Use lubricant (such as water dliuted ones or wd-40, you can dilute wd-40 to save some money!) With both of those tips, I kind you can machine pretty much anything out of aluminium!
Ha... pretty much sums up my go at this too... Things I learned: * The wrong g-code can pop the supply if you stall the motor. Did that on day 3. An old laptop supply ran it for a year until I built up something better. * Wiring in a switch to cut the motor power is not a bad idea. (see above) * I 3D printed a spindle, using fidget spinner bearings and an $8 collet holder with shaft, to double the collet speed. It helps. Also gives me more Z adjustment. * Does foam really well, and it's surprisingly useful. * Made a flexure spring in a housing to hold a drag knife... vinyl cutter to make my kid decals. WAY fun! * Z-axis probes are dirt-cheap and make life easy. Port's right there on the main-board. * PCBs if I'm in a rush... but, dang... blank boards cost pretty much what I can get a professionally done 2-layer, plated-hole, bit of near perfection. * Printed and machined all manner of clamps and whatnot... end up using double-sided carpet tape most times. These things are beasts when it comes to learning. Can't say that enough, I bought mine to teach me CNC milling and it's done that way beyond my expectations.
I've got one, it works like a charm. I'm using KiCAD for design, export to Gerber, convert to HPGL using Sprint-Layout, convert to G-Code with my own Perl scripts and use bCNC for milling. So I can fine tune each step and have really good milling results. But there was a hard to find problem with the spindle motor driver; switching it on at high speed did a hard reset to the woodpecker board, it even destroyed the software in flash sometimes! So I implemented a ramp function. It took me very long to find a good set of tools and parameters: Milling path thickness: 0.25 mm Milling bits: 30°, 0.2 mm Milling depth: 0.16 mm Soldering pads: always use the biggest ones :-) Drilling bits: better use cylindrical milling bits because they produce a much smoother result on the backside of the board
I would also recommend FlatCAM. I have made a couple of tests with small boards (I find it eaiser to iterate -- and less waste) and for now I'm using 0.5mm for the traces. Also, in FlatCAM, use multiple passes (something like 5) with some overlap (30 - 40%) for the top/bottom layers. Use the calculator tool to calculate the tool diameter when using those V-bits. And DON'T MILL WITHOUT AN HEIGHTMAP!
First I wanted a CNC. Then I needed one. Now, after watching this whole video all the while feeling very satisfied, I REALLY want and need a CNC. Your excitement during the video made me want to watch more of your videos. so you got a subscriber :)
Impressive for such a "cheap" machine. As someone who works with full-size industrial CNC machines, that little one really rocks for home use! Tip - when machining aluminum, use a cutting fluid (if desperate, even WD-40 or maybe even some dish soap). Aluminum gets "sticky" when it is cut and it will build up on the flutes of your end mills and drills. Also, if you use a shim along side each of your thumbscrew "clamps", and bridge the washer between the shim and your part, you will have less of a chance for the part to shift or come loose. Happy machining!!!
The chatter in that spindle when you milled the aluminum, sent shivers through me while my teeth we're chattering along. I do love these little engravers that get pressed into service as CNC routers.. :) Surprising what you can do with one is you want to spend the time nursing it along. As a lot of other commenters have said you need to get your Z height spot on. Also looks like your blank stock was warped in that first test which will cause you no end of problems. As for the chatter on the sindle.. That what more expensive machines are for or look for slop in all the linear bearings, backlash in the drive system and make sure everything's tight. Then mount the whole unit to something really substantial it will help with the chatter.
I would advise the Red or even Blue anodized all metal 1310 versions. The blue ones have actual linear rails too. Add one of those yummie S4225 spindles and you have an insane mini cnc.
@@drawincode1800 if your question was meant for me. Then yes mostly but it could do other things also. My main use would indeed be that but there is nothing stopping you from doing other things with it. The only real cruncher is S4225 spindles have ER8 collets, not ER11 so only up to what 5mm shank tools? For small CNC's rarely an issue.
YOu have to be careful with longer extrusions: that means more flex and less accuracy. You have to increase the cross section per increase in length. You should also go rectangle instead of square. I built mine with 80/20 2" x 6" 3 web I beam. I used their calculator to determine I would get .001" of deflection in the middle with 300 lbs of pressure.
Same advice : I obtained nice results with kiCAD, flatcam and bCNC. I design my circuits and PCBs with KiCAD (0.8mm tracks, 0.4 mm clearance, single cooper only on b side), export the pcbs and cutout files as gerber, and drill files as excellon. Then import gerber and excellon in flatcam, invert (flip around Y axis cooper and cutout files). Generate geometry files and tool paths. Milling : 1) For the tracks I use a V shaped tool, 20degrees, diameter 0.1mm, cutZ -2.4mm, feedrate 120; three passes with 40% overlap. 2) For drilling I use a 0.9mm drill bit. 3) for cutout, last tool is a 1mm corn to cutout the whole PCB. 3 passes. After milling, use fine sandpaper to clean cooper surface and cooper mashes. Solder with care, use rosin. With these tools and parameters, I was able to create PCBs for an arduino-nano-powered programmer for ATTiny85 and another programmer for ATMega328P. I also milled several circuits for ATTiny85 and ATMega328P. Good enough for my purposes.
I forgort something essential : bCNC allows to probe the cooper surface of the PCB you are about to mill. Connect a wire to the PCB and a wire to the tool, probe the surface and allow bCNC to re-calculate the coordinates of your tool milling. It is mandatory if you want to obtain accurate results.
Not sure what others have posted but as someone who has used engraving routers for years my input would be, The FIRST most IMPORTANT thing is a DEAD FLAT BASE. You can see in the video that the thumb screws are bowing your work piece. Get a flat platten or mill your own and use silicone deck cover and edge blocks. Pointed tools are not great for controlling width. The slightly deeper the MUCH more wider. This unit is 50 times less expensive as the one I am using now and it looks like it is comparable. Have fun,
Try flatcam for gcode generation ;) I would also recommend using the probing/grid interpolation feature of you grblcontrol software (candle). With this I managed to get really fine traces with 0.05 mm depth of cut ;) another tip is using the highest rpm possible and not cutting too slow. For finishing i used WD40 in combination with scotch pads. I hope this helps you a little bit on your prototyping journey ;)
I just milled a piece of HDPE plastic on my machine then I mount the board to that. I use dabs of hot glue on the edges to hold it down. It peels right off.
It’s built of a cheaper Chinese version of 80/20’s extrusions, as so many Chinese products are in the 3D printer and small engraver/mill market. Substitute a small laser model from eBay, and you’ve got a laser engraver. Those “ pointy” bits are engraver bits, not milling bits. Be careful how you use them. And NEVER use an engraving bit, even the heavier ones, for milling. The bits with the cross hatched cutting edges are also not milling bits. By the way, you need carbide bits for anything with fiberglass, as steel bits will wear out very quickly. I don’t know what your bits are made from. You need a proper plunge bit for metal. Those bits you’re using are “die” bits. Not designed for what you’re doing. Buy carbide bits with two flutes for aluminum. Make sure they are made for plunge cutting. Take slow cuts, and think about using some small amount of cutting fluid do the bits won’t become clogged with the aluminum you’re cutting. This is a problem with softer aluminum alloys such as 1001, 3003, etc. don’t use cardboard or something soft beneath. Elevate the part above the surface, and let it cut through so chips will fall out.
This is my first time ever watching one of your videos not only was it incredibly well done but it inspired me. Inspiration is a priceless thing. If you have a patrion I would like to chip in a bit, and if I never get the opportunity I want to at least thank you for posting, I know you put in some work to make this video.
@@leoblazer74 you would be surprised, wd40 is generally considered kinda useless as a lube, crappy as a penetrant, ok as a cleaner, but what it does excel at? is cutting aluminium.
Small tip I wish I came across earlier: You're not supposed to put the collet in the chuck and screw the nut on, but rather first push the collet firmly into the nut, until it snaps into the excentric ring, and then you screw the nut with the collet into the chuck. That way, the nut pulls the collet out of the tapered chuck when you unscrew everything.
Great Video Also In GRBL control software that you are using there is also option for Auto levelling (heightmap) use that feature for even milling result also i would suggest FlastCam for Gcode of Circuit Regarding Autolevel if you face hard time finding pins on the Board its usually A5 of the Atmega328 controller and it detect the limit when A5 is grounded
I need to "cut" thin sheets out of aluminum and maybe very thin steel and copper. Is this working with such a mill? I looks okay with the aluminum, but what about the edges? How precise is it with thinner plates (sheets) and going through?
pretty darn cool for the price despite its small quirks and drawbacks its still hard to believe they can design, manufacture , and ship the package for that price i do like all your comments and tips plus that you went ahead and used all the least expensive tooling etc you could find online i’m a retired Woodworker and i think this little set up would be a good thing to have in many home shops
Well isn't that nice ? Local autonomous production of PCBs instead of depending on Chinese (or anyone) and global supply chains to do prototypes or small batches. Smaller carbon footprint too :) But local production of components is another story, building ICs is still far from a 150€ aliexpress machine lol
@@douras96 Making 6 mil PCB's is apparently also way out of reach of a 150€ aliexpress machine. Over the years, I've tried all imaginable methods of making PCB's. There is only one way that really works... JCLPCB, PCBWay and other similar suppliers. Why fuck around with anyhting when you can get 5 high def PCB's in a couple of days for $5 (or $2 even).
Hey now! This may be useful to you. I recommend using a larger sacrificial board, and mounting your workpiece to this with 3m thin double sided tape. Then you wont have the piece running off on you when you finish cutting it, and it will be easier to lock down the larger sacrificial board to the machine
A little hint. Drill the holes first, then they won't want to remove your pads. Also, clearing the dust away, with a vacuum or blowing system while cutting can improve the quality of the finished product.
I would recommend some ER11 collets for a 6mm cutter and a 6mm shank T slot cutter. The ER11 collet is essential. Bolt some MDF (minimum thickness 19mm) to the spoil plate and recess the bolt heads into the MDF then level the MDF with the T-slot cutter. Stick the board to the MDF with double sided tape as clamping the edges causes the centre of the board to rise up giving deeper and thus wider cuts. OK if you have very wide tracks and good separation. Spindle RPM needs to be 100% which is still a bit slow. Took me a long time to get everything right, but I am getting some very good results with one of these. One thing to beware of is the motor spindle not running true. I tried 3 motors before I got one right. The 30 degree tips will cut a very shallow cut with the one pass if the board is stuck firmly enough.
Maybe the machine got multiple switches and it's to label the first thing to shut down, as 从此 can mean "from here". Maybe it's for something that didn't got a PLC inside so it needs manual execution of the shutdown routine, I don't know.
Liked when you opened the package with a crowbar and chainsaw. Subscribed when you threw that cable at poor Wilhelm. Awesome video! Thanks for sharing!
Bitluni: I don't want fiberglass bits flying around. Also Bitluni: Takes freshly milled PCB and blows the fiberglass dust off right outside the machine enclosure...
Micromachining is Super fun. Once you get the feeds and speeds Down, you will have a lot of fun. When I started out in school, I was snapping 1/2” endmills, left and right. As I slowly Learned my feeds and speeds, I was able to run a .047” endmill no problem.
I have a similar machine and faced a similar leveling problem. After months of trial and error, I used the screws to screw down a 6mm MDF board on the bottom plate and fixed another MDF board on top of it with nails. Then I used the router to level the top MDF board. This way the work area is completely flat wrt the milling head. I simply staple the pcb to the top board with a staple gun and I am ready to rumble. Also where possible, I try to use 1mm (40 mil) traces.
Ahhh! You trim zipties like a monster! But fun video like always. I have been eyeing these machines for a while but have yet to pull the trigger. Quality is better then I expected.
@@ChristopherCobra Because oil makes a big mess and forms a grinding paste when mixed with abrasive particles like glass fibre. Alcohol is water soluble and will evaporate by itself eventually, much more suitable for this kind of work. He's not engraving/milling any materials that will create sparks so it's quite safe.
You will get noticeably better results if you use oil such as WD-40 to lube the cutter. Of course it is somewhat messy but the lube really makes the cutter work much better.
My theory is that the seller was making a sign to put on a machine (maybe also doubles as an on-site demo) and he just burn the whole folder of the tool into a disc before shipping, which included that file.
Funniest video I have seen in a good while. I have not used a CNC machine before, but, after seeing this educational tutorial, I think I am ready. And I have the chainsaw all set.
I used to work for a German company and we would go and assemble big injection moulding machines. They were less complicated to assemble lol.Great stuff by the way, thank you.
Use a piece of equal thickness material on the opposite side of each clamping washer to give tight clamps that are even. Also, use a small aquarium pump to blow away dust and chips while cutting. Run the tubing to travel with the Z-head just a bit higher than the mill end. It doesn't have to be perfectly aligned with the mill's tip.
I bought a larger one years ago from a Chinese supplier. I've made my share of mistakes and know the limitations. I use a SW tool called CopperCAM to create the isolation paths from my Gerber files. I use a tool called MACH3 by Artsoft to run the machine. I didn't like the controller I got, so I replaced it with one called "GeckoDrive" (or something like that). You have to control the "depth" very carefully to get good results. I still need a faster tool motor. A cheap one doesn't turn fast enough to get good milling for the fine detail you need. I used to use a high quality tool like this made by LPKF, but they're expensive. They're worth the money though.
@@gatisozols AvE uses a mini chainsaw to open boxes, he went a step further and used a regular size chainsaw. I guess doing it the EEVblog way with a big knife is too repetitive after SexyCyborg and The Current Source did their takes on it...
The last bit that you used was for pcb fiberglass and other stuff like wood. The end of the bit contains a "fishtail" ending. Btw, fishtail bits arent meant to drill holes. So when doing routing, same size drill bit is used to make pilot holes to the pcb so that the milling bit doesnt have to drill its hole. And for routing pure metal parts you want to use a bit that has 2 cutting flutes that go slightly twisted around. And those bits don't have drill bit ending either, so it would be better to go down to the depth of cut first outside the object you cut, then moving around in x and y only.
@@NightmareQueenJune I have no idea. I did 1 or 2 milling tests and the electronics was bricked. I tried a lot of stuff, even flashing the MCU with a new firmware. Didn't work. I contacted the seller. They send me a replacement board for free. This one was fine.
I purchase such Woodpecker CNC (3018) machine because of your video, it seems a little different. Larger frame 360x330mm, nicer cables, different screws , different board and different bed (made out of two parts that isn't explained how to connect together - weird). I ordered a combopack, with a 25W blue laser and paid 190 euros with shipping. I had the same like you, packed upside down. It takes me 3 evenings (!) to build it, fun however a little too long. I had some problems because the documention was incomplete (and russian, no english instruction videos and some links not working) and different screws (no inbus). I had a bag of screws, too much screws, very confusing. No perfect screws for some of the PLA plastic parts, too big or too short. I had some problems with the alignment of the bed. My advise will be to build the two frames separately (do not follow the manual) before joining these together, this makes it much easier to build especially the drill head frame. Because of my experience I like to warn people that are not that technically skilled , documentation can be weak or missing and software (and firmware) can be outdated (2015,2016) and some errors in production (not manufacturing). Hardware quality is fine however you need to figure out some things yourself because of language, missing information, incompatibilty or confusing. In my case, I really don't know how to install the laser, no info to this model. No info at all. The software looks the same but all of the software seems to made for laser however not for drilling (CNC)? Do I miss something? What is the exact software (on the CD) you are using? Thanks for any answer ;-) Great video anyway ;-)
If you have enough clearance, the burr end mills you have can be used for milling the PCB trace outlines. I've had some success with 0.8mm burrs, but you have to watch the speeds/ feeds. On that count, the first runs you did looked way too slow on the spindle speed. It may have been the camera frame rate making it look slow, but crank it up as high as it'll go.
@@TheWebstaff technically it is milling : "Milling is the process of machining using rotary cutters to remove material by advancing a cutter into a work piece."
Yeah the poor DC motor, and most brushless ones too, can't handle those transverse loads in metal. PCB should be fine though, depending what the runout is on that thing which could be why the cuts are so wide. Should be able to do better than 0.5mm, although not much on a mill. I'm so tempted now to give this another shot, although I got quite good at photo lithography etching it's still a labour intensive process with a lot of room for mistakes.
I paused the video at 1:06 seconds. I just wanted to say this is the first video of yours I have seen, and you earned your like very early. Anyone that opens a box with a chainsaw, gets a like instantly.
FlatCAM to generate gcode from gerber and bCNC to run the machine work for me. Also, flip the spindle mount over. It will stabilize the depth of cut. The machine actually supports probing if you hook the copper of the board up to the A5 pin on the header and ground the spindle (be sure to isolate the copper from the machine). This will allow you to probe and compensate for errors in the height of the copper on the PCB and control the isolation width. I've made a bunch of very high quality boards with this machine - not as good as having them manufactured, but a lot faster.
Totally agree with you! I use FlatCAM and bCNC with the level feature it is the best solution:)
I don’t belong here...
*hangs head in shame*
@@UnmitigatedLiberty of course the autolevel is a MUST in PCB milling, indeed bCNC has it's autolevel function where you can select the number of points to probe. I have nevere tried the other software, I will for sure give them a chance:)
@Doug Cote Indeed that is the way we used to do it before PC's and CAD/CAM software became available.
I still write G-code for simple bolt patterns, circles, etc.
I worked for a bus manufacturer in the mid 70's and they had a huge CNC punch press just outside my office. There was a guy in Engineering whose only job was to translate sheet metal part drawings into G-code for the punch. He had a CDC PDP-8M Minicomputer to help with nesting parts, but the majority of the code was written by hand.
I can still hear that punch cutting curves in 4 ft. X 8 ft. sheets of steel by "nibbling" using a 3" round punch. Made a HELL of a racket!
As others have mentioned, FlatCAM and bCNC are pretty good. For flatcam, the beta version from git is radically enhanced and is fairly stable.
Use auto levelling. Always. Never fix PCBs with clamps, as it warps the board and makes it flex under pressure from the mill.
You are working on 35 micron copper. So you need precision. I use scotch blue tape (the really flat version) on both the support (some MDF), and on the back of the board. Glue them together with superglue, and you have a very stable and rather flat surface. Auto level will do the rest for the flaws in the flatness. There is no cure for a lack of stability, so you have to have taken care of that. I manage to do TSSOP (0.2mm traces) this way.
Test your mills before using them for real. Many chinese mills are off or leave burr that will be a mess to clean up properly later on. Go slow, high RPM. 8k RPM is a minimum.
If you do not have high (16k+) RPM, in aluminium 6060 (a regular, rather soft version, but that trends to stick to the tools), go very slow, use 1 or max 2 flutes, and take very shallow plunges: 0.2mm depth at a time. Don't try harder Al (like 2017) or steel if you do not have the RPM nor the stiffness.
Roughly speaking, the spindle RPM will mainly determine the speed you can go, the stiffness of the CNC will determine the precision you can obtain.
This is a subject in which you can put a lot of time. You will find out the strengths and weaknesses of the different tools that are available, and you will spend a lot of time and money on it (even when you buy from China) Would it be profitable to use professionally? Not unless you need really fast turnaround times. Lately I have seen more and more non-chinese PCB shops that can be pretty cheap and fast. Will it give a lot of fun and will let you mill custom panels and housings? Yes.
One of my first programming jobs was programming a CNC machine ... in 1978. That machine was state of the art and worth over US$100,000. Seeing this video and knowing the price is such a thrill.
I worked on CNC machine for couple of years, so here is some advice to make your experience better:
- Use ArtCAM to generate g-code. It not only has a versatile array of options and code encodings, but also takes in consideration material warping due to pressure from the mill, so it will generate path to counter the warp. I don't know about any other software that does it. ArtCAM can have a tool base, takes into consideration angle of a tool tip when generating a path, so it will not damage any unwanted parts, if the tool can't reach in there, so your connectors wouldn't be eaten away by the too wide of a tool. Additionally it can work with reliefs too. Back in the day I modeled and milled pendants, buttons, badges, plaques, etc from brass, copper, plexiglass, graphite (real soft, but very dusty) and aluminum sometimes.
- Use Mach3 to run the code. It is very cheap and versatile, supports a lot of machines, and it is highly configurable. If you use ArtCAM in the combination with Mach3 you want g-code type "G-Code Arcs (mm) (.tap)"
- When choosing materials you need to take into consideration if they are more brittle or elastic. Brittle materials you can easily mill, like brass ZAMAK 3 and ZAMAK 5 type. Widia tool is the best since it is very hard and can take a lot of pressure. I even managed to mill steel, although you will need a way stronger motor for that, then the one that came with the machine, and at least 4500 RPM and very slow feed rate.
- Copper and aluminum on the other hand you don't want Widia or it will break as soon as it touches the material and you will have jagged edges. This is because elastic materials are bending around the tool and heat it up, then pull it back. Widia can take a lot of pressure, but only vertically, even a smallest amount of pressure on the sides and it will break. If you drop it, it will break. For those kind of materials you actually want stiria tools. They are waaay better. They are a bit softer than Widia tools, but for elastic materials, they are perfect.
- Other than brass, you also want fluid to help with milling, to keep your tool cool and to assist during movement. For copper you want machine oil, which works for steel too, for aluminum I found that 70% alcohol works best, and plexiglass is milled perfectly with water. Otherwise plexiglass will mill with mate surface and most often you want clear surface where mill is passing thought the material.
Listen to my advice, or not, its up to you, just wanted to share a bit of experience and most importantly have fun in your craft :)
Lot of info in this comment
I respect a guy who sharpens his crowbar.
I subbed as soon as I saw his unboxing skills.
Same
I respect a guy who opens small cardboard boxes with a chainsaw
He had me with the chainsaw but lost me when I saw how he cuts cable ties. Cut them flush man!
Well
Yeah
If you use it, it needs to be sharp
This was adorable to watch, being a machinist my self, and brings me back to the days when I was a teen - Making PCB by hand and going to Radio-Shack. Lots of rookie mistakes (not that you were looking to be a "machinist" by any means). So much fun to do this stuff when you have a mill that works for you! Definitely need the right tools for the right jobs though. You'll want something along the linnes of a 2 flute 1/16 straight endmill, maybe even carbide, but if you use HSS (high speed steel) it would be easier to do what you are looking for without adjusting for the taper of that engraving tool. You could do a 1/8th for a majority of the dead space between traces, then when you want closer, you use a smaller tool to get closer to the tolerances you are looking for. Changing tools is key to these kind of works. You can get very very intricate with a 1/32nd tip, but you have to go fast and light around the traces and do multiple outlines on the contour passes. Neat buy for something that cheap! I was surprised actually that it could mill out even that amount of material like that. Build out a small blower fan and a nozzle to help blow out the "swarf" so your cutter doesn't dull out or break, keeps it cool too for the cut.
Some quick recommendations:
1. Bolt it to something heavy. Like a metal plate or block of wood. The added mass will help with any vibration (and keeping the mill from dancing across the table).
2. Check the bed's height with a feeler gauge. This will make setting the tool height easier, and you'll be able to measure for any tilt in its mounting.
3. Add a wasteboard that you can then mill flat relative to the machine head. Even with software correction it will still help with accuracy.
just a tip: dont let your wires create loops. Although this is a very small piece of circuit and the wires aren't that big, it is a long going habit of mine.
Once, in my electrical classes, our teacher explained why you should never let your wire create loops, and he demonstrated it. It basically becomes an inductor, and it can lead to some metal melting, and eventually a huge fire.
Take care, great project!!
Nice. Thanks for the info. Can you please provide a link to read more about that?
@@hatem0 search it up yourself lol
@@hatem0 search for induction, selenoid mechanisms at physics, go through circuitries, electromagnetics and microwave circuits so on..
And what would be the correct way in this case since the wires are so long compared to the actual machine??
Just as a hint from a machinist/mechanic: Tools usually come with a rated cutting velocity or Vc. Using that and using the diameter of your tool you can calculate the recommended spindle rpm using this formula: (Vc [m/min]*1000)/(PI*diameter). In the case with your tools I would just set the spindle speed to max really since assuming the tool tip from that 60° cutter has a dia of 0.5mm and a rated Vc 0f 50 you'd be looking at 31000 rpm
Great advice. I am in an apprenticeship to become a cnc machinist and this would be very fun to have in my basement 😂
310000? Seems pretty high
@@Nirofix Indeed, one zero too much!
Yea when you get down to the smaller diameter tools it just becomes a matter of crank it up all the way and calculate federate. Every human being should have a copy of the Machinists Handbook. It has all your speeds and feeds for every type of cutting tool you could ever want for any type of material you will cut, from wood to inconel.
German equivalent of the Machinists Handbook: Tabellenbuch Metall
A really easy way to improve your clamping is to add a piece of material on the other side of the bolt. The idea being to support both sides of the washer so that it stays closer to flat; probably easiest just to use a few scrap pieces of whatever you are cutting.
Alternatively drill a couple of holes through the plate and clamp through those holes.
I do this exact thing on that exact machine. Get either a .4mm end mill or a dual flute v bit. Use flat cam for gcode production. It also helps to 3D print a spoil board that has a corner you can slot the PCB into so you don't have to line up the pcb to the machines x and y axis every time.
Good job! I mill prototype PCBs with that CNC type too, only a larger version. I am able to achieve somewhat finer resolution by using a probed Z height map, but this step will slow down the process somewhat so it depends on what is necessary. Prototypes are meant to be quick, so only do what is actually required. I think your results are very good, knowing you just got this machine. I also built an acrylic/wood enclosure with dust extraction, an enclosure to protect the motherboard, active cooling of the stepper motors, emergency off switch, push-pull style blowing and sucking away the milled chips close to the router bit using Loc-Line flexible hose, drag-chain on top for the router and Z-stepper cables, additional ball bearing for securing the lower section of the Z lead screw, end stops, plastic end caps for the 2020 profiles, and other miscellaneous things, but none of that is really required or perhaps worth the effort.
I also used a pro CNC router some years ago to mill boards, and of course it is possible to achieve better results with pro machinery that are more precise and heavy-duty, and also closer to 20000 or 30000 RPM instead of ~8000-9000RPM, but they cost ~100 times more. If I need quality boards, I finalize a more compact PCB design and order from JLCPCB like everyone else.
I now use FlatCam and Candle. Sometimes I use cheap Chinese V-bits (0.1 or 0.2mm), and sometimes I use (also) cheap, second-hand refurbished 0.4mm end-mills from professional CNC shops that sell lightly used bits on eBay. I usually use very thin double-sided tape to stick the PCB to the backer board instead of hold-down nuts.
Thanks for sharing such helpful information. I'm planning to buy a cheap mill like this. Guess a steep learning curve is waiting ahead. 😅
@@avramitra Very good. As far as I know, this type of chinese CNC has in the last few years been upgraded twice with newer versions including many of the additions I made already part of the package. These might be slightly more expensive, but if you need these features it would most likely be cheaper and significantly less work to buy a CNC with them from China than to make some custom DIY-job yourself like I did. I spent waaaay too much time and money on mine, even though the base package was very cheap.
@@avramitra dont. I bought the bigger one like him and its shit. If you want to make PCBs, learn how to do it with acid.
It will work ok for some TH cases, but forget about SMD or double sided boards
@@LittleRainGames I disagree. Both SMD and double sided boards are possible. It's just another tool people can use, and it offers a lot of maker flexibility with milling, drilling and cutting PCB and also other material. It is correct to point out the difficulty level is quite high, and the difficulty is further increased by going for a low-end machine like this. A professional machine will make many aspects of PCB milling easier and more productive, but that's also why they are so expensive. I do some etching too, but am not really a fan of chemicals. That's my my personal preference, for other people they have to choose what they like depending on their project types, work space, ventilation, noise considerations, project deadlines, tools they already own, availability and pricing of ingredients, materials and accessories, primary areas of interest, preexisting skills, budget, and many other factors. Good luck and have fun everyone. :)
I bought same CNC over 5 years ago, slightly larger 2418 model.
The least rigid parts are X axis rods. 2418 model has 10mm rods, and it's still not enough to mill aluminium. I wanted to swap them to linear rails, but forgot about this project. Your video made me remember about it, and now I'll find it and finish the upgrade.
And the reason I forgot about CNC was 3D printer. You should buy it too. :)
I really like the editing on this, matching the claps on the track with connecting cables and clipping cable ties was a nice touch.
I like, how the beat of the music matches connecting piecs, clipping or tightening zip ties etc.
Indeed. Satisfying. Sick tunes too.
Wow, this brings back memories when I first tried to mill boards of my own. It's really difficult to overestimate just how difficult this is, to get usable results with medium thin traces and pads. You find out really quickly that no board is completely flat, which can spell the difference between no trace and breaking a bit when you're using extremely thin v-bits. You really need to probe the board with a small mesh size to capture all the potential dips and bumps. Use silicone oil or another light oil to prevent chips from sticking to your bit as well as extending the bit's life, and run the spindle speed as high as it will go with carbide bits.
I gotta say, this is the first time I have seen someone open a cardboard box with a chain saw! Made my day!
Landed here over complete accident and ended up watching all this video feeling joy and happiness. Cheers man! :D
I'd bet AvE would approve of his package opening skills
tryna half-life Freeman approach wasn't enough!
I was just thinking that - this may have become my second favourite channel. Only weird bit was the vacuuming, and no swearing...
i thought the same
Yeah man with his unique accents.
but will it chooch?
This is very fascinating. I must say, I really appreciate that in all of your findings (mistakes), you kept the chuckle and remained positive. It made the video very pleasant to watch. Keep it up, thanks.
In PCBs, I first drill the holes and then the tracks, because if you drill the small pitches, they detach. I learned it by making mistakes ... many. Congratulations on your video which also shows the errors ... and this is much more than just seeing a perfect video ...
Just an observation from a manual engraver. On my Taylor Hobson CXL engraver I use "fences " that slot in the bed slots
This keeps the workpiece straight to the bed and resists the work becoming loose when its being engraved
When cutting metals it is extremely important to properly set your spindle speed. This controls the velocity of the cutting edge through the metal. Small air cooled spindles operate at RPM's so high that you are limited to very small diameter tools. For instance, if your spindle is running at 24000 RPM you will not want to use a tool larger than about .010" (.254mm) in aluminum. Using too large of a tool will increase cut speed so high that it will quickly dull and start pushing around material instead of cutting it.
When using very small tools make sure they are of very high quality; miniature tools are difficult to properly manufacture. The last time I used a micro end mill I believe I paid $50 USD, (it was a .050" long reach reduced shank square mill i think), and snapped it in half 3/4 of the way though the job. Small tools are tricky to work with.
I would also recommend using liberal amounts of lubricant, tap magic is great for aluminum, but in the end this machine is simply too small to effectively use larger tools and will always struggle cutting metal no matter what modifications you make or tooling you select.
If you really want to cut metal pick up a mini mill with an R8 collet; that is about the bare minimum to make anything useful.
Even a gun ?
Nice CNC! You deserve many likes to contribute to the replacement of broken tools. That said: I think that for the use of conical tools you should take more into account that the plates are not completely flat, so you could use only very thin cylindrical tools and mill the material in successive passes of only 0.2 or 0.3 millimeters in order to preserve your expensive bits. Or you can previously map the surface of the plate and add the shape to your z coordinates so that the tool always penetrates the same depth into the plate
Professional engraver here. A tip for these engraving mill tips: use Rocol RTD Compound paste mixed with fuchs ecocut plus (or similar micro oil), mix them until you get a mix that has consistency of an egg yolk. you will vastly increase your tool life by applying a generous layer on the working surface. Also these engraving tips are very poorly sharpened out of the box. I use Kuhlmann SU2 - Diamond Edition to sharpen these, which ofc gives amazing end result, but you can get any generic tool grinder to give you much better results with the tool.
Put a nut or something like that underneath the opposite sides of your clamping washers to tilt them slightly down into your workpiece. You want the clamp force pushing down on the face of your work, not sideways on the edge
no he needs to learn what a step clamp is. it's what every machine shop in the world used to clamp work pieces.
Just a quick tip, always push the ER collet into the cap first until it snaps in and then screw it into the holder.
It's not a "quick tip" but only and standart way to do)))
"i don't want copper and fiberglass thrown in my lab..."
[moments later]
*blows on the dust"
And he has a handheld vacuum too. lol
and opens the box with a mini CHAINSAW!
best part is the wing nuts used as clamps... clearly never clamped anything on a mill or any other machine for that matter
I have 3 years of experience in aluminium CNC router machining. My best tips are the following :
- Use climb machining instead of conventional (climb leaves a clean surface finish on the parts' side of the cut)
- Use lubricant (such as water dliuted ones or wd-40, you can dilute wd-40 to save some money!)
With both of those tips, I kind you can machine pretty much anything out of aluminium!
Great video review by itself, but synchronising the music to the tie wrap snipping was hilarious and clever!!!
You mean the arm slicers he made.....
ALWAYS FLUSH CUT, YOU SAVAGE!
@@BusbyBiscuits we can't really tell from the vid
Ha... pretty much sums up my go at this too... Things I learned:
* The wrong g-code can pop the supply if you stall the motor. Did that on day 3. An old laptop supply ran it for a year until I built up something better.
* Wiring in a switch to cut the motor power is not a bad idea. (see above)
* I 3D printed a spindle, using fidget spinner bearings and an $8 collet holder with shaft, to double the collet speed. It helps. Also gives me more Z adjustment.
* Does foam really well, and it's surprisingly useful.
* Made a flexure spring in a housing to hold a drag knife... vinyl cutter to make my kid decals. WAY fun!
* Z-axis probes are dirt-cheap and make life easy. Port's right there on the main-board.
* PCBs if I'm in a rush... but, dang... blank boards cost pretty much what I can get a professionally done 2-layer, plated-hole, bit of near perfection.
* Printed and machined all manner of clamps and whatnot... end up using double-sided carpet tape most times.
These things are beasts when it comes to learning. Can't say that enough, I bought mine to teach me CNC milling and it's done that way beyond my expectations.
3:40 ok, reaaaally smooth editing
That sarcasm?
@@VoidException it was all in sync with the music
Very satisfying.
@@tstudiofilms Video editor here as well, late to the party but it's so satisfying to see it done properly! :)
I've got one, it works like a charm. I'm using KiCAD for design, export to Gerber, convert to HPGL using Sprint-Layout, convert to G-Code with my own Perl scripts and use bCNC for milling. So I can fine tune each step and have really good milling results. But there was a hard to find problem with the spindle motor driver; switching it on at high speed did a hard reset to the woodpecker board, it even destroyed the software in flash sometimes! So I implemented a ramp function.
It took me very long to find a good set of tools and parameters:
Milling path thickness: 0.25 mm
Milling bits: 30°, 0.2 mm
Milling depth: 0.16 mm
Soldering pads: always use the biggest ones :-)
Drilling bits: better use cylindrical milling bits because they produce a much smoother result on the backside of the board
I recently had some success milling a PCB. You should look into flatCAM to generate your gcode tool paths. Thanks for sharing
flatCAM was so easy to use!
I would also recommend FlatCAM. I have made a couple of tests with small boards (I find it eaiser to iterate -- and less waste) and for now I'm using 0.5mm for the traces. Also, in FlatCAM, use multiple passes (something like 5) with some overlap (30 - 40%) for the top/bottom layers. Use the calculator tool to calculate the tool diameter when using those V-bits. And DON'T MILL WITHOUT AN HEIGHTMAP!
First I wanted a CNC. Then I needed one. Now, after watching this whole video all the while feeling very satisfied, I REALLY want and need a CNC.
Your excitement during the video made me want to watch more of your videos. so you got a subscriber :)
8:08 “Oh shit it’s doing something!” Love it!
Just when I was rolling my eyes looking at the you trying to open the package with crowbar, you pulled out the chain saw.
RESPECT !
Yup. Someone's been watching AvE.
@@MrCoalcracker79 Thats what popped into my head as well!
Your background music reminds me of some stuff played in a videogame I once used to play. Also, I like your sense of humor.
Sanfrancisco rush!!
It reminds me of porn music back in the day:)
Terraria!
Impressive for such a "cheap" machine. As someone who works with full-size industrial CNC machines, that little one really rocks for home use!
Tip - when machining aluminum, use a cutting fluid (if desperate, even WD-40 or maybe even some dish soap). Aluminum gets "sticky" when it is cut and it will build up on the flutes of your end mills and drills.
Also, if you use a shim along side each of your thumbscrew "clamps", and bridge the washer between the shim and your part, you will have less of a chance for the part to shift or come loose.
Happy machining!!!
The chatter in that spindle when you milled the aluminum, sent shivers through me while my teeth we're chattering along.
I do love these little engravers that get pressed into service as CNC routers.. :)
Surprising what you can do with one is you want to spend the time nursing it along.
As a lot of other commenters have said you need to get your Z height spot on.
Also looks like your blank stock was warped in that first test which will cause you no end of problems.
As for the chatter on the sindle.. That what more expensive machines are for or look for slop in all the linear bearings, backlash in the drive system and make sure everything's tight.
Then mount the whole unit to something really substantial it will help with the chatter.
As soon as I heard you laughing at your own mistakes, I subbed. If you can’t laugh at your own errors, what fun is life?
This thing has a lot of hack potential. Some longer extrusion beams and extra bracing wouldn't be to expensive
I would advise the Red or even Blue anodized all metal 1310 versions. The blue ones have actual linear rails too. Add one of those yummie S4225 spindles and you have an insane mini cnc.
made a large CNC router for my dad. my version 3 now uses 10' x 1" galvanized steel with 608 skate bearings. mostly hardware store build now :)
Is this just for PCB making your talking about?
@@drawincode1800 if your question was meant for me. Then yes mostly but it could do other things also. My main use would indeed be that but there is nothing stopping you from doing other things with it. The only real cruncher is S4225 spindles have ER8 collets, not ER11 so only up to what 5mm shank tools? For small CNC's rarely an issue.
YOu have to be careful with longer extrusions: that means more flex and less accuracy. You have to increase the cross section per increase in length. You should also go rectangle instead of square. I built mine with 80/20 2" x 6" 3 web I beam. I used their calculator to determine I would get .001" of deflection in the middle with 300 lbs of pressure.
Same advice : I obtained nice results with kiCAD, flatcam and bCNC. I design my circuits and PCBs with KiCAD (0.8mm tracks, 0.4 mm clearance, single cooper only on b side), export the pcbs and cutout files as gerber, and drill files as excellon. Then import gerber and excellon in flatcam, invert (flip around Y axis cooper and cutout files). Generate geometry files and tool paths. Milling : 1) For the tracks I use a V shaped tool, 20degrees, diameter 0.1mm, cutZ -2.4mm, feedrate 120; three passes with 40% overlap. 2) For drilling I use a 0.9mm drill bit. 3) for cutout, last tool is a 1mm corn to cutout the whole PCB. 3 passes. After milling, use fine sandpaper to clean cooper surface and cooper mashes. Solder with care, use rosin.
With these tools and parameters, I was able to create PCBs for an arduino-nano-powered programmer for ATTiny85 and another programmer for ATMega328P. I also milled several circuits for ATTiny85 and ATMega328P. Good enough for my purposes.
I forgort something essential : bCNC allows to probe the cooper surface of the PCB you are about to mill. Connect a wire to the PCB and a wire to the tool, probe the surface and allow bCNC to re-calculate the coordinates of your tool milling. It is mandatory if you want to obtain accurate results.
The first 10 seconds is me every single morning haha.
you decide to buy a mill every morning? :)
Patrick LMAO 🤣 I at least WISH I was buying a mill every morning!!!!
Not sure what others have posted but as someone who has used engraving routers for years my input would be, The FIRST most IMPORTANT thing is a DEAD FLAT BASE.
You can see in the video that the thumb screws are bowing your work piece. Get a flat platten or mill your own and use silicone deck cover and edge blocks. Pointed tools are not great for controlling width. The slightly deeper the MUCH more wider.
This unit is 50 times less expensive as the one I am using now and it looks like it is comparable.
Have fun,
Try flatcam for gcode generation ;) I would also recommend using the probing/grid interpolation feature of you grblcontrol software (candle). With this I managed to get really fine traces with 0.05 mm depth of cut ;) another tip is using the highest rpm possible and not cutting too slow. For finishing i used WD40 in combination with scotch pads. I hope this helps you a little bit on your prototyping journey ;)
I just milled a piece of HDPE plastic on my machine then I mount the board to that. I use dabs of hot glue on the edges to hold it down. It peels right off.
Bitluni’s lab I have no idea about milling and building PCB’s, but I watched the whole video because your enthusiasm was so great. Thanks
It’s built of a cheaper Chinese version of 80/20’s extrusions, as so many Chinese products are in the 3D printer and small engraver/mill market. Substitute a small laser model from eBay, and you’ve got a laser engraver.
Those “ pointy” bits are engraver bits, not milling bits. Be careful how you use them. And NEVER use an engraving bit, even the heavier ones, for milling. The bits with the cross hatched cutting edges are also not milling bits.
By the way, you need carbide bits for anything with fiberglass, as steel bits will wear out very quickly. I don’t know what your bits are made from. You need a proper plunge bit for metal. Those bits you’re using are “die” bits. Not designed for what you’re doing. Buy carbide bits with two flutes for aluminum. Make sure they are made for plunge cutting. Take slow cuts, and think about using some small amount of cutting fluid do the bits won’t become clogged with the aluminum you’re cutting. This is a problem with softer aluminum alloys such as 1001, 3003, etc. don’t use cardboard or something soft beneath. Elevate the part above the surface, and let it cut through so chips will fall out.
Anyone who uses bionic sound effects is #1 in my book. Subscribed.
As soon as I saw the crowbar... I knew I was in for a ride. Seconds later... he pulls out the chainsaw. Right on ...
This is my first time ever watching one of your videos not only was it incredibly well done but it inspired me. Inspiration is a priceless thing. If you have a patrion I would like to chip in a bit, and if I never get the opportunity I want to at least thank you for posting, I know you put in some work to make this video.
I spray WD40 on my board before I start milling, it keeps the dust down and lubricates the tool tip..
Always good to keep your tool lubed up.
All the WD40 is not going to help a burr cut aluminum.
@@leoblazer74 you would be surprised, wd40 is generally considered kinda useless as a lube, crappy as a penetrant, ok as a cleaner, but what it does excel at? is cutting aluminium.
@@deadprivacy no it's still bad at that even. get the proper cutting fluid.
all you guys are idiots. let the man use his wd40 and shut up
Small tip I wish I came across earlier: You're not supposed to put the collet in the chuck and screw the nut on, but rather first push the collet firmly into the nut, until it snaps into the excentric ring, and then you screw the nut with the collet into the chuck. That way, the nut pulls the collet out of the tapered chuck when you unscrew everything.
Great Video
Also In GRBL control software that you are using there is also option for Auto levelling (heightmap) use that feature for even milling result also i would suggest FlastCam for Gcode of Circuit
Regarding Autolevel if you face hard time finding pins on the Board its usually A5 of the Atmega328 controller and it detect the limit when A5 is grounded
i love how the combining of the parts and the music combines perfectly
bought and build one when I was drunk. Nice to see it's able to work properly
😂😂😂
Greetings from a CNC machinist from Germany 😎 Love this stuff so much! 🥰
I need to "cut" thin sheets out of aluminum and maybe very thin steel and copper. Is this working with such a mill? I looks okay with the aluminum, but what about the edges? How precise is it with thinner plates (sheets) and going through?
pretty darn cool for the price despite its small quirks and drawbacks its still hard to believe they can design, manufacture , and ship the package for that price i do like all your comments and tips plus that you went ahead and used all the least expensive tooling etc you could find online i’m a retired Woodworker and i think this little set up would be a good thing to have in many home shops
Bitluni: Watch this!
JLC PCB: Am I a joke to you?
Haha!
Well isn't that nice ? Local autonomous production of PCBs instead of depending on Chinese (or anyone) and global supply chains to do prototypes or small batches. Smaller carbon footprint too :)
But local production of components is another story, building ICs is still far from a 150€ aliexpress machine lol
@@douras96 Making 6 mil PCB's is apparently also way out of reach of a 150€ aliexpress machine.
Over the years, I've tried all imaginable methods of making PCB's. There is only one way that really works... JCLPCB, PCBWay and other similar suppliers.
Why fuck around with anyhting when you can get 5 high def PCB's in a couple of days for $5 (or $2 even).
Haha :D
@@yippiekayeah Why live, when we are all going to die anyway? (cause we can...)
Hey now! This may be useful to you. I recommend using a larger sacrificial board, and mounting your workpiece to this with 3m thin double sided tape. Then you wont have the piece running off on you when you finish cutting it, and it will be easier to lock down the larger sacrificial board to the machine
3:41 nice editing of actions to match the music beats!
A little hint. Drill the holes first, then they won't want to remove your pads. Also, clearing the dust away, with a vacuum or blowing system while cutting can improve the quality of the finished product.
I love it, the AvE method of opening a box.... aaand..........done!
"aaaaaaand time!"
I would recommend some ER11 collets for a 6mm cutter and a 6mm shank T slot cutter. The ER11 collet is essential. Bolt some MDF (minimum thickness 19mm) to the spoil plate and recess the bolt heads into the MDF then level the MDF with the T-slot cutter. Stick the board to the MDF with double sided tape as clamping the edges causes the centre of the board to rise up giving deeper and thus wider cuts. OK if you have very wide tracks and good separation. Spindle RPM needs to be 100% which is still a bit slow. Took me a long time to get everything right, but I am getting some very good results with one of these. One thing to beware of is the motor spindle not running true. I tried 3 motors before I got one right. The 30 degree tips will cut a very shallow cut with the one pass if the board is stuck firmly enough.
That opening meme --> instant like 😂
3.5 minutes into this and I’m so impressed I had to comment 😍 you have improved video editing skills so much in such little time!
“充此停机” means 'the machine' stops running from now on, I don't get the meaning behind it as well even though I am a Chinese
* 从此停机
I thinks this should speaking by this machine: I’m so tried and need sleeping now forever
@@benbencom That's right
It's true for most people. They try it once and then it is placed on the shelf and never used again.
Maybe the machine got multiple switches and it's to label the first thing to shut down, as 从此 can mean "from here". Maybe it's for something that didn't got a PLC inside so it needs manual execution of the shutdown routine, I don't know.
Liked when you opened the package with a crowbar and chainsaw. Subscribed when you threw that cable at poor Wilhelm. Awesome video! Thanks for sharing!
Bitluni: I don't want fiberglass bits flying around.
Also Bitluni: Takes freshly milled PCB and blows the fiberglass dust off right outside the machine enclosure...
Micromachining is Super fun. Once you get the feeds and speeds Down, you will have a lot of fun.
When I started out in school, I was snapping 1/2” endmills, left and right. As I slowly Learned my feeds and speeds, I was able to run a .047” endmill no problem.
You had me at the chainsaw.
I have a similar machine and faced a similar leveling problem. After months of trial and error, I used the screws to screw down a 6mm MDF board on the bottom plate and fixed another MDF board on top of it with nails. Then I used the router to level the top MDF board. This way the work area is completely flat wrt the milling head. I simply staple the pcb to the top board with a staple gun and I am ready to rumble.
Also where possible, I try to use 1mm (40 mil) traces.
Ahhh! You trim zipties like a monster!
But fun video like always. I have been eyeing these machines for a while but have yet to pull the trigger. Quality is better then I expected.
You have some of the coolest music out there. I learn so much from watching your videos, thank you and keep it up!
try jto use rubbing alcohol as lubricany when milling aluminun it stops the melting "burned look"
Um......so, it gets hot and you suggest putting alcohol on it? Why not some oil?
@@ChristopherCobra Because oil makes a big mess and forms a grinding paste when mixed with abrasive particles like glass fibre. Alcohol is water soluble and will evaporate by itself eventually, much more suitable for this kind of work. He's not engraving/milling any materials that will create sparks so it's quite safe.
When I used to machine aluminium the best "Cutting Fluid" for aluminium was Kerosene!
You will get noticeably better results if you use oil such as WD-40 to lube the cutter. Of course it is somewhat messy but the lube really makes the cutter work much better.
The Chinese word means "Henceforth the machine stops". Wow why would anyone include this as test print?
maybe "done" instead of "stops"?
@@contractorwolf No stop is correct, once you use the machine and it stops it never works again ;)
Could this be a version of "NOW you broke it..."? 😁
@@contractorwolf "停机" means "(to) stop the machine", like, you shut the power off.
My theory is that the seller was making a sign to put on a machine (maybe also doubles as an on-site demo) and he just burn the whole folder of the tool into a disc before shipping, which included that file.
I never realised that watching cable ties being cut to the beat was so satisfying!
everyone: uses giant Knife to open Boxes
Bitluni: Uses Crowbar and Chainsaw to open Boxes
Have you ever tried to cut that tape... Its like its made from Kevlar!
Everyone thinks they need to have a “thing” of their own in these videos.
Hasn't wached AvE
Funniest video I have seen in a good while. I have not used a CNC machine before, but, after seeing this educational tutorial, I think I am ready. And I have the chainsaw all set.
6:58 - I literally laughed loud at that one xD "Chineesium". Genious.
it's literally a 15-20 year old saying dude.
AvE.
my reaction as a cnc milling technician: it's SOOOOOOO cute. but hey, for that ridicolous small price, it is most definitely awesome.
One milling bit is more expensive than this thing. lol
Here's the real question: can you make an ar15 lower receiver with it!?
no
Its too tiny.
Man all these year i have been using a box opener, then i saw your video and a new dawn for me on opening boxes. Thanks mate.l😁👍
Just buy soviet drill bits. You can't break it!
I used to work for a German company and we would go and assemble big injection moulding machines. They were less complicated to assemble lol.Great stuff by the way,
thank you.
Instead of using the wanker milling clamps (wingnuts & washers, seriously 🤯) try some double stick tape. Or possibly a few drops of CA glue
2 words: Hot. Glue.
Use a piece of equal thickness material on the opposite side of each clamping washer to give tight clamps that are even.
Also, use a small aquarium pump to blow away dust and chips while cutting. Run the tubing to travel with the Z-head just a bit higher than the mill end. It doesn't have to be perfectly aligned with the mill's tip.
higher than the work piece. the fulcrum effect.
Thank you for the video! Next project: build a new and more efficient vacuum cleaner :-)
I bought a larger one years ago from a Chinese supplier. I've made my share of mistakes and know the limitations.
I use a SW tool called CopperCAM to create the isolation paths from my Gerber files.
I use a tool called MACH3 by Artsoft to run the machine.
I didn't like the controller I got, so I replaced it with one called "GeckoDrive" (or something like that).
You have to control the "depth" very carefully to get good results. I still need a faster tool motor. A cheap one doesn't turn fast enough to get good milling for the fine detail you need. I used to use a high quality tool like this made by LPKF, but they're expensive. They're worth the money though.
Opening the box with a chainsaw...the word chinesium...watched to much AvE i guess...
I WAS YELLING IN LAUGHT.. when the cables was cut and fixed in perfect beat with the music !! love that kind of details.. ha ha perfect..
0:46 Gordon "Bitluni" Freeman
Yeah with a touch of AvE fruther on :D
@@gatisozols AvE uses a mini chainsaw to open boxes, he went a step further and used a regular size chainsaw. I guess doing it the EEVblog way with a big knife is too repetitive after SexyCyborg and The Current Source did their takes on it...
Exactly my thought!
Colin bitluni Furze!
The last bit that you used was for pcb fiberglass and other stuff like wood. The end of the bit contains a "fishtail" ending. Btw, fishtail bits arent meant to drill holes. So when doing routing, same size drill bit is used to make pilot holes to the pcb so that the milling bit doesnt have to drill its hole.
And for routing pure metal parts you want to use a bit that has 2 cutting flutes that go slightly twisted around. And those bits don't have drill bit ending either, so it would be better to go down to the depth of cut first outside the object you cut, then moving around in x and y only.
4:51 means "Machine will stop working forever"
ROFL. Now I know why I fried the electronics board after the first test with this machine!
@@Pulsar2000 Was that your fault or did it do that by itself?
@@NightmareQueenJune I have no idea. I did 1 or 2 milling tests and the electronics was bricked. I tried a lot of stuff, even flashing the MCU with a new firmware. Didn't work. I contacted the seller. They send me a replacement board for free. This one was fine.
Why? Novice here, so don't know what you are seeing that I'm not.
I purchase such Woodpecker CNC (3018) machine because of your video, it seems a little different. Larger frame 360x330mm, nicer cables, different screws , different board and different bed (made out of two parts that isn't explained how to connect together - weird). I ordered a combopack, with a 25W blue laser and paid 190 euros with shipping. I had the same like you, packed upside down.
It takes me 3 evenings (!) to build it, fun however a little too long. I had some problems because the documention was incomplete (and russian, no english instruction videos and some links not working) and different screws (no inbus). I had a bag of screws, too much screws, very confusing. No perfect screws for some of the PLA plastic parts, too big or too short. I had some problems with the alignment of the bed. My advise will be to build the two frames separately (do not follow the manual) before joining these together, this makes it much easier to build especially the drill head frame.
Because of my experience I like to warn people that are not that technically skilled , documentation can be weak or missing and software (and firmware) can be outdated (2015,2016) and some errors in production (not manufacturing). Hardware quality is fine however you need to figure out some things yourself because of language, missing information, incompatibilty or confusing. In my case, I really don't know how to install the laser, no info to this model. No info at all.
The software looks the same but all of the software seems to made for laser however not for drilling (CNC)? Do I miss something? What is the exact software (on the CD) you are using?
Thanks for any answer ;-) Great video anyway ;-)
it's a great video but the music is way louder than spoken parts, forcing to manipulate volume while watching.
If you have enough clearance, the burr end mills you have can be used for milling the PCB trace outlines. I've had some success with 0.8mm burrs, but you have to watch the speeds/ feeds.
On that count, the first runs you did looked way too slow on the spindle speed. It may have been the camera frame rate making it look slow, but crank it up as high as it'll go.
I quickly cringed hard when I saw that ordinary DC motor used in toys this is supposed to function as a spindle...
Its an engraver and that motor will be fine for that usage..
Its the incorrect seller listing that made me cringe.. 'CNC Mill' :D
@@TheWebstaff technically it is milling : "Milling is the process of machining using rotary cutters to remove material by advancing a cutter into a work piece."
@@TheWebstaff I mean, price considered... I'd say this isn't half bad.
Yeah the poor DC motor, and most brushless ones too, can't handle those transverse loads in metal. PCB should be fine though, depending what the runout is on that thing which could be why the cuts are so wide. Should be able to do better than 0.5mm, although not much on a mill. I'm so tempted now to give this another shot, although I got quite good at photo lithography etching it's still a labour intensive process with a lot of room for mistakes.
The real issue with this machine is the z axis is unfixable. it has slop that is impossible to remove.
I paused the video at 1:06 seconds. I just wanted to say this is the first video of yours I have seen, and you earned your like very early. Anyone that opens a box with a chainsaw, gets a like instantly.