So I was gonna make this a two question post, but I did one last search before posting (Just in case!)
and I think I have the first question answered. It concerned Z-axis upgrades as I am at the end of my chain with the standard Z/rigid thread snapping loose headache.)
(For future viewers of this post, I found this: (Pretty excited myself to find it as I really was not looking forward to building another tool right now.
Where is the meme for âTake my $$â ? (referencing above link)
At time of this writing, I need to get in the queue to order one.
Originally I was gonna ask here about a condensed version/materials list concerning the Meticulous Z, as my brain is full from reading THAT thread twice)
2nd questionâŠMight anyone have suggestions on good spindles (Assume I will get the above Z-kit or build a Meticulous Z.)
Looking for something that goes way slower then 10,000rpm. (Globs of ABS hanging onto the router bit, then flying off and spinning around inside the guard area is not a fun experience.)
Note: I did several passes (.05")w 6mm bit on .25" ABS, and while it lessened the chance of melting/sticking globs, it did not lessen it 100%
just a note that you can adjust the min/max speed of the rigid router, there is
a thread on how you can take the plastic top off the router and slow it down to
at least 8000 rpm (I donât remember if it would go slower than that)
there are a lot of cheap brushless dc spindles available in the ~$150 range,
look at the er chuck size to make sure it will handle the bit size you want
i cut 1/8" abs using a 3mm single flute bit in one pass running over 10K rpm.
Using a single flute is key because it takes out a big chunk instead of just building up heat. I think if you use a smaller single flute bit you will get better results with a deeper plunge. 0.05" will just scratch the surface up and melt it, you need to get deep enough where chips actually fly off.
as far as spindles go ,not many people use them. have have a seperate power supply and controller and that makes for a mess of wiring IMHO. though they are lighter. I tried a 400w one and it was a little under powered a 600w mght work,
Dlang, Thank you for that most interesting info on the router speed adjustment. That will be my first todo for the weekend.
aluminumwelder. I will have to check my bits again. (got a feeling they are not the correct type for ABS/styrene)
When I started out cutting the ABS, my first bit was a run of the mill standard router straight bit and I pretty well went HAWG wild with it . It cut thru easy enough, but the second a little abs got warm and stuck, it just balled up and globbed from there. So onto Amazon, and picked up : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SMDPF4I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I definitely like the smaller waste cut size, tho the 1.5mm didnt do ANYTHING for ABS or any material that can melt (Pink panther foam (XPS) & styrene come to mind.
Iâll look around for a single flute and try that. otherwise, its spindle search for me.
abs melts easily as you have found out. therefore the chips need to be big enough that they fly away from the material.
unfortunately 1/16" is too small. 4mm, 5mmm, or 6mm single flute bits allow big enough chunks to be cut out and tossed away so they do not melt.
you can buy a spindle and it may you to more easily get cuts, but there is no reason why your current router with the right bits should not work. I would get the er-16 collets on amazon for the above metric sizes, they are around $10. I personally like 4mm.
Aluminumwelder,
Thank you for that tip. I am looking on Amazon currently. Might I ask if you have a link to the collets/bits you like best? If not, no biggy, I just could spend way too long reading the data on all the different selectionsâŠ
Found these. Gonna give em a try and report back in this thread.) Iâd still be interested in what you use, if you are interested in sharing that data.
Wanted to drop a reply in here, first to let you all know I really appreciated your replies with recommended tooling. Very helpful!
And secondly to let anyone (newb like me,etc) know that the above items in the links work a treat on ABS!
Sooo happy, no globbing or melting!
Weird thing is, and I am no mathematician, but I actually had to speed my router up rpms UP to keep it from âchatteringâ , no biggy, just more things that make my grey matter confused after reading up on router speeds/cut ratesâŠso to the rest of the newbs, if I may offer a suggestion, save yourself some time, read up on what you are getting into, but donât blow a week on reading every white paper/operation manual out there (less that is your thing), get the machine running and experiment, as I found between âbook theoryâ and realityâŠwell, the real world throws some mighty curve balls into the works once the rubber meets the road.
5 min of real-world throws 5hrs/5days of reading out the window sometimesâŠ<<
. It cut thru easy enough, but the second a little abs got warm and stuck, it just balled up and globbed from there. So onto Amazon, and picked up :
