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  1. Wick Craft

    Why do people dislike BobCad

    I can't speak on their CAD, but their CAM plugins for Rhino and Solidworks are pretty darn good; especially when considering the price.
  2. Wick Craft

    When can you call yourself a machinist

    Yup! No question about it. Depending on the level of complexity determines the level of machinist you really are.... but wait....I've seen a five axis programmer who couldn't handle simple ops on a manual mill/lathe or vs/vrsa. Now what?
  3. Wick Craft

    "Spotless rinse" DI filter for coolant?

    Great suggestion! Definitely going to be looking into this. Thanks!
  4. Wick Craft

    Surface finish on circles fadal vmc 15xt

    You say no chatter. How do you know? Cause you can't hear it? That finish has chatter written all over it. Try reducing RPM or increasing your feed. If your inside radii will allow it, use a larger EM with the least amount of stick out and watch your finish improve significantly.
  5. Wick Craft

    "Spotless rinse" DI filter for coolant?

    I use a 7 stage RODI system from LiquaGen. I purchased it off Amazon for sub ~$300. I have a charcoal based RV filter (overkill) plumbed upstream from this system which flows into a 30 gallon conical tank w/valve at bottom. For shutoff control, I used a simple 110/120v solenoid valve rigged to a...
  6. Wick Craft

    BEST METHOD for cleaning coolant-machined Al parts for blasting and anodization??

    A thorough degreasing step must be completed prior to and after the blasting stage for a couple of reasons. The main reason is to avoid imbedding contaminants into the surface of the aluminum, which you won't be able to see with the naked eye. Once the part is dipped into whatever etch or...
  7. Wick Craft

    BEST METHOD for cleaning coolant-machined Al parts for blasting and anodization??

    Right off the mill, place parts in a water bucket, leave them there until next step. Place parts in a heated and agitated tank with 1:3 ratio of simple green concentrate to DI, RODI, or distilled water. Rack your parts, submerge in this tank at 140 F for approx 15 minutes (no, it won't etch your...
  8. Wick Craft

    Coolant Filtering Advice

    Did you happen to notice any decrease in coolant flow with your setup?
  9. Wick Craft

    Ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning coolant off parts

    You have to be careful with ultrasonics and raw aluminum. If left in too long (just a few minutes), or too high of frequency, it will make little white "blooms" all over your parts. Years ago, I had a 15 gallon rectangular polypropylene tank that had a little giant 750 gph pump attached to it...
  10. Wick Craft

    6061 Roughing End Mill Suggestions

    You're going to get an assload of opinions on this question. Too many variables to give an accurate recommendation. FWIW, for roughing in 6061, I use the shortest possible LOC EM (part/stock dependent) on a Maritool 38 degree Helix 3 flute ZRN with a CR of 0.030. I push until just before the...
  11. Wick Craft

    New amazing coolant? Or maybe....

    I've been using 77 in all my machines for well over a year now on the same initial charges, only top-offs since. No rancid funk, no staining on my Al parts. For initial charges I used carbon filtered tap water. For top offs I use RODI water. No problems whatsoever; definitely happy with it's...
  12. Wick Craft

    First robot suggestions?

    I thought about dicking around with one of these to feed a VF-2 with Air Vises: ROBOT KITS | Annin Robotics Can be fabbed with a 7th axis track to drive into the enclosure. Dude sells an aluminum frame kit for a reasonable price. Looks like it can be "all in" for $3-5K . I believe it can do a...
  13. Wick Craft

    Teach me about rule dies

    I've tackled similar projects with a 1/2" shank drag knife/ER holder in a VMC. Faced a thick piece of Delrin as a base, used very thin double sided clear tape on top, layed the material on top of the delrin, ran a cut program, peeled off completed parts. I make one-off or short run gaskets this...
  14. Wick Craft

    Haas tl2 spindle repair

    If I remember correctly, it is a cartridge style assembly. I had the bearings replaced on a 2010 TL-2 after running the ever living shit out of it (K's and K's of hours). Price tag w/install was around $6k IIRC. Vaguely remember the tech removing the retaining ring(s), removing the old...
  15. Wick Craft

    Haas Chatter

    Way too slow FPT for a finish pass, IMO. For that high of helix EM, you need at least 0.002-0.004 FPT on a final pass to get a good finish. Have you played with bumping your feedrate? As a baseline I'd be running this @ 70-100 ipm @10K for 6061 or 7075.
  16. Wick Craft

    Laser Engraving machine recommendations

    I've been eyeballing CO2 lasers lately. Mainly for marking anodized aluminum and cutting rubber gaskets (EPDM) up to 0.125 thick. I have a few questions: For a dyed anodized surface, is Ceramark needed? Or does the laser bleach the dye leaving an "unetched" surface, but still marked? Also, how...
  17. Wick Craft

    Who has a decent face mill around 2"

    I've had the same issue with full width face cuts; however, I have no problems side/profile milling 0.500 DOC w/0.2-0.300 stepover @ 180-220 ipm in aluminum. I dunno....It's weird. OP, if you decide to go with a "ripper" mill, Haas sells the same Korloy Facemill and inserts (as latheinserts.com...
  18. Wick Craft

    Best Tool holding for CNC Milling

    I use all types of tool holders; shrinks, ERs, side locks, and hydraulics. I am only going to comment on the ERs since I see a lot of people hating on them recently. To begin with, you need to know how to use them. To start, make sure the cutter size is within range of the collet. Don't just...
  19. Wick Craft

    Cleaning CNC Machined parts

    Agree with the above posters in that heated Ultrasonic cleaners are the way to go. A dual frequency unit is best. Use the lower frequency for softer metals and higher frequency for steels, etc. Using the higher frequency with softer metals (i.e. aluminum) will etch the surface leaving little...
  20. Wick Craft

    New amazing coolant? Or maybe....

    I'm a fan. I've been using the Sterling Cool 77 for about 9 months now in a VF-2 and TM-2P cutting mostly aluminum/non-ferrous. It performs just as well as any other coolant I have used. The fragrance is only strong when you mix the first initial batch, then dissipates to a very faint aroma...

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