The Milling Machine
Care and Maintenance of Milling Cutters The life of a milling cutter can be greatly prolonged by intelligent use and proper storage. Take care to operate the machine at the proper speed for the cutter being used, as excessive speed will cause the cutter to wear rapidly from overheating. Take care to prevent the cutter from striking the hard jaws of the vise, chuck, clamping bolts, or nuts. Whenever practical, use the proper cutting oil on the cutter and workpiece during operations, since lubrication helps prevent overheating and cutter wear. Keep cutters sharp. Dull cutters require more power to drive and this power, being transformed into heat, softens the cutting edges. Thoroughly clean and lightly coat milling cutters with oil before storing. Place cutters in drawers or holders so that their cutting edges will not strike each other. Never operate a cutter backwards.
Checklist Before you enter work area Put on safety glasses Tie back loose hair and clothing Remove jewelry including rings, bracelets, and wristwatches Do not use any piece of equipment until instructor has demonstrated proper operational procedures and individual safety rules Do not use any equipment or tools that are broken and report any broken equipment or tools immediately
Checklist Before machining a part While setting up work, install the cutter last to avoid being cut. When installing or removing milling cutters, always hold them with a rag to prevent cutting your hands. Make sure you have the correct tool for the job. Secure the tool properly. Make sure all tool positions have been properly initialized. Verify the NC program on the computer before machining. Remove all loose parts and pieces from the machine. Remove adjusting keys and wrenches from the machine. Close the safety shield.
Checklist Before machining a part Perform a dry run. Set the spindle motor switch to lowest manual speed setting. Make certain there is no work piece in place. Run the NC program to make sure all the moves make sense before running the program with a work piece in place. After completing the dry run, properly secure the work piece to the machine. Keep fluids away from all electrical connections, electronic or electrical devices, the computer, and nearby electrical outlets.
While machining a part Checklist Do not touch moving or rotating parts. Do not place or remove anything from the work area while machine is running. Press the Emergency Stop button before re-opening the safety shield. Only open the safety shield after the spindle has stopped rotating. Press the Emergency Stop button whenever changing tools or mounting or removing a work piece. Pull the Emergency Stop button out only after closing the safety shield. Keep all unauthorized persons away from the work area. Always leave work area clean and orderly.
CNC Speed and Feed Capabilities Lab Volt 5600 Rapid Traverse Speed 508 mm/min 20 in/min X Range -- 178 mm (7 in) Y Range 102 mm (4 in) Z Range -- 203 mm (8 in) Speed Range 0 3,400 RPM
Lab Volt 5600 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Z Axis Stepper Drive Motor Safety Shield Cross Slide Spindle Motor Spindle Head X Axis Stepper Drive Motor Y Axis Stepper Drive Motor 2 3 1 4 5 7 6
Manual Control Panel Manual Feed Rate Entry Manual Spindle Speed Entry Emergency Stop X,Y,Z Axis Manual Jog Digital Control Screen/Display
Other Vises / Hold Downs Low Profile Clamping Kit One Axis Pneumatic Vise Step Blocks and Strap Clamps 2 Axis Pneumatic Vise
Lab Volt 5600 Pneumatic Vise (One Axis)
Loading / Changing a Quick Change Collet Move the Z axis to a safe location Press the emergency button Open the safety shield Press pin on Easy Change turn spindle, and remove tool/collet
Easy Change Spindle Press in Pin fully Turn Easy Change Collet to the right Remove the tool To insert new tool, align notches with slots in collet Pin Spindle Tool/Collet
Mill 5 Home Screen
Tool Bar
Starting a New Program Script Program: provides access to the Line Editor for editing a G and M code part program, one line at a time. Block Part: provides access to the Block Editor for editing blocks of G and M commands, and setting the parameters required for each G or M command.
Starting a New Program Cont. Selecting either script or block will open up the program information Here, information such as absolute, or incremental referencing can be selected, along with units of measurement and part zero
Machine Zero / Home +Y +Z +X -X -Y -Z
Part Zero +Z +Y -X +X -Y -Z
Part Reference Zero (PRZ) Position Zp Front View Work Piece Xp (0,0,0) PRZ Position Note: x offset = y offset = D/2 z offset= 0
Part Reference Zero (PRZ) Position Top View Yp D= tool diameter (0,0,0) PRZ Position - x offset = D/2 Work Piece Cutting Tool Ym Xm Machine Axes - y offset = D/2 Xp Part Axes
Part Reference Zero (PRZ) Position This feature is allows the software and mill to know what size material will be cut. For example, by typing in Z+,0 and Z-,-0.5, the software knows the part reference zero is on the top, and the material is.5 inches thick.
Send the Mill to a point above the x and Y zero to make sure the center of the cutting tool is over the top front corner. Checking PRZ
CNC Machine Axes -X +Z -Z +Y -Y +X PRZ Part Reference Zero Origin 0,0,0
Environment Setup Environment Setup allows you to Change the language the software runs in, specify the folder in which new part programs are saved, and edit the default foreground and background colors used for the Line Editor display.
This feature allows you to choose how the software communicates with the mill through the desired Serial Port Machine Setup
This feature allows changes to the tool size to be used in the 3D rendering Advanced Mill Setup
This feature sets up the actual tool used for the program, including bit diameter, nose type, and offset Tool Table
This feature allows you to select the material to be cut and the feed rate and speed rates for cutting Materials Setup
Allows changes to be made which are viewed in the 3D rendering Rendering
Emulation Screen -The emulation screen allows the program to be previewed, showing an animation of all toolpaths, and a view of the finished product. -Changes can be made to the program after viewing the emulation, such as tool selection, depth of cut, and spacing of designs