Designing a new printer, need Alu Plate machined

[Kyle]

Hi guys,

I'm working on a new design for a 3d printer and I need a 1' square, 1/4" thick aluminum plate machined for a build plate support. Does anyone know how I could best get this done (preferably cheaply)?

It's not a very complex design, just holes drilled in and material cut out for weight reduction where a lot of strength isn't needed. I looked at emachineshop.com, and it looked like it could be made for around $125, but I'd rather use someone local. If I just had access to a mill I could just do it myself, but I don't know of anyone that owns a mill.

[David Corley]

Hi Kyle

I have a bridgeport mill and could do it for you.  But not for a few weeks.  I just moved and my shop is a mess.

Let me know if that time frame works for you.

David

314 974-0176

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David Corley
(314) 974-0176
http://www.linkedin.com/in/davidcorley

[keb...@mst.edu]

Hi David!

I'm not in a huge rush; I'm still hammering out the overall details of my design for the printer, but I'd like to have everything ready for assembly by Christmas, if possible. I've got the week between Christmas and New Years off work, so I'm looking to that as a dedicated build time.

Here's what I have for the support plate so far. Units are in mm, but the entire thing will be cut out of a 12"x12" plate that I'll likely order from McMaster or similar.

Touch base with me when you get your shop together again and we can discuss compensation. Thanks for your quick response! It's good to know that the maker community is finally starting to bloom here in the St. Louis area.

Cheers,

Kyle

314.609.2520

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[Kyle E Butts]

Here's another rendering of the part that I'd like to have made, and one of the current assembly. Note that the teal flanged bushing is threaded for a lead screw. This will be the driving rod that raises and lowers the build platform.

Best Regards,

Kyle Butts

[Myles Farrell]

In theory you should be able to do this on the shapeoko as well. You would have to take care to get the tool paths, spindle speed, cut rates and depth correct though. I think the worst case scenario is you would break a cutter in which case you can take it to the bridgeport and finish with a bigger cutter. I would be interested in see how it went if you decide to go this route.

Myles

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[Andrew Ricke]

Depends on the grade of aluminum. The dremel doesn't handle well in aluminum and is much more sensitive to un-level variations of the rails and machine. 

Very small range of error on feeds and speeds. 

At least that has been my woes.  I need to get another Sheet and practice some more now I've improved my bed leveling. 

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[Keith Rogers]

Cool project!  My two cents..  The ideal tool for this would be water jet and I think there are some local water jet outfits that do one-off's for people.  The holes could all be drilled on a drill press and would ideally be done that way vs cnc profile cutting if you want to ensure round holes.  Layout the locations, center punch, center drill, and drill through working your way up from ~1/8th to full size.  You could also avoid the bigger tools altogether by similarly drilling out the corners of your triangles and then cutting out the remaining profiles with a jig saw.  A bit off topic, but on the overall design, it might be worth considering using thinner al sheet with a flange down each side (lower weight with reasonable stiffness and less fab effort). -Keith

On Wed, Nov 11, 2015 at 2:00 PM, Kyle <keb...@mst.edu> wrote:

[Myles Farrell]

Yeah I meant to capitalize IN THEORY. I do think you could do it, but it would be a bit of work to figure out the settings. I do have a 1/8" two or three fluted endmill in my box if you wanted to try.

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[Andrew Ricke]

Does anyone know of any waterjets available for one offs?  I attempted a couple years ago, but all the places I called were too busy for prototype cuts.  The place I found was way south of Arnold and did a 1x2ft plate for their $200 minimum. (was actually a laser - which was cool).

Would be great to know of a closer place that will have cheaper minimums.

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[Robert Kleeschulte]

My work has used http://www.waterjettech.com

Not sure of pricing. 

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