A vertical mill can be used to cut various materials including steel, aluminum, plastic and wood. By using common setup techniques, you can cut these materials very accurately and use the machine to produce thousands of parts or one single custom piece.
Vice Setup
Clean the surface of the table using acetone or a lubricating material so that the vise is perfectly flat. Remove all previous chips from the table as well as the T-slots in the table itself. Starting with a clean, flat surface is the only way to assure accurate cutting.
Loosely secure the vise and attach an indicator to the spindle of the machine. An indicator is a precision measuring device that will indicate when the vise is perfectly straight within .001 of an inch. Adjust the vise until it is very close to being straight and slowly tighten its bolts. Move the indicator across the front of the vise and tap it until the indicator does not move as you sweep across the front, if the dial does not move, it is straight.
Tooling Setup
Gather the tools needed for the job and insert them into the tool holders. Tighten the screw in the tool holder against the flat part of each individual tool such as an endmill or large drill. An endmill is a cutting tool similar to a router bit that can cut many different materials. Use a drill chuck for smaller drills and make sure that the tools are secure in the holders as they will be traveling fast and spinning at speeds up to 20,000 RPM.
Insert each tool holder into its respective spot in the tool turret. This holds all of the tools that are used during an operation. The spindle automatically changes the tool when the program alerts it to do so. It is often wise to set the tools in their spots in order to save time on tool changes.
Setting the Zero
Set the zero spot for your program. This is the spot that the machine will use to cut to the dimensions specified in the program. A vertical mill uses X for right to left travel, Y for front to back and Z for up and down movements. You should set the zero based on your program, which could be one corner of the work piece or the center and the Z is usually set at zero on the top of the raw material.
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Setting Up a Vertical Mill
A vertical mill can be used to cut various materials including steel, aluminum, plastic and wood. By using common setup techniques, you can cut these materials very accurately and use the machine to produce thousands of parts or one single custom piece.
Vice Setup
Clean the surface of the table using acetone or a lubricating material so that the vise is perfectly flat. Remove all previous chips from the table as well as the T-slots in the table itself. Starting with a clean, flat surface is the only way to assure accurate cutting.
Loosely secure the vise and attach an indicator to the spindle of the machine. An indicator is a precision measuring device that will indicate when the vise is perfectly straight within .001 of an inch. Adjust the vise until it is very close to being straight and slowly tighten its bolts. Move the indicator across the front of the vise and tap it until the indicator does not move as you sweep across the front, if the dial does not move, it is straight.
Tooling Setup
Gather the tools needed for the job and insert them into the tool holders. Tighten the screw in the tool holder against the flat part of each individual tool such as an endmill or large drill. An endmill is a cutting tool similar to a router bit that can cut many different materials. Use a drill chuck for smaller drills and make sure that the tools are secure in the holders as they will be traveling fast and spinning at speeds up to 20,000 RPM.
Insert each tool holder into its respective spot in the tool turret. This holds all of the tools that are used during an operation. The spindle automatically changes the tool when the program alerts it to do so. It is often wise to set the tools in their spots in order to save time on tool changes.
Setting the Zero
Set the zero spot for your program. This is the spot that the machine will use to cut to the dimensions specified in the program. A vertical mill uses X for right to left travel, Y for front to back and Z for up and down movements. You should set the zero based on your program, which could be one corner of the work piece or the center and the Z is usually set at zero on the top of the raw material.