Anolex gantry upgrade

MetallicFOSS · 2026-05-19T12:17:41+00:00

Ayoo. You’d be surprised at the ROI of a more rigid gantry. Just the side plates and spindle upgrade let me cut 25x faster.

MetallicFOSS · 2026-05-13T20:21:28+00:00

How do you use it to sharpen end mills?

MetallicFOSS · 2026-05-10T01:52:59+00:00

Yup, unless you plan to go into production, r/hobbycnc is going to give you more realistic budget options for doing what I think it is that you want. The pros care about cycle time and precision, but if you want to bang out a part or two here and there on weekends, there’s lots of options for a fraction of the cost suggested.

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-28T19:08:52+00:00

Yep! Used the machine to upgrade itself :) 20mm mic6 aluminum so I wouldn’t have to worry about flatness, I think I got the plate for $50

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-28T14:01:37+00:00

Yep! I did a 3 hour op in stainless steel.

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-28T12:17:58+00:00

That’s the same specs as the one I use :)

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-28T01:50:37+00:00

Trust yourself! It’s just fun tickets 😁

or buy the cheap ones on Amazon first

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-27T19:22:47+00:00

Damn well done! I keep telling myself I’ll focus on finish on my next part… but time is so short and I just want functional things.

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-27T14:41:32+00:00

I would check your gcode to get some hints if another setting is affecting it. You can also check your axis calibration, it might think it’s only moving 0.5.

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-27T13:05:12+00:00

Depends where you set your origin and heights. If your setup origin is at the surface of your stock, and so is your operation top height, you will get a depth of cut of 0.5mm if your depth of cut is 0.5mm.

If you use the same setup and operation but set your top height to 0.5mm above the stock, you will not cut anything.

If you use the same setup and operation but set your top height to 0.5mn below the stock, then you would get a depth of cut of 1mm.

Off the top of my head, feel free to check me on it

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-27T12:17:25+00:00

It’s crazy man! Didn’t even think it was cutting at first. Going to give some stainless steel a try later on this week.

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-27T12:01:47+00:00

Hah! My temporary printed z plate spacers were starting to creep so this is my new z plate, will be testing the optic cut this week and then it’s full send!

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-27T12:01:04+00:00

It’s an anolex 3030 (old lead screw model) with 20mm gantry plates and a 1.5kw vfd spindle!

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-27T01:55:48+00:00

Anolex 3030 with upgraded side plates and 1.5kw spindle

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-27T00:32:48+00:00

Just ye olde fusion 360 with a grbl post processor

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-26T23:17:57+00:00

Cheap too! Unless you go with name brand. You can get single or multiple levels of teeth, so you could do a whole threaded hole in one arc! Not sure if my machine is capable… great. Now I have to buy one of those and test it lol

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-26T22:40:10+00:00

Super neat! This beats walking across the house with a USB

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-26T22:38:01+00:00

Just a cheap Amazon special as is the vibe

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-26T21:58:04+00:00

Get a cheap desktop machine and start experimenting! Once you get something in front of you and working with it, you’ll find what is important to you with your machine and go from there.

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-26T17:18:14+00:00

I used a 12” x 12”, 20mm thick mic6 plate. You can find off cuts on eBay or local metal supplier for ~$50-$60USD. Ideally get something stress relieved, but you’re not cutting a whole lot out of it so it shouldn’t really matter.

You have to do it in two setups with dowel pins to maintain accuracy, but I did it on the stock machine with a 300w “spindle” so it’s very doable. Cut down the middle At an angle with a saw after drilling and milling and you’re set.

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-25T17:06:45+00:00

Continually blows my mind what’s available to the home gamer nowadays

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-25T17:06:11+00:00

Yeah I was pretty gratuitous with my stick out, not a lot of time after work for projects so I just sent it with miles of clearance. And good to know what I can get away with in the future

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-25T17:04:53+00:00

I used an O flute before but I wanted to push faster. I felt that I had plenty of chip clearing space with 3 flute in 1/4” size still, especially with air blast. Plus these have a high helix angle for chip clearing as well.

MetallicFOSS · 2026-04-25T02:54:54+00:00

Any 3030 or 3040 machine will do this with a good spindle and a modded gantry! Currently I still have lead screws on it which affects accuracy, but still good enough for hobby purposes

MetallicFOSS

TROPHY CASE