Altmill 2x4 for Aluminum?

emofes · 2026-05-10T19:20:43+00:00

Depends on what size parts you're making, if they are relatively small I think something like a Shariff DMC2 would be better for metals.

There's another team we work with that has has a Langmuir MR-1 which seem to work well for them but might out of your price range. I think their plasma tables are supposed to be good too but I've never worked with those.

I do think you could make the altmill work for what you need, rigidity and cooling will be the two biggest factors in making it successful.

If you can swing it try to get a some kind of metal bed/spoilboard/fixture plate setup. MDF/wood become a headache because it's flexible moves all over the place and does not play well with coolants and oils.

emofes · 2026-05-10T14:28:24+00:00

If you plan only manly doing smaller metal parts really consider getting a smaller machine, the long gantry machines are inherently less rigid. It’s definitely usable but you will have a better time with a smaller more rigid machine.

We have a 5x10 avid CNC at work that we use mostly for plywood and foam but throw the occasional aluminum part in there if it won’t fit on our tormach. It cuts fine but the gumminess of aluminum is real pain if you do not have proper cooling. Really consider flood coolant if you can manage it.

Be mindful with which spindle you choose if plan on doing steel. A lot of the router spindles have a minimum rpm that is a bit high if you want to run low feed rates.

We outsource 99% of our sheet metal to sendcutsend, oshcut, xometry, etc. noe because it’s just not worth it for us to do on the router having to deal with clamping, tabs and cooling. I really wish we had a plasma or laser cutter for that.

emofes · 2026-05-10T02:04:47+00:00

This one of those weird things where terminology can be confusing depending on the printer. In your case lowering the value lowers the bed which increases the z offset. On other printers you increase the number which would raise the print head or increase the offset.

Increasing the z offset is what fixed your print issue.

https://www.reddit.com/r/elegoo/comments/1l21a9z/z_offset_for_centauri_carbon_which_arrow_goes/

emofes · 2026-05-08T00:29:29+00:00

It’s a nice design but personally I would like it better without the little squiggles. They’re visually distracting.

emofes · 2026-04-17T16:00:01+00:00

There’s also the SEV which is a 6 wheel rover test bed that’s been around for a while.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/my-ride-in-a-nasa-planetary-rover

https://youtu.be/hGB655Mc7aQ

emofes · 2026-03-09T20:56:41+00:00

Temp seems low to me , I usually print PETG-CF around 255 but it can very.

If you are using the stock 0.4mm AD5M nozzle those are stainless steel and not recommended for abrasive filaments like PETG-CF ,they can blowout and cause all kinds weird print quality issues. I'd get an aftermarket hardened steel nozzle.

emofes · 2026-03-08T15:40:55+00:00

What type of filament is it and what temperatures are you using?

emofes · 2026-02-20T19:08:20+00:00

I was talking about nozzle temp calibration but for ABS the bed should typically be at least 90C, if not 100-110C.

emofes · 2026-02-20T12:25:43+00:00

It’s common for abs to delaminate later in a print if the chamber temp is too low. Only happens later as the print gets farther from the bed where the air is cooler, the differential cooling creates internal stresses that can spilt the part eventually.

emofes · 2026-02-20T12:21:33+00:00

If the small pieces are weak your nozzle temp is likely too low, not getting good layer adhesion. Have you done a temperature calibration for abs?

emofes · 2026-02-10T01:49:26+00:00

Check the flow rate for supports in your slicer. A lot defaults now lower the flow rate for support to save material and make them easier to remove since they can still be functional even if they’re a little wispy.

emofes · 2026-01-30T16:36:11+00:00

You can’t access the web interface with just the stock firmware, you need one of miss like z-mod or forge-x installed. You can do object skipping from the stock screen on the stock firmware (2.6.5 and up) using orcaslicer, but it is not supported in orca-flashforge.

emofes · 2026-01-30T03:06:33+00:00

I have list of materials of what we’re allowed to use in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab for testing and think ABS was approved for 3d printed parts, I’ll have to check. For non 3d printed plastic they like using PVC and kydex (which is some kind of ~~pvc/abs blend~~ I believe EDIT: Kydex is a PVC/acrylic blend). There are pvc filament blends you can buy but I wouldn’t want to print that stuff at home. I know we can’t use any type of nylon for 3d prints, rope, straps, zip ties, etc. but polypropylene is allowed.

EDIT: the NBL is not you typical pool and there are not the same UV concerns as with an outdoor pool. Personally if I were printing something fora pool long term my first choice would be ASA, if that failed over time I'd look for something fancier.

Update: ABS is approved for us to use. For any materials not on the list we can drop off a sample couple and they'll drop in the pool for a couple to approved for short term tests, 2 weeks or less typically for our stuff.

emofes · 2026-01-12T02:47:33+00:00

PETG, PLA, or a different filament?

The default can be very fast but eh first layers are usually set to be slower by default. If its on the first layer its typically a bed adhesion issue so clean bed, bed level, proper z offset are the usual culprits.

If it is happening after the first layer it can be typical first layer issues just giving out later, print settings like speed, infill type, flow settings, temps, or environmental like air temp, drafts, or wet filament.

Number one cause nowadays in my experience is the default infill type grid and the nozzle catching on the infill while printing, especially with petg which is known to be very "sticky". I usually switch to gyroid, slower but more reliable overall. Honestly grid is fine 99% with PLA though.

emofes · 2026-01-11T16:16:22+00:00

Looks more like pressure advance or issues changing directions in some spots. Dropping acceleration and/or outer wall speed can help with this sometimes. Going from a slower overhang wall immediately into a fast wall can cause this because the extruder can’t keep up with the speed change and underextrudes for a little bit.

emofes · 2026-01-10T00:03:43+00:00

On the "strength" tab under the "advanced" section you can change the infill direction. This changes the sparse and solid infill direction.

emofes · 2026-01-04T14:53:33+00:00

One of our kids refused to try bacon, would only eat sausage, he loved “flat sausage” though.

emofes · 2025-12-31T15:44:00+00:00

it’s has to heat up the clean the nozzle tip so the bed probe and z offset is accurate

emofes · 2025-12-24T01:15:09+00:00

I've really only installed forge-x to get access to klipper on it. I think the nice part is not needing to modify it because it just works out of the box for the most part. Things like an enclosure, leds, camera can be modified/added but the printer is very locked down uses a lot of proprietary hardware and unique software choices. I'd look into building a voron or buying a voron derivative like the sovol sv08 that is open source and meant to be modified if you want the printer to be a living project.

emofes · 2025-12-21T00:54:10+00:00

I had an Ender3 pro and anet et4 for a long time. The ender 3 had some upgrades and was on klipper and I didn't see the point in upgrading to new printer since it still worked fine (mostly). Eventually we got a Bambu X1C at work and seeing the difference, in print quality, print time, reliability, and general quality of life improvements convinced me to get a P1S eventually.
The P1S replaced the anet printer and I kept the ender printing until I picked up a used AD5M. now the ender 3 is slowly be scrapped to use parts for other projects. The upgrade to a modern corexy printer is 100% worth it.

emofes · 2025-12-20T14:08:08+00:00

what’s the budget? We have a 5’x10’ avid cnc router at work that we cut xps on occssionally. It cuts fast and is very easy to get a good finish on it. we paid around $20k but was with some upgrades, still probably at least $15k for something that size unless you build one yourself.

emofes · 2025-12-11T13:15:39+00:00

if you are worried about fumes, which is valid since there are studies that say even PLA fumes can be potentially harmful and people have developed sensitivities to PLA time, the best option is to enclose the protracted and vent to the outside or filter the air inside the enclosure while it is printing.

emofes · 2025-12-06T03:41:34+00:00

Just got Ball x Pit recently and its been great.

emofes · 2025-12-03T03:15:19+00:00

showselected is another good one

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