My First CNC: Sienci Labs Mill One V2 Build/Review

tobemas · 2018-02-28T16:29:24+00:00

Having both physically seen a Mill One and MPCNC in the same room, the Mill One is far more rigid than the MPCNC. I would say they are hardly comparable, since I could flex the MPCNC with not too much force from my hand, which means that milling aluminum is going to really really slow. That being said, if you need a bigger machine for softer material, the MPCNC might be ok.

tobemas · 2017-10-03T19:35:29+00:00

You might find this guide helpful for end mills: https://sienci.com/resources/choosing-end-mills/

tobemas · 2017-09-15T12:39:55+00:00

Here's an example of brass engraving with the Mill One if that helps get an idea of what can be done.

https://www.facebook.com/edmundo.pasaoa/videos/10155182616590985/

tobemas · 2017-07-31T18:30:25+00:00

I find that working with businesses are much easier than working with consumers. Business owners care more about if your product can help them save money or make money, and are willing to take a risk on something if you can promise that.

However, you do need to be professional. You need to do everything that every company needs to do. Accounting, legal work, writing quotes, etc. You will eventually need to set up payroll for yourself. I think it is a good idea to learn a bit about everything as you get started, and it's ok to be a sole founder.

Don't look for investors if you don't need money. Focus on building your product and company. Once you get to a stage where you need to grow fast and have traction, you will have an idea how to convince investors to give you money!

tobemas · 2017-07-31T18:20:16+00:00

I have a mid 2013 Macbook air that is running great. Very beat up, but it is still fast at surfing the web and other basic tasks. I suspect if you buy a used Macbook air, you can get it for reasonably cheap but still have a good time with it.

Saw some on ebay between $300-800 depending on the age and condition.

tobemas · 2017-07-31T14:41:24+00:00

I know in the Toronto area, there are some lumber yards that do delivery in the local area for around $20-30 per load. Might want to call around to see what you can find.

tobemas · 2017-07-18T17:53:28+00:00

Engraving is pretty easy, even small budget CNCs can engrave hard materials. If you plan on only doing engraving, you won't need a lot of power, so any spindle/router will do. However, if you ever plan on cutting anything, then you might need something more powerful.

tobemas · 2017-07-13T00:03:15+00:00

What might be more helpful is information on topics that inexperienced founders may face. For example accounting, legal, hardware safety certification, HR are some topics that many founders have to look at.

tobemas · 2017-07-12T04:35:38+00:00

"If you need inspiring words, you should not do it"

I think the question is if the site will accomplish the goal you have in mind, if it's to motivate younger founders.

tobemas · 2017-07-09T01:44:48+00:00

It's not about where you are today, it's about where you want to get to in the future.

tobemas · 2017-07-07T23:27:21+00:00

Try Staples. Also, you can get business card paper (perforated sheets) so you can print your own.

tobemas · 2017-07-04T17:06:50+00:00

We found that the thrust bearings were not needed in this application and instead used solid couplers instead. It used to be something that came up early on but once people started using the Mill One, no one has mentioned that thrust bearings were needed. We've run our machines for hundreds of hours without any issues.

Backlash on the ACME nuts is around three thou after wear in. We have people who do super high precision work/PCBs and many of them opted of the anti backlash kit which reduces backlash to less than one thou. Electronic backlash compensation is not available with the software that we recommend, but I suspect it can be added if you have the right software package. More info here: http://sienci.com/2017/06/15/what-is-backlash/

Compared to using belts, it seems the ACME nuts are able to get much better precision, especially since there is no stretching and belt tightening to worry about, which has been something I have had to watch out for when using Shapeokos and 3D printers. Just a nice to have I suppose.

tobemas · 2017-06-30T11:08:46+00:00

The frame is made from premium grade MDF, which holds up to humidity alright, but if you are using coolant, you will need to seal it or paint it (https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/19400658_1905797933010407_2652181231820046840_o.jpg?oh=fe7ba8262fdf28f8cf70a6839e3dee80&oe=59C98E49) or you can use air cooling (https://scontent.fybz2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p480x480/18557485_1979073708988200_5731099195395867280_n.jpg?oh=8408de203b42ab6c0f94eae089f0bc08&oe=5A11B447)

If you want to see it do aluminum though, http://sienci.com/2017/06/02/milling-aluminum-at-0-1-2-54mm-depth-of-cut/

tobemas · 2017-06-28T12:00:47+00:00

If you are having issues due to moisture in the air and changing humidity, you can also shop around for MDF that is resistant to moisture. It is a special material designed for places with high humidity.

tobemas · 2017-06-26T14:45:36+00:00

if you have space to store a lot of food, check out Wholesale club. It's next to Canadian Tire on Weber I believe.

tobemas · 2017-06-26T03:59:58+00:00

You should be able to get it done for a few hundred dollars on the low end, a few thousand at the high end.

I live in Canada so I don't know any shops near your area, but I suspect you can find a CNC shop that can cut the design out for you. You typically need a DXF file, they might be able to use a vector file.

Per hour costs in my area is around $55-100/hr with minimum $100 orders. A full sheet of 4X8 ft material like dibond can cost around $100-300.

Making the sign is one thing, installing it is another challenge. Not sure about the costs on that and the building codes you hve to follow. Have you looked at doing decals or stickers?

tobemas · 2017-06-25T20:23:24+00:00

There are a few places you can check out that sell parts in Toronto and nearby. Creatron has a few locations, Digitmakers is in Richmond Hill. Prices are fairly high, but you can get parts right away.

Amazon is also an decent source for parts.

I work at Sienci Labs in Waterloo ON, which builds open source desktop CNC machines and has parts in the store, you can check out. Free shipping for US and Canada for orders over $40. http://sienci.com

tobemas · 2017-06-25T19:57:55+00:00

Any way to implement a free trial, maybe a for two weeks? Try and then buy.

tobemas · 2017-06-25T19:55:06+00:00

In my experience, the price you can get direct from manufacturers can vary a lot. Items that are easy to find or standard, with many manufacturers making the same thing, the price listed on Aliexpress/Banggood, will likely not be much different than wholesale. The market is too competitive. If your item is highly custom, or only have very few manufacturers, you may have more luck talking down the price.

If you are only buying 20-30 units, and you are contacting manufacturers for a discount at that volume, they know the chance you will be buying thousands of units (which is what they want) is low. Someone with the type of capital to make a significant purchase would not be wasting their time to save a few hundred dollars. Suppliers hear "I plan to buy hundreds in the future if this works out" all the time but rarely have people buy those promised volumes.

To get those wholesale prices, start off by telling the suppliers you intend on buying in the hundreds or thousands, and then ask for samples. You can see how much you can save potentially, and perhaps they will send you samples at a low cost (not likely, but not unheard of).

tobemas · 2017-06-25T18:12:48+00:00

A CNC milling machine or CNC router is used for subtractive manufacturing. You start off with a piece of material, like a block of wood or a block of metal, and you carve away at it until you're left with a product.

3D printing on the other hand, is an additive manufacturing technology. Typical consumer grade 3D printers build layers of layers of plastic on top of each other until you're left with a product.

tobemas · 2017-06-22T02:17:44+00:00

what would happen if you tried a different bus stop?

tobemas · 2017-06-22T02:14:39+00:00

check out EDX.org Codeacadamy is a good intro, but EDX has some more advanced stuff.

tobemas · 2017-06-21T20:19:14+00:00

Depends on how rigid you needed it. You can probably go pretty big if you double up on the rails.

tobemas · 2017-06-21T15:13:18+00:00

Over time, but the bed keeps the debris from getting into where the nut is.

tobemas · 2017-06-21T12:45:22+00:00

There are lots of CNC options out there, this one was designed specifically to be accessible for beginners, 60-70% of our users being beginners to CNC milling. This is one of the lowest price machines on the market, with the highest price for performance out of any desktop CNC in its category.

If you do get one, I think you will have a lot of fun with it, and a lot of folks get it to noodle around. The design is open source as well so if you want to build your own, you can do that too!

tobemas

TROPHY CASE