Mill/Drill X3

[glock40sw]

G'day All.
Thinking of getting an X3 mill from Minitech in brisbane.
Has anyone got/used an X3?

[rodm]

First I don't own one but I have used one and am considering CNC'ing one fairly soon. I have not heard any bad reports or faults on the metalwork forums.

Hare and Forbes and Carbatec also have these at the same price so transport could be the deciding factor. Also have a look at the super X3 - Hare anf Forbes only.

These are a good quality model makers mill. The dovetail column (Z axis) is a big advantage as you do not loose your reference if you change drills or mill cutters during a job. A 3MT spindle is good as you can share tooling with a lathe. Unlike the smaller mills in the Seig range they do not have plastic gears so you should not have any problems with the drive.

They are more expensive than the much larger RF30 round column mill but the X3 features such a variable speed 2 speed geared head and the dovetail column make this a better choice if the cutting envelope is not your main issue.
Realistically they are not a machine shop mill but for most jobs you would do at hobby level you will not be disapointed.

[glock40sw]

Thanks Rod.
I intend to play at making S/Steel compensators for my guns.
None of the bought ones suit 9mm. They are all for 38 Super and the ports are too big for the amount of gas exiting the barrel.

Minitech are cheaper than H&F and Carbatec.
I am getting the powerfeed and er32 collet set as well.

I can get it shipped down on works account too.

What is needed to CNC?
Also, how hard would it be to fit H&F DRO kits?

[rodm]

Stainless is hard so be prepared to take it easy. Coolant will make cutting easier but I don't have coolant and manage. If you are thinking of using mist coolant then please wear a mask. I did a few hours using mist coolant and had a terrible headache.

CNC on a mill is a huge advantage over manual operation. Boring holes without a boring bar, arcs and other complex 2.5D shapes can be done with ease. It is not proper 3D because you cannot undercut without an additonal axis hense the 2.5D.

CNC on an X3 can be done at a few levels. Leave in the standard leadscrews and attach stepper motors and driver board and connect to a computer with CNC software loaded. Cost about $600 to $800 or perhaps higher depending on what you get. Not ideal as you will have some backlash in the leadscrews but it will get you going and you can minimise backlash by adjustments and the software usually has backlash compensation.

For another $600 to $1,000 plus you can put ballscrews on all axis and have zero backlash. It sounds expensive but this Australian supplier sells a CNC X3 for $9k.
http://www.cncteknix.com/pdfs/X3Mill_kit.pdf
I am not bagging this price as they obviously have invested a huge amount of dollars to develop a commercial version.

If you want to know more about this then I can give you a fair bit of info on the X3 conversion and sources for the bits.

I have the Hare and Forbes Positron Digital Scales and Counter but so far have only fitted the vertical scale on my HM45. Was a bit of fiddling but not that difficult. The X and Y I am still getting around to doing as it looks like I will loose the stops on X which I use quite a bit. They are just individual axis readouts and not a proper DRO like Easson but I plan to do CNC on an X3 so it would have been a waste to spend too much on a DRO. I should have looked into it more when I got the HM45 as it is too expensive to convert to CNC.

There is a Singapore supplier on Ebay doing DRO and glass scales at a reasonable cost. Also check out Schumatec as there is an Australian supplier.
http://www.shumatech.com/products/dro-350/index.htm

Here is a site that was recommended by another forum member about milling techniques and I have found it very good as well.
http://www.jjjtrain.com/vms/lessons_..._machines.html

Sorry about the long post.

[glock40sw]

G'day Rod.
Thanks for the info.

[glock40sw]

G'day All.
Well done the deal.
New X3 mill with Powerfeed and ER-32 collet chuck and 10 collets.
Clamp kit with 12 endmills and slot drills. swivell 4" mill vice.

God help me.. The missus is going to Sh it when it all arrives.
I can see the bed being dynabolted to the shed floor and the doors to the house locked from the inside.

Now...... to learn how to use the sucker.

[glock40sw]

G'day All.
Well...the Mill arrived today.
Spent the afternoon cleaning the red crud off of it.
The missus came home from work and walked into the shed and spat the dummy bigtime.

She started to come around when I said it could be used for restoring her Morris Minor.

So...my next project is going to be the Morrie .

Will fire it up tomorrow arvo and see what happens.

Life is good...eh?