Mini Milling Machine

thingiverse

I built this Mini Mill mainly for machining cooling blocks / heat exchangers for custom computer cooling loops. It is rigid enough for light cuts in soft metals such as aluminum, copper, brass, etc. Could also be used for PCB milling. The maximum travel in my design is approximately 100mm x 100mm. I did not need a larger area for my application and keeping it small allows for better rigidity. Most files are in Fusion 360 (.f3d) file format. Please reference the Fusion 360 Assembly file (.f3z) for showing how things are supposed to fit together. I consider this an MPCNC (mostly printed CNC) design because you do not need to purchase or create specialized/custom components if you don't want to. All the parts can be bought off the shelf or printed (although some of the printed components should be eventually replaced with metal for the best performance). Keep in mind that plastic is relatively flexible and will creep over time, so it is not the best material in this application (causes chatter/inaccuracy due to flexing and drooping). Use PLA since it is relatively rigid. Note that the pictures differ from the 3D models since I redesigned it to use some components that I already had on hand (such as the large linear rail for the z-axis). I believe that the machine will perform even better using pairs of genuine Hiwin rails of the same size on each axis. A potential upgrade path would be to replace the aluminum extrusions with steel or cast iron, or filling the voids of the aluminum extrusion with an epoxy granite composite (which is what I plan to do at some point). I hope you consider building a similar machine for your own projects. It has already proven very useful in addition to my 3D printer. I am more than happy to answer questions and would love feedback on my design. I have the capability to machine custom plates/brackets to replace the 3D printed parts in this project (or any part in general), so if you are looking to upgrade some parts feel free to reach out and I can set you up.