delrin vs aluminum

C

carlsoar

Registered
Registered
Joined
Feb 1, 2016
Messages
3
Hi All,

is there any real reason to make a stepper motor mount for a CNC conversion out of aluminum vs delrin?

I broke a tap in my aluminum Y axis motor mount, although the mount is fine to use still (hole for an endstop), I would like the placement there, and I have a block of delrin that could be milled to fit.

Thanks
 
So delrin is more flexible, soooo, will your mount flex at all. If not your probably good.
I would rather do it in al. So why did the tap break? did you use the correct drill bit? Did you use enough cutting fluid (tapmagic for al is what I use) ?
 
Thanks for the reply- the other reason for waiting to do delrin was finding a place to anodize the aluminum once cut. The one I would be replacing was. It's the y axis block from CNC fusion for an LMS 3900.

I think I broke it from a combination of not enough cutting fluid and not backing out enough to break up chips. Haven't done much tapping before, and mistakenly thought I could push through a bit of resistance buildup. Lesson learned on that one.
 
Aluminum! Take it easy on the taps and use quality taps not really really expensive ones but not bargain basement ones.
What size tap were you using? I've done very little machining up until a couple years ago, but have been drilling and tapping holes
since I was a kid. Used to break them fairly often. Time will teach you the correct way to almost effortless tapping. I have probably
tapped 3-400 holes in the last year, mostly in aluminum in sizes from 2 - 56 to 1/2 - 18 and not broken one. Practice (and patience)
will guide you. There are some YouTube tutorials on tapping that are worthwhile watching. Good luck.

Welcome to the group! You have found a treasure chest of machining (and a few other things) knowledge.
Oh, and we like pictures of what members are doing. Lots of pictures.

CHuck the grumpy old guy
 
If the tap did not shatter in the hole, chances are that it could be removed with a Walton tap extractor; its fingers enter the flutes in the tap and a tap wrench is used to back it out; some back and forth movement of the tap may be necessary to dislodge chips and burrs, but they usually do the job. If it is a through hole, the tap can be forced out its entering end with a punch and hammer and the hole can be repaired with a STI thread insert (HeliCoil)
 
What size tap?

If you have not much experience tapping then the cheapest harbor freight set may be good investment. ..

We had one that the taps were not near as hard as others. .Our craftsman set is similar in that the tool steel not being as hard does not cut as well but they are not near as brittle.

Better for hand tapping or chasing threads as less likely to snap.

After you get proper feel for it then use the good stuff.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk
 
I've never tried this, but when I had a similar situation, a friend of mine told me to chill to tap with liquid nitrogen or canned air. Then use a punch to smack it, it should shatter and the pieces can be removed. In my situation, I didn't have either on hand and it was easier to make a new piece.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top