Unpacking a Taig 5019 CNC Micro Mill

[MillersvilleProf]

I just had this delivered to the University. I wanted a smaller CNC mill for my polymers area that could be used for making small injection molds and dies for ceramic pressing. We currently have two other CNC mills back there, one is a Sherline and the other is a very nice Wabeco. So far I am impressed with what I see on this mill and Taig's packaging and service are top notch. It is much heavier than the Sherline mill we have (also a nice machine) and with half inch ball screws on the XYZ axis it should prove to be very accurate. I also ordered it with a 4th axis and 3-jaw chuck. We ordered a new Taig CNC lathe this week with the 5C headstock also with ball screws. I am looking forward to seeing that as well.

We have much heavier CNC equipment in our metal labs, but I like to keep some of the smaller machines separate from these and I have found these to be good trainers before students move up to our Haas and other maching centers.

 

[mmcmdl]

Are you training the next wave of machinists up there at the University ? I know Pa. is short on them as is Md .

 

[MillersvilleProf]

Not really. Our program has multiple disciplines, but training people to be machinists is not our goal. Two year machining programs are a much better choice for someone interested in that field. Most of the students in our manufacturing areas end up working as manufacturing engineers. We try to provide a broad based education that provides practical lab instruction in topics like material processing in woods, metals, polymers, and ceramics. They will also take classes in electronics and controls, energy and power, computer aided design/drafting, CNC, quality control, safety, business management, etc. We want our students to have practical first hand experience with these areas because they are eventually going to be tasked with solving complex problems that require a broad base of knowledge. We also train the next generation of technology education teachers and we can never supply enough to meet the demand in this region.

I teach an advanced polymers and ceramics class. The Taig along with our other CNC and manual tools will be heavily used by students making tooling to support the projects they do in that area. We make a lot of small injection molds for plastics and also molds for plastisol casting. I have attatched a couple examples of the types of dies we make in the class for pressing powdered clay, a process used extensively in production for making ceramic tiles. Here we are using maple for the die, but we also make them from aluminum and steel when needed. This is s skull, but students can design pretty much whatever they want.

 

[MillersvilleProf]

I would also add that the example above was not perfect. They found the sockets in the skull were two deep and had slight undercuts that did not reproduce very well. A subsequent model machined out of aluminum with a mirror polish released much better. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of that.

 

[Nate Banton]

Wow, this is a very timely post for me. I'm 90% sure I'm going to order a CNC Taig mill with a 4th axis.

Would you mind if I asked a couple questions about this mill? Seems like you must know quite a bit about these types of machines.

 

[MillersvilleProf]

Ask away, this is my first Taig CNC, but I am pretty familiar with CNC in general.

 

[Nate Banton]

Thanks! I'm familiar enough with milling machines (which is to say enough for my own needs), but I've nearly no experience with CNC stuff other than messing around with some simple CNC Routers at a maker's space. But I do work with 3d printing and using 3d printed wax models for casting in brass and silver, so I have a decent understaing of the design side of 3d modeling.

I need a milling machine, so that's what I'm getting, but I'm also quite interested in the possibility of using the Taig with a 4th axis to make things in wood. Not necessarily stuff that a lathe could do, I have three lathes, but rather more complex 3d shapes. I know you've just only unpacked the thing, but since you went with what looks like a nice 4th axis set-up I imagine you have some idea about it's capabilities?

Also, did you order this all from Taig? They don't appear to offer 4th axis rotary set-ups, but I know others have used the Sherline rotary table for this.

 

[MillersvilleProf]

As long as you have a good CAM package 4th axis programming isn't too bad. We use MasterCAM and OneCNC, but I also use Vectric Aspire on our CNC routers which can be used pretty effectively in on our metal machines (I have used it on our Haas, Wabeco, and Sherline in the past) and it is easier to pick up and more affordable than a lot of CAD/CAM packages (you can download and use it for free though you can't post any code). Fourth axis, at least the two we currently have, is rather slow though. I use it mainly for making patterns to cast slip molds and a few specialty items. Does work very nicely though.

We purchased this through www.microproto.com
The 4th axis is in part a Sherline product with an adapter base to use on the Taig.

 

[Nate Banton]

Thank you! That's quite helpful. I'll check out all the software you mentioned. And I see now that microproto.com has the sherline rotary all set to go. That's awesome.

 

[MillersvilleProf]

The Taig looks to be pretty robust for its size, much more so than the Sherline I feel. One concern I do have with it is that the column is only held in place by a single bolt and it could shift during a heavier cut. I know that some have addressed these issues by creating a sandpaper friction washer that rests between the column and bed, others have used 30 minute epoxy and trammed the head in before the epoxy sets. At least one individual permanently solved the problem by welding the column to the bed in what I can only describe as an ill conceived attempt at stability. I think in the end all of these are unnecessary if you do not attempt to use the machine too aggressively; however, if you are looking for something that will take heavier cuts in more difficult to machine materials I would definitely consider alternative mills. I have some experience with the Tormach and feel that their smaller offerings like the 440 might be a better choice, albeit one that is a lot more expensive. For my program we already have heavier equipment like a Haas Mini Mill that is capable of heavier operations so I did not feel the need to invest in another larger, more expensive machine. For the type of applications I plan on using this machine for (aluminum, plastics, wood, and waxes) it should function very nicely.