This 3D-Printed Micro Mill Features Joystick Control
SciFientist ignored all conventional wisdom when he designed this 3D-printable micro mill that features intriguing joystick control.
Milling machines are big and heavy — everyone knows that. I have one in my garage that weighs 3,500lbs and another that weighs 4,000lbs. Cast iron isn’t light and weight is kind of the point. So, it is obvious that SciFientist was ignoring all conventional wisdom when he designed this 3D-printable micro mill that features intriguing joystick control.
Nobody with machining experience would say that 3D printing a mill frame is a good idea. And that is mostly true, because 3D-printed plastic has far too much flex for the job under normal circumstances. But what if you’re only taking very light cuts on very small parts? What if tolerances and surface finish aren’t important? Or what if you’re only milling soft materials, like machinable wax or PCBs? Then this might not be such a bad idea.
Aside from the 3D-printed frame, SciFientist’s design is fairly conventional from a mechanical standpoint. There are linear guide rail pairs for each axis, mounted to brass bases embedded in the plastic. All three axes have lead screws turned by stepper motors. SciFientist doesn’t specify what he used for the spindle motor, but it is something small.
The control electronics, however, are anything but conventional. An Arduino UNO Rev3 drives the motors through a CNC Shield and that isn’t unusual for a low-cost DIY build. But it doesn’t run g-code. Instead, there is a joystick to move the table in X and Y, plus a pair of buttons to move Z up and down.
That effectively makes this a manual micro mill, which is very intriguing. Without a DRO or handwheel dials, it isn’t clear how one would operate this other than eyeballing it. And SciFientist doesn’t show it cutting, either. Therefore, I think it is safe to say that this is more of an experimental design study than a practical tool.
But SciFientist did state in the video comments that he plans to build another micro mill with GRBL CNC capability and will use that to make PCBs, which seems like the perfect application for a tiny 3D-printed machine.