Originally Posted by
ChrisAlbertson
Hello all. I just found this thread. I'm taking a different approach. I am 3D printing the parts needed to convert a Harbor Freight Mini Mill to CNC. I own an FDM printer but CNC'd parts are sometimes better. It will be quite a while 'till I am able to turn out small CNC parts
I use Fusion 360. Fusion will create both an SL file for printing and it can also write g-code for CNC machine from the same 3D modeled part. SO you can print a prototype to test it and then make it in metal.
I am waiting in anticipation to see the stuff you can come up with on your converted CNC. At some point I would love to do that same conversion.
Just a note for anyone interested, 3D Printing is an additive technology and CNC is a subtractive technology. In other words, 3D printed objects are built up from nothing and can have sections that cannot be made with CNC machines. CNC uses an solid piece of material (usually aluminum, but could also be plastics), then parts are cut away until you get the final results you want. They are both equally suited for some items and they are drastically different in their approach.