Equipment/CNC Metal Mill

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A CNC Milling Milling Machine is a computer controlled tool that uses a rotating cutting tool to cut into a stationary workpiece.

Here's a nice video showing the basic movement of both CNC and manual vertical mills - N.B. the guy in the video shouldn't be wearing gloves, as they can cause very nasty accidents if your hand comes into contact with the cutter!

Crash Course in Milling ep1


Just a quick table on a few small CNC mills I found available readily in the UK -

Machine URL Price (UKP) X Y Z weight Notes
Tormach PCNC 1100 link ~£5585 450 237 406 514kg Very high-end hobby / low-end pro machine
Tormach PCNC 770 link ~£4512 350 188 325 301kg Very high-end hobby / low-end pro machine
Seig KX1 link £3135 260 115 185 86kg comes with £460 of useful accessories
Seig KX3 link £4725 295 150 275 201kg
Proxxon 500 link £4510 310 100 220 47kg Very lightweight for its size, unlikely to be suitable for much metal milling

Weight gives a good indication of quality/stiffness for a given size machine

All machines are likely to need a selection of accessories such as software, collets, vices, clamps, chucks, coolant, cutters and a stand, expected to cost around £1000.