Equipment/CNC Metal Mill
From Makespace
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!
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.
