Hello dear friends, I was thinking, many of us have small CNC milling machines at your disposal. Has anyone used them for threads, especially those with 3 entries used in pen caps? Taps for these threads are poorly available, limited to a few options and relatively expensive. Tools for thread milling are also expensive, but with just one tool it is possible to make a multitude of threads, pitch, offset, different diameters and even right / left. Someone with experience in the subject?
CNC thread milling
- Thread starter Herman
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Paul in OKC
Member
Hmm, no replies. Well, I have done thread milling at the shop I work at. Don't see why it wouldn't be feasible in this. Biggest issue might be the pitch of each thread on a small diameter for tool clearance, but.....
yes, I have done it. Very feasible. I've done it with a thread mill as well with a dremel bit to make square threads. One tool will do single, dual, triple and quad threads, all independent of diameter.
Ok, maybe it is not usual for pen makers but feasible. I orderered two small tools for experiments and practice, hope these tools arrive before weekend. I will post updates with initial results.
Many thanks Paul and Bruce for your comments.
Many thanks Paul and Bruce for your comments.
It's actually the standard on commercial made pens. Taps and dies work and are much easier learning curve and can be used with most wood or metal lathes.
Good morning everyone. I received the thread tools last Thursday, made some experiments last days. I was extremely pleased with the results. With the same cutter I made three threads on this piece: M14 X 3 X 4 entries, M10 x 0.8 and an internal one for the M6.5 X 0.5 mm for nib. Material is acrylic. The total machining time was about 4 minutes, machining each thread in two steps. I recommend everyone who has a CNC router to dedicate some time in this option, thread milling.
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hokie
Member
That looks really cool! Would you mind sharing more photos and descriptions of your process? I have been contemplating getting a small CNC, but wasn't sure if I needed a 4th axis or other specialized parts.
I'm out for a few days but I can share some datails now. I have 4th axis but it is not used in this case. I use a collet block to fix acrylic piece on cnc table. The milling tool is a single teeth, 4mm, 60 degrees. Software used Solidworks/ Solidcam, we have several resources for thread milling, not difficult to learn. I know Autodesk is another good option. Even last version of Vectric Aspire offer this milling resources. My CNC is a kind of DIY machine, 24.000rpm max speed, generic Gcode controller. My suggestion is start learning about thread milling and how to use your software. Mechanical operation is relatively simple.