Milling machine enclosure

Has anyone any suggestions for an enclosure for a tabletop milling machine for example taig or sherline size. Something to be able to keep surrounding areas free from chips etc.

Some i have seen, have made perspex side windows that are hinged. My mill just throws swarf everywhere. Have a look on youtube at the cnc mills, most of them have enclosures around them.

Steve.

Perspex seems a good idea.

Have a look at Frank Hoose on You Tube, "mini mill chip enclosure". He also makes a plastic sheet bender to assist construction.

Enclosure James Clough constructed this enclosure for his CNC mill, it’s quite large but maybe some ideas could be useful.

Mike

Perspex/ Plexiglas sounds like a good idea but I remember reading in one of the Tubal Cain's (Tom Walshaw) workshop books that he made a splash guard for his Myford to contain cutting oil splashes from the chuck.

This was after he had fitted a pumped cutting oil system to his lathe. He commented wryly in the book that after some years the Perspex he had used had gone opaque and he might as well have made the guard from aluminium.

Rod

You can buy sheets of plastic and edging from B&Q and other places, with that and the bench for support you could make a 3-sided box, open at the front. Add a separate front door from a sheet of polycarbonate to close it off and you're done.

what I did..

no help for full frontal chips though..

Joe

Cardboard and duct tape prototypes until you've designed something that works and doesn't get in the way of working

The trough on my KX3 does quite a good job of catching the swarf, the front and rear panels can slide out easily if needed for access.

Hope those clamps are acceptable!

I think a trip to B&Q is required.

Thanks for the tips and photo's, much appreciated.

I have used a redundant 25 litre water carrier cut to fit and wedged into the none "T" slot - slot!!? at the rear of the table which folds round into the two troughs at the end. This catches swarf at the rear and ends - I use end mills!!? and I find little swarf exits at the front. It would not require any major repositioning if swarf from the front became an issue. Clear up mainly confined to the table. The enclosure benefits from easy removal and deflected out of the way without damage if the quill/column catches whilst concentrating on the job in hand.

Robert Butler

B&Q acrylic is a swine to cut

What I've done is to make some removable screens.

This is a set of various sizes (determined more by available scrap, then design!). Each has a piece of perspex, and one or more mounts set with small cylindrical magnets on the base.

The mounts were made with a 3D printer, but you could use a bit of wood or even Ally.

I put tape on top of the magnet to make it easy to wipe away the inevitable swarf.

All assembled with super glue.

In fairness, they don't stop all the chips getting on the floor, though the do stop the bulk. What they do do is to keep the large majority of blue hot chips off me. Which was my intent.

The nice thing is you can decide how close you want to get to the part being machined and pick a bigger or smaller screen.

I might have some pictures somewhere or can take some if it ever warms up enough for this lightweight to brave the shed.

Iain

As this is posted in the CNC sub-forum, can we assume it is a CNC machine that you wish to enclose (i.e. it will run unattended)?

I have something similar to this:

https://www.christowhome.co.uk/christow-large-reinforced-walk-in-greenhouse-1.html

with a CNC Taig mill inside it in a bedroom.

Cheap laminate flooring inside it, with the flaps of the greenhouse, shown folding outwards in the photo, folded inwards and under the floor. Henry inside for clean up.

A lot of people have mentioned "perspex" (trademrk for acrylic) This is not the best material for clear guards and shields. Polycarbonate (Lexan) is a better choice as it has much better impact resitance. It is also easier to cut without breaking. It also has better chemical resistance. The cheapest material, polystyrene, is virtually useless.

Robert G8RPI.