Skyfire, located in China, have developed a great small CNC mill and is now beginning manufacture - no struggling with a conversion of a manual mill. They call the it SVM-0
Part One covered making the blanks for the casting moulds.
Part Two covered machining of the cast iron and initial parts fitting
Part Three covered painting, assembly and alignment
Skyfire now have their website open and are taking orders. At present they are offering the SVM-0 for $3700 plus freight, with a range of optional extras available!
They are also working on a range of larger machines, with extended capabilities such as automated tool changer (ATC), and looking at producing lathes.
This article covers the electronics and enclosure.
Electronics:
Skyfire have developed a number of custom electronic components, including a 4 axis breakout board, relay boards and interface boards.
If you don't want an enclosure, Skyfire have developed a neat electronics box that attaches to the back of the column:
However, you may prefer a chip enclosure:
Electronics in enclosure side bay:
I hope you've enjoyed our picture articles on the development of a great small CNC mill. This mill is exciting because it's been built from the ground up for CNC, not retrofitted from manual use.