RE: Dremel alternatives

Hello group

I have been using a Metabo 700watts die grinder ; called straight grinder
here, since december 1997.
Using 6mm or 3mm shank millers for hours without any problem except that
the first motor melted down the
casing in front. Metabo replaced the casing without any costs for me.
Speeds 7000 - 27000.
Milling only in plastics like Urethane blocks, and sheets of PS, Acrylics,
PVC, Aluminium and brass. No steel here.
The Metabo requires a housing around the mill to make it possible to stay
in the same room when running.

I have a German made bridge router Kozy Massiv A3, weights 130kg. Table
500x300mm. Free height 100mm.
Comes complete with a simple cad program, g-code editor and controller.
Software imports and exports dxf and hpgl, import and edit g-codes. Prices
starting av DEM 5300 equals USD 2700 for the small 300x200mm table. Prices
is for a complete system, ready to be installed on your computer and start
milling.

Before buying the Kozy I had only once before run a cnc milling machine,
after handcoding the instructions. After learning the instruction set I
wrote an excel spreadsheet to keep control of the x and y from an autocad
drawing.

when collecting the machine at a exhibition in Germany, I only had a short
one hour instruction there before headinng home to install the software,
couple the Kozy to the computer and started milling.
Very simple, I started the cad software, made up a simple drawing of lines,
rectangels, circles; in the same screen I added the "Technologie", i.e. the
milling instructions and started the controller. The drawing is
automatically intepreted to machine instructions in seconds and I could
immediately mill the parts.

Today I am milling full 3D parts (double curved) from stl, exported from my
Ironcad, intepreted to g-codes by
Deskproto and run under the Kozy controller. I know this setup is not for
the standard home user but the KOZY milling machines should at least be
interesting to some on this list.

Max-computer on the web: http://www.max-computer.de/index2_e.html

Terje


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