Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Bridgeport Milling Machines

> Yes, the hydraulic tracer mills are more trouble, as they have
> hydraulic cylinders instead of leadscrew. on the other hand,
> they may go so cheap that it eases the pain.

Hydraulic ones make a nice humming noise too, but that's not really too
important I don't think. I asked a guy selling one who said when they had it
put in it was accurate to 0.001" or around there. I was thinking if there
would actually be a way to use a hydraulic mill for CNC. I am working on a
few things I'm not overly sure of which is probably where my downfall is;
that the tracer probe feeds a low pressure into the pump. My 'plan' was that
you could remove the tracer head and all the bits that measure the piece,
the controls. Then take a block of aluminium and bore cylinders into it. At
one end of the cylinder you reconnect the hose and the other you have a
piston. The piston's advance and retreat is controlled by motor so it can be
CNC'erised. The problem would be in finding the working pressure that the
tracer feeds to the pump and then working out piston sizes, belt sizes and
motor sizes to supply the pressure. I have no idea if it'd work but it just
seems something that seems so useless to us has to be hiding something.

John H.