Re: Syil America Mill???

Jon,

I have a manual version of the X2 mini-mill and while it isn't a
bridgeport it does fit my needs. I have made a couple of mods
including belt drive and R8 spindle and have done some scraping on
the ways. I find the mill very useful for machining my patterns of
which most are smaller than 2"X3".

My concern is the ball screws and the electronics.

Jack

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Jon Elson <elson@...> wrote:
>
> Jack Mc Kie wrote:
> > Now I am considering a mini-mill retrofited with CNC. Most of
what I
> > will cut with it would be brass or plastic so I think the machine
will
> > be up to the task.
> >
> > In my search for information I ran across Syil America products.
The
> > Syil America CNC X2 mini-mill seems to meet my needs but being a
newbie
> > to CNC I am looking for more info before I purchase. My only
> > experience in CNC is using a high end retrofited Bridgeport
> > with "canned" programs.
> >
> > I am wondering if anyone on the list has had first hand
experience with
> > the Syil America CNC X2 mini-mill or other Syil America
products? If
> > so could you comment on the product explaining what you think the
> > strengths and weaknesses are?
> Most of what little I know about the Syil comes from a picture
> in a magazine. But, it appears to be the same under $500
> minimill that is being sold by a whole bunch of dealers from
> Harbor Freight to Travers Tool, but with a CNC add-on. I think
> they put in ballscrews, which should keep backlash from becoming
> a problem. But, I have the same basic machine with the original
> square-thread scress on the X and Y. I had to install a
> ballscrew on Z to replace the terribly sloppy rack drive.
>
> So, you are paying $3000 for the CNC conversion. Of course, the
> minimill costs them even LESS that I pay for just one. For what
> you get there, I'm not so sure this is a great deal unless you
> are horribly averse to doing part of this yourself.
>
> I also have Bobcad, it isn't horrible, but it has a lot of
> quirks and takes some time to learn. I found it cumbersome
> enough that I rarely use it, preferring a bunch of C programs
> that I wrote to create almost all of my G-code.
>
> The spindle drive, both the electronics and the mechanics, have
> been troublesome. The nylon gears tend to wear out fairly
> quickly. The gears limit the speed. A Taig "CNC ready" mill
> can do 10,000 RPM. You are lucky to get 2500 with the minimill.
> There are belt-drive conversion kits for this machine. The
> electronic spindle speed control has been so troublesome that a
> guy near me has a VERY nice business going repairing them! Mine
> went out, but I found the bad solder joint after looking at it
> for too long.
>
> Finally, one thing you really CAN'T fix on this machine is the
> 4" Y travel. That is a BIG limitation to me. Maybe I should
> explain, I use my minimill for demos at shows because it is
> portable, but I really don't MAKE anything on it. I have a
> Bridgeport for actual machining. I do occasionally drill and
> countersink stuff on the minimill, though.
>
> Anyway, unless this machine fits some special requirements, I'd
> think real carefully about dropping $3500 on such a package.
> There are some slightly larger benchtop machines that ought to
> come in CNC turnkey condition for only a couple hundred $ more.
> Just for a couple inches of extra Y travel, that would be WELL
> worth my money!
>
> Jon
>