Cindymill

A gentle way to start your journey into CNC milling.

Cindymill is a DIY CNC milling machine. It is supposed to be a good introduction to the world of milling. As you build the machine, you learn how it works. Cindymill is open source, so you can easily adapt it to your needs. The components are affordable, but the machine is rigid enough to comfortably mill aluminum (as well as wood and plastic, of course).

Short Specs

  • Ball screws SFU1605 on X and Y axes, SFU1204 on Z axis
  • Extruded profile: based on 20x20 I-type slot 5
  • Rails: MGN12
  • Motors: NEMA23
  • Work area: 750 x 475 x 120 mm, can easily be adapted to other sizes
  • Price: approx. 1500€/$

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Cite the project in academics: DOI

Posts

1/4 inch steel plate set!

  • ~1 min read

Since American steel suppliers only think in odd fractions, there is now a 1/4” version of the steel plate set. There is also a matching set of spacers, all of which can be downloaded from Github.

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Cindymill with laser cut steel plates!

  • 1 min read

I love the RepRap concept of building machines which can replicate themselves. The Cindymill is designed with this idea in mind: if you already have built one you can manufacture the needed aluminum plates for the next Cindymill. However, lately I’ve had a lot of inquiries from people who don’t have access to a CNC milling machine to have their plates milled. And since milling is an expensive manufacturing method, ordering from a commercial supplier can be quite costly. So now there is a redesigned version of the Cindymill with laser cut steel plates!

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Speeds and Feeds - How to calculate Milling Parameters for Hobby Machines

  • 7 min read

Successful milling depends on a large number of factors. However, if you pay attention to a few things and operate a suitable milling cutter with the correct feed rate and spindle speed, then you are already doing a lot of things right. This way you will get good results quickly and avoid frustration and local fires.

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Rigidity Comparison: Indymill vs. Cindymill (and why you need a back plate)

  • 2 min read

The Cindymill was born as an upgrade from an Indymill. One of the main reasons to redesign my machine was the lack of rigidity in the indymill, which became really obvious when I started to mill aluminum. So, if you have been thinking of upgrading your Indymill to a Cindymill, then you might be interested in how much the Cindymill is stiffer than the Indymill.

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Welcome!

  • ~1 min read

This is the home of Cindymill, an open source CNC milling machine. The website is still under construction and I will frequently add content. If something doesn’t work feel free to send me a message.

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