Introduction
Take a deep breath for a second and realize something.
You... yes YOU, are about to commit to building a robot that can cut through metal, let alone your squishy human parts. A machine that can easily electrocute you, cut you, or set fire to your whole neighborhood if it's not given the respect it deserves.
Please give this machine the respect it deserves !!!
Warning
Please follow the manual to the letter and perform any additional research necessary before attempting to use Milo for the first time.
If there is anything, and we mean anything that you are curious or unsure about, you are more than welcome to ask us on our discord server.
After all, you are special to us and we don't want you to get hurt.
Most importantly from everyone at the Millennium Machines design team, Have fun building your very first Milo!
What To Expect
This manual and associated firmware are for the Milo V1.5 with a Mellow Fly CDYv3 control board installed in the internal electronics enclosure found in the machine base.
This manual will not cover external enclosures or the electronics compartment found in the Millennium Machines Casa enclosure - but where possible, it can still be used as a guideline for those other setups.
The firmware used in this manual will only consist of the basic 3-axis functions of the machine.
Touch probes, additional relays, toolsetters, and other related add-ons are not a part of the base firmware. Therefore, they will not be addressed in this manual.
RepRapFirmware
RRF is typically considered a 3D printing firmware, but in the last few years, it has begun to see more and more CNC features implemented.
RRF boards tend to operate over WiFi or Ethernet and do not stream gcode over the air, but rather load it onto the board before starting a machining operation. Keep this in mind when finding a place to store Milo, as you will need some form of connection to the control board to allow working with the machine itself.
RRF is extremely control board agnostic, so for the most part firmware can be shared between different control boards with only a few pin definitions needing to be changed.
Pins in RRF act a little differently from Klipper and Marlin, as almost all pins are given a pin number (ex PC_7) and a pin name (ex Xmin). It is generally the pin name that will be referenced in the firmware and not the pin number, meaning that Xmin on one control board will also be Xmin on others. Keep this in mind if you want to use a different control board from the one in this manual.
It is still a good idea to cross-reference these pins before changing any settings in firmware, and most control boards will come with a table similar to the one found here - use this table in combination with a pinout diagram of your board to ensure everything will work as expected.
Bill of Materials
Provided here is the bill of materials. You're an adult (hopefully), and this is your machine, but we recommend you stick to this list as much as possible. If there is a substitution that you think would lead to a better machine, feel free! If there is a feature you don't feel is necessary, don't buy the parts for it.
Furthermore, there are options in the guide that are up to you to decide on, such as drivers, motors, and even control boards. Do your research and find what you need to make your build work for you.
Spindle Selection
Milo supports 2 sizes of round spindle - 80mm or 65mm. These cover the 2 most common spindle sizes for a DIY mill of this type. In terms of what you're looking for when buying a spindle, you'll want a minimum of 800w of power.
You can then decide how you want to control your spindle - the simplest types are router-style spindles which use a switch and or selector knob for manual control of speed and direction. The most complex but powerful way involves using a Spindle and VFD combination. With this setup, you have more granular control over your settings and can use outputs on your control board to control the spindle.
Note
There are too many styles of spindles to account for, so if the spindle mount doesn't support your spindle then design a new one and send it our way and we may include it as an official user mod!
Parts List and Printing Guidelines
The Millennium Machines team has provided a printing list with settings for you as a guideline for printing the parts necessary for the build. This list can be found here.
Remember, these settings are only a guideline, and are open to your interpretations - but we highly recommend following them to achieve the best mechanical properties for each part.
T-Nuts Application
This machine requires an immense amount of T-nuts. In the interest of simplifying this manual, we have chosen to omit the installation of T-nuts. Wherever a part interfaces with an extrusion in a way that looks like it requires a T-nut, then it should be considered a part that requires a T-nut.
Linear Rail Carriages
Linear rail carriages use small ball bearings to glide smoothly along the profile of the rail. If any of your carriages feel 'gritty' when moving, you should remove the carriages from the rail and give them a good clean with contact cleaner, brake cleaner, or another similar non-corrosive degreaser.
You must ensure that your carriages are appropriately greased before running your machine. Liberal application of EP2 grease to the carriages will do the trick.
Warning
Use a dummy rail when removing carriages from the rail. Searching for tiny ball bearings when they bounce around your garage is not an experience we want you to share!
Tip
Turn each rail upside down and put a carriage directly over one of the screw holes. You can then use a small syringe to inject grease directly into the carriage. When you start to see grease coming out along the rails you're done.
Pre-Build Training
Before you head out on your journey to create Skynet, it's probably a good idea that you learn a few things. Luckily the Millennium Machines team has put together a curated list of videos to teach you all you need to know - sit back, relax, and enjoy.
- Cold-bluing stainless steel, while technically possible, is performed primarily for aesthetic reasons. The cold bluing process does not significantly change its corrosion resistance or other inherent physical properties.
CONTACT US
Building Milo can be confusing, but we're here to help. Please join our community using the links on the Contact Us page to ask for assistance, or if you want to share a modification, chat with other Milo owners or simply show off your build!