Manufacture Smarter with Custom Tooling

Manufacture Smarter with Custom Tooling

Lean Machine is a metal fabrication job shop in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, specializing in custom machining with a 5-axis CNC mill. A job for a customer required Kurt vises to hold a component while the mill cut the part. To avoid collision between the mill head and the vise, the stock would have to be clamped 12-14 inches from the cutting area. This was not an acceptable option, as a cantilevered part takes longer to machine and results in a less accurate cut. The team considered building their own metal custom vise, however they could not justify the $6,000 price tag.

The addition of a Markforged Mark Two led Lean Machine R&D Engineer Josh Grasby to use 3D printed components to build a cost-effective, custom vise/soft jaw combination. Comprised of over two dozen 3D printed continuous carbon fiber reinforced components combined with off-the-shelf parts, Lean Machine’s custom printed vise can clamp 1.5 inches from the end of the extrusion, as opposed to 12-14 inches. The company has since taken on more complex jobs, all while applying a design for additive manufacturing approach to solving other problems they come across.

Labeled as the ‘Pro’ version, the MYSWEETY CNC 3018 PRO is a slightly different version of the Sainsmart Genmitsu CNC 3018, but essentially has the same design. It reportedly has an upgraded control board, as well as an offline controller, which means it doesn’t have to be tethered to a computer.

Staying true to its name, the MYSWEETY version has the same work volume of 300 x 180 mm and a Z-axis depth of 45 mm. It also comes with a775 spindle motor and a sturdier frame made of aluminum and nylon. At a slightly higher price, it’s worth comparing the 3018 CNC machine iterations released by MYSWEETY and Sainsmart.