The AltMill represents the pinnacle of hobby CNCing, bringing industrial-level technologies to a price point and ecosystem for both beginners and advanced users.
The AltMill uses a robust aluminum frame construction, with optimized aluminum extrusion profiles to maximize rigidity and ease of assembly. The machine is fully complete, and standalone without the need for an existing workbench or table surface.
Size
Machine Size (WxDxH): 1598 x 1575 x 1438 mm (62.9 x 62 x 56.6 “)
Cutting Area (WxDxH): 1265 x 1251 x 174 mm (49.8 x 49.25 x 6.8″)
For detailed drawings showing key dimensions of the AltMill, see:
For even more detailed dimensions, refer to the available 3D CAD model found in our ‘open-source’ page. https://resources.sienci.com/view/am-open-source/
Requirements & Specs
Power requirements: at 120V, two independent outlets to provide
- 10A to the control box
- 15A to the optional 1.5kW spindle kit or the rating of whichever router / spindle you’ll equip to your AltMill
Operating temperature: expect reliable operation between 5-30°C shop temperature (can be colder or hotter outside) as long as you give your machine time to acclimate to its environment to avoid cold-running or building up moisture on the electronics. Using these methods some users have reported running in as low as -20°C though wireless mice or keyboards reportedly become unreliable. Generally though if you’re comfortable your machine will be comfortable
Operating humidity: best results will occur from a balanced humidity, too high and you can expect the moisture to degrade or even short the electronics, cause higher dust buildup, and swell the MDF wasteboard whereas dry air can cause static charges to build up more easily so a poorly grounded machine will experience electronic disruptions
Storage: all components have a wide operating temperature range such as -20 – 50°C for the stepper motors, -40 – 85°C for the control box, and -40 – 105 °C for the motor connectors so as long as the AltMill is kept stationary it can survive being stored at nearly any temperature as long as ambient humidity isn’t too high (causes degradation of electrical components and potential surface rusting of exposed steel components)
Max cutting speed: 15000 mm/min (590.5 ipm) in X and Y, 6000 mm/min (236.2 ipm) in Z
X, Y, Z-axis motion: 15mm square profile precision ground hardened steel rails, fastened to rigid aluminum extrusion rails, with sealed linear bearings
X & Y axis power transmission: 2.0NM integrated closed loop NEMA 23 steppers driving 16mm, 10mm lead ball screws. Ball screws fixed with matched pair angular contact bearings.
Z-axis power transmission: 1.2NM integrated closed loop NEMA 23 steppers driving a 12mm, 4mm lead ball screw. Ball screw fixed with matched pair angular contact bearings.
Spindle: Optional spindle kit equips a 1.5kW 110V 24,000 RPM ER16 80mm air cooled spindle. All AltMills come with 80mm diameter spindle mounts compatible with most 80mm diameter spindles.
Electronics: 32-bit SLB-Ext controller running grblHAL firmware, with signal outputs to integrated driver stepper motors. Read more about this here.
Find specifications about add-ons here: