Mill Basics 101

Bridgeport Milling Basics 101

MakeIt Labs

Nashua, NH United States

About: Mill Basics 101

MakeItLabs is hosting a class on how to operate the Bridgeport knee mill. This class offers learning on safety and rules of the machine shop, basic operation of the mill, and basic machining principles for 2-axes projects. Students that complete this class will be qualified to run the manual knee mill and mini mills in the machine shop at MakeItLabs independently. No previous experience is needed, however math skills are useful to have in milling operations.

What to Bring

Calculator, pen/pencil, impact resistant eye wear, closed-toed shoes, short-sleeve shirt or fitted long sleeve, and hair ties for long hair. No loose sweatshirts, coats, ties, hood draw strings, lanyards, necklaces, rings, or watches. All other materials needed for class will be provided.

Students will learn to:

• Safely mount, index, and secure work material for machining
• Understand the concept of Backlash and how it relates to using the Mill.
• Use an Edge-Finder to locate part 
• Precision locate drilling points by moving the mill table accurately along X, Y, and Z axes.
• Know the difference between Climb Milling and Conventional milling.
• Understand how to calculate appropriate speeds and feeds for milling operations
• Identify a variety of end mills and their applied uses.
• Change the mill spindle speeds appropriate for the cutting tools and materials being machined.
• How to square a piece of square stock and achieve a precise dimension.
• Clean and maintain the mill.

Please note:

• Students must be at least 18 years old.
• This class does not cover use of the conversational CNC ProtoTrak system on the Bridgeport.
• This class is not designed to make machining experts or qualify someone for a career in machining
• Students should be of proper health conditions to operate machinery and should consult their doctor if needed
• Individuals with milling experience can test for authorization without a class, please contact me on slack @John Martin
• Individuals that are interested in a refresher are welcome to join at no cost if empty slots are available. Contact me on slack @John Martin

Host or Publisher MakeIt Labs