Cutting aluminum parts with 3018 Pro CNC, making an E3D V6 hotend mount for the Sapphire Plus CoreXY

In this video, we will make some aluminum parts with this super cheap CNC 3018 Pro for the Sapphire Plus CoreXY printer. If you’ve watched my previous videos, this printer has a few minor issues, but considering that it costs less than $400 and has a very sturdy frame, it actually has a lot of potential. It’s able to print at 150mm/s with pretty good quality. But, when I try to print at over 200mm/s, the hotend couldn’t melt the filament fast enough. So, I decided to upgrade the hotend to a E3D V6 Volcano which should do a much better job than the stock one.

After all upgrades, the total price of this CNC machine is $230. I also made an enclosure, as this machine is quite noisy when it cuts things. I used less than 4 meters of 2020 aluminum extrusions, which cost around $35, 2 pieces of laminated MDF from Home Depot, which cost $12, and one piece of a one-eighth-inch acrylic sheet and some magnetic tape, which cost $30. So, the total cost of the machine with the enclosure costs less than $300. It actually doesn’t look too bad, but the most important part is, can it really cut aluminum? Let’s find out.

Please also watch my 500w spindle upgrade video:
   • The cheapest $149 CNC 3018, cut and m...  

Affiliate Links:

Comgrow ROBO CNC (higher quality than CNC3018):
https://www.comgrow.com/collections/c...
Use discount code: AuroraTech
MSRP: $259 - $45 (discount code) = $214 (Free sales tax, may save another $20 depends on where you live)

Comgrow Robo CNC review video:
   • Comgrow Robo CNC Review: The best fir...  

Comgrow Robo CNC 500W and 800W spindle upgrade video:
   • 500W or 800W spindle, which one is be...  

Comgrow Robo CNC spindle mount Fusion 360 tutorial:
   • Fusion 360 Tutorial for Beginner 006:...  


CNC 3018 Pro:
https://ebay.us/hsMbmC
https://amzn.to/3eSFcIe


500w Spindle:

500w Spindle with DC 110V power supply and mount:
https://amzn.to/3iINO5g ($99 Spindle + Power Supply + Mount + 13 pcs Collet)
https://ebay.us/P69eXv ($70 Spindle + Power Supply + Mount)


End Mill:

Speed Tiger Carbide 2-flute end mill:
https://amzn.to/3kTO8AQ (1/8" $22.5 pack of 5)
https://amzn.to/3eTmFLT (3/16" $30.8 pack of 5)

Cheap High Speed Steel 4-flute end mill:
https://amzn.to/3zxAFm9 (with 8 different diameters)
This set is not work as good as speed tiger carbide, but super cheap and have 8 different Diameter


Polymaker ASA Temperature Resistant Filament: (For 3D printing the Z carriage)
https://amzn.to/3i4PSFi


Other items you may need for this upgrade:

Nema 17 48mm stepper motor:
https://amzn.to/3ePsAkU ($13.99)

M3x35mm Spacer x4:
https://amzn.to/3x6lDlP ($4.49 pack of 20)

Power Cord:
https://ebay.us/dVb3RQ ($3.91)

45mm LM8uu bearings x2:
https://amzn.to/2UKvcd4 ($9.99 pack of 4)

M6*90mm Screws x4:
https://amzn.to/3iFlzEq ($9.46 pack of 10)

M6-10 T-Nuts x4:
https://amzn.to/2WjMDBG ($7.94 pack of 40)

16 gauge wire:
https://amzn.to/3iMvqZe ($6.95 25FT Red +25FT Black)

24v relay x1:
https://amzn.to/3iNGm8K ($8.5 pack of 4) (better deal)
https://amzn.to/2VcgMlW ($6.09 pack of 2)



For enclosure:

2020 Aluminum Extrusion (need 6M to make this 50x42x40 enclosure)
https://amzn.to/3ePt22r ($79.99 10M)

Corner brackets for 2020 extrusion (need 12)
https://amzn.to/3j14yF5 ($26.99 pack of 20)

Magnetic Tape for acrylic door: (Need 12FT, half inch wide)
https://amzn.to/3l10uH8 ($13.99, only need 1 roll as it's 1" wide, you can cut in half if you want to save money)
https://amzn.to/3kTOtn6 ($10.97, need 2 rolls, it's 0.5" wide, ready to use but you need 2 rows)

Acrylic sheet 18x24 1/8" thick"
https://amzn.to/2Wkgjyz ($45.99 pack of 2, you only need one for the enclosure)

LED Light inside the CNC Enclosure:
https://amzn.to/2V8XZbd ($18.49)