CAMaster Stinger II rack and pinion when cutting aluminum

[Jim Becker]

What sort of gantry clearance do you have now? I wonder if it's changed at all to the current stinger II? Their website states 7" at the moment. When I talked to Cody he said this should be more like 6" with the table top installed. I think this should be enough vertical clearance for all of my planned uses. I would worry about the rigidity of the system with a raised gantry when machining the harder materials.

I think it's about 6" but I don't recall specifically. Cody knows the specs for the new iteration of the Stinger machines (4x4 and 4x8) Note that the Desktop is no longer using the Stinger name.

BTW, one major change with the new version is the change from WinCNC to a Centroid controller with digital communication. That's good in many ways, both physical/reliability related as well as better resolution, which again, may be very good for your specific application as machining non-ferrou metal tends to require increased accuracy over wood based materials due to the much smaller pass depths that have to be repeated for full depth, etc.

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Michael, the Stingers use very heavy aluminum for the gantries and they are indeed built like tanks. They did go to steel in the truly industrial machines up the levels, but for affordability, the heavy alumiunum is great. It's not anything like the "kit put together" type aluminum machines...it's heavy half-inch thick stuff that in some cases is more than used in heavy dump truck beds.

[Craig Day]

I think it's about 6" but I don't recall specifically. Cody knows the specs for the new iteration of the Stinger machines (4x4 and 4x8) Note that the Desktop is no longer using the Stinger name.

BTW, one major change with the new version is the change from WinCNC to a Centroid controller with digital communication. That's good in many ways, both physical/reliability related as well as better resolution, which again, may be very good for your specific application as machining non-ferrou metal tends to require increased accuracy over wood based materials due to the much smaller pass depths that have to be repeated for full depth, etc.

Did you get the vacuum hold down on your system? I'm going to at least go with the phenolic vacuum ready top, but don't think I'll buy the vacuum pump from CAMaster. If you have a vacuum configuration any pointers here would be welcomed!

[Jim Becker]

No vacuum. It's only really good for sheet goods and I don't use that much sheet goods. For small parts, vacuum requires fixtures designed for the purpose. This is all due to the laws of gravity, believe it or not. But if you do decide to do a vacuum table, the phenolic machine top is awesome for that for sure.

BTW, be sure you are careful about what kind of aluminum you cut on CNC. Some varieties "gum up" tooling lickety-split and that pretty much guarantees the tooling will snap.

[David Buchhauser]

After doing some test aluminum machining on my Avid CNC table, and seeing what a huge mess it can make with coolant and all, I decided that it is probably not a great idea to machine metal on the same cnc router table to be used for wood routing. That was the reason I purchased a second Avid CNC Pro table with ATC spindle to be used specifically for cutting aluminum and other nonferrous materials. I know the Avid spec sheet says +/- 0.005" or better for Accuracy - but I think that is misleading. I have machined some brass, aluminum, and acrylic parts and have often held better than +/- 0.002" tolerance on the finished part dimensions.

[Mick Simon]

Along these lines, I'll re-emphasize that if you do cut both wood and aluminum on the same machine, do not use dust collection with the aluminum. The hot chips can (and have) start a fire.

[Craig Day]

No vacuum. It's only really good for sheet goods and I don't use that much sheet goods. For small parts, vacuum requires fixtures designed for the purpose. This is all due to the laws of gravity, believe it or not. But if you do decide to do a vacuum table, the phenolic machine top is awesome for that for sure.

BTW, be sure you are careful about what kind of aluminum you cut on CNC. Some varieties "gum up" tooling lickety-split and that pretty much guarantees the tooling will snap.

Thanks for the tip! Quick question... how high is the table surface with spoil board on your Stinger II from the ground? I'm contemplating going with the Stinger III in 4x8 but this might interfere with my tablesaw out feed so curious if I'd clear the top of the CNC table or if If have to raise my tablesaw a bit.

[Mel Fulks]

Spray denatured alcohol on aluminum to make it cut clean and smooth.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the tip! Quick question... how high is the table surface with spoil board on your Stinger II from the ground? I'm contemplating going with the Stinger III in 4x8 but this might interfere with my tablesaw out feed so curious if I'd clear the top of the CNC table or if If have to raise my tablesaw a bit.

About 34", give or take. I have my slider at 36".

Spray denatured alcohol on aluminum to make it cut clean and smooth.

The type of aluminum still matters...the really soft stuff gums up in not fun ways/

[Cary Falk]

I have a 2019 Stinger 2x4 with a higher gantry and a 2.2k spindle. No issues cutting Aluninum but I take it slow. I don't do much of it because it is messy. I have a mister and use denatured alcohol. A special Al cutting bit helps.

[Craig Day]

I have a 2019 Stinger 2x4 with a higher gantry and a 2.2k spindle. No issues cutting Aluninum but I take it slow. I don't do much of it because it is messy. I have a mister and use denatured alcohol. A special Al cutting bit helps.

Thanks for the feedback Cary. What sort of things have you cut in aluminum? And what's the deepest you've cut?

[Craig Day]

I'd like to thank everyone for the great feedback on this machine. I've decided to go with the Stinger III in 4x8 with 3KW spindle, phenolic vacuum table, fast tool change, laser cross hair, counter balance, and remote handheld keypad. If I can get an updated quote I'll pull the trigger today. It looks like I'll be getting a really solid machine from a great manufacturer with a loyal customer base.

If anyone can comment on the remote handheld keypad that would be helpful. I'm thinking it's probably not a bad idea to add this on?

[Bruce Page]

I have the KRS USB keypad. It’s very handy for basic operations. If you’re planning on metal cutting you should look into a mister. JMO

[Michael Burnside]

I have the WinCNC version keypad, which I like a lot. I use it on almost every project.

[Jim Becker]

I have the WinCNC version keypad, which I like a lot. I use it on almost every project.

The Stinger II and Stinger III now use Centroid for their controller. Camaster has moved away from WinCNC going forward. The Desktop is also now building with Centroid. The "big" machines are using an industrial controller from Yaskawa.

[Michael Burnside]

The Stinger II and Stinger III now use Centroid for their controller. Camaster has moved away from WinCNC going forward. The Desktop is also now building with Centroid. The "big" machines are using an industrial controller from Yaskawa.

Understood, that's why I was specific to the controller I was using so the OP could compare. I helped a friend of mine customize his Centroid configuration to add some new buttons and his wireless pendant looked quite similar. Not sure if it was identical as I didn't play around with it, but it sure seemed similar.