Approximately half the rod needs to be machined do to *just fit* in the holes you've created. I started with 3/4" teflon, but as I said you can use other plastics. You'll mostly be using a lathe for this step. These pieces slide into the top block, as well as over the bottom rods. I left the larger 15 mm on the bottom because we'll be threading holes, and we want a bit more strength here. The top piece has holes of depth 65 mm (leaving 10 mm above), while the bottom piece has depth 60 mm. Then, use a smaller diameter drill, and only cut a fraction of an inch at a time before lifting it to remove the chips. Start with a center drill to make the starter hole.
Doing so will add measurement error.īecause the holes are so big, you'll want to drill them progressively. After you choose your hole positions, make sure to cut both of them at the same time per block-don't remove it from the vise in-between. It's very crucial that the holes on the top and bottom pieces are exactly aligned. This meant that I could machine down the plastic pieces to exactly fit the way I wanted. Since the plastic has a diameter of 3/4", I chose to drill the slightly smaller diameter of 23/32". Remember that the plastic pieces slide on these, so the smoother the better.īefore moving onto the plastic sliders, we'll want to drill the holes that the rods slide into. Last, I mounted the rods in a drill press, and sanded them (ultimately using 1000 grit) for a very smooth surface. I also used a lathe to bevel the edges a bit so as not to leave sharp edges, and make it easier to thread. The rods need to be as straight as possible, but you can always put some slack in the system later if you need. I did the threading in a lathe, but you can also do it in a mill or just freehand. I used a 3/8" die, pitch 24 for the threads. The bottom part of these rods needs to be threaded. I have left 10 mm of solid aluminum above the top block, and then gave the rods another 2 mm of "slack". The rods start from the very bottom of the bottom block, but do not poke all the way out of the top block. I have chosen 138 mm out of the total 150 mm.
#Meltdown ice press full
These rods need to be nearly-but not quite-the full height of the ice ball maker. As I said before, they are 3/8" diameter. Next step is to make the steel alignment rods that come up from the bottom block of the ice ball maker. If not, practice some more and find someone to help you!
#Meltdown ice press how to
Hopefully, you've learned by practice how to use edge finders, perform air passes, and so on so that you can perform this step safely and accurately. Don't try to do the roughing pass with a ball end mill! They don't like being "plunged" directly into metal.įinally, use the CNC machine to cut the hemispheres. You'll want at least two phases: a roughing pass with a large endmill to take away most of the material, and then a finishing pass with the ball end bill to leave a smooth inner surface.
#Meltdown ice press software
Then, you need to use CAM software to create the toolpaths. This leaves a block with a hemisphere cut out. The basic model is easy: use AutoCAD or the equivalent to model the original block, make a sphere of the appropriate diameter, and subtract one from the other. It's not too difficult, but it requires time to learn.
If you use TechShop, take their classes and play around with some easier projects first to get a feel for how the machine works. This is the hardest step and will require you to learn how to use a CNC mill and the associated software. Next, you'll want to machine out the hemispheres. I used a 1" ball end, but smaller diameters will work as well. The inner hemispheres will be cut with a ball end mill, and you'll want as large a diameter here as possible. I added rubber feet and a cabinet knob for lifting the top.įor equipment, you'll need a CNC mill and a lathe, and basic tooling. The only extra material is whatever you think will make the final product easy to use. I used 3/4" teflon rod, but teflon turns out to be hard to machine. This piece slides over the stainless steel rod. Last, you'll need plastic rod of a larger diameter. These serve as the bottom vertical guide shafts. That's a 13-to-1 ratio, and works pretty well. My ice ball maker produces 70 mm diameter ice balls, and the aluminum blocks are each 125x125x75 mm. This is so the aluminum properly melts away the rest of the block. You'll need blocks that are in total at least 10 times the volume of your sphere. You'll need to pick a size based on the size of the ice ball you want. The basic material is two large blocks of aluminum.
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