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Proxxon Mini-Mill
Fabrication Utopia
by Tony Arnold - StampedeProject.com
RC Car May 2008

While cruising iHobby, the 14" tall MF70 micro-mill from Proxxon caught my eye. At first I thought, "ohh isn’t that cute" but that feeling dissipated, as I looked closer at the quality, specs and features of the RC part sized MF70 mill. "Really it retails for just over $350? OK, wrap one up please". The little mill has become as indispensable to me as a Dremel tool.

About Proxxon
Proxxon is a 30-year-old German manufacturer of various industrial grade precision tools with a US sales & support division. Once they mentioned that their products were heavily used in dental labs and jewelry manufacturing, everything made sense – with this much precision the CIA probably using these to make spy gadgets.

Why Do You Need a Mill?
The obvious answer is to make parts, the better question would be; how handy would a super powerful precision Dremel tool which allowed you to cut, mill, and sand perfect straight lines, make beautiful custom parts, only takes up about one square foot of space, accepts your Dremel bits, and is just over $350? I can hear thousands of readers all saying in unison "that’s exactly what I need." Let’s face it, a precision tweak on a tight buggy arm is preferable to the awkward chuck we normally take out with the Dremel tool and custom parts, well that just cool.

Features
The MF70 is a deal and packed with features typically only found on expensive mills. Resetable zero-able metric scales maintain <.05mm tolerances and allow you to start and stop cuts in the same place. A high power motor with infinitely variable spindle RPM (5K-20K) allows milling of materials as hard as case iron and as soft as plastic and wood. Material hold-down-blocks are included and the overall quality is solid and impeccably German.

--------Call Out----------
Proxxon MF70 Specs
110V
5000-20,000 RPM
7 7/8" x 2 ¾" table
1 7/8" F/B x 5 1/4" L/R movement
4" head movement
Footprint 6" x 9"
15.5lbs
Zero-able scales
Metal construction with cast iron base
Mill bit heads <1/8"
Accepts all Dremel bits
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Testing
Setup is easy, lock tight in four bolts, secure to your workbench, drop in a bit and go. Initially I intended the MF70 for just special projects, however along with lots of milling and fabrication, it has displaced my Dremel tool for precise cuts. Chassis lightening, precision trimming/sanding, servo, motor & battery mounts, … the list goes on and I have yet to find the MF70’s workload limits. The table size isn’t huge, however oversized parts can be just shifted and milling can continue. I also picked up a set of Proxxon mill bits, a handy mini-vise, and set of V blocks to mill rods – all quality accessories..

Conclusion
Gripes are that the $40 mill bits should be included with the mill as a ready-to-mill package and a simple "Milling 101" section in the instructions would be helpful for hobbyist. A full size mill would be great, however this industrial grade MF70’s is more than enough for the hobbyist and offers a level of precision that is perfect for our RC parts and modifications. Chances are you will see a ton of custom parts and pieces in made with the MF70 in future articles. If you have been lusting after a mill, the price and features are right on the Proxxon MF70.

----Call Out-----
Milling Quick Tips
Use high speed rated end mill bits
Design parts in eMachine shop, glue on, trace and mill
Don’t bite deeper than half the width and depth of the mill bit
Use multiple passes to take off material
Go slow
Safety glasses and earplugs are a must
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