Online Introduction to CNC Milling Course

1. Introduction and history

From the conventional milling machine to numerical control and G-code.

2. The milling machine

Types, main parts, movements and technical specifications.

3. Workholding

Holding the tool and the workpiece.

4. Milling tools

Main types of end mills.

5. Milling parameters

What they are and how to calculate them, with a worked example.

6. Machinable materials

Hard, medium-hard and soft.

7. Milling operations

Facing, drilling, slotting, profiling, pocketing, surface contouring and 3D milling.

8. Material entry strategies

Plunge, ramp, helical and zig-zag.

9. Risk prevention

Safety when machining.

10. CNC code and CAD/CAM systems

From the design to the G-code.

11. A real milling machine: Red Fox

Specifications, parts, maintenance and compatible software.

12. Inkscape

Vector and bitmap images, and how to generate a milling G-code.

13. NomadPanel

Working with the milling machine in five steps.

14. Inkscape + NomadPanel

The complete workflow, from drawing to finished part.

15. Practical exercises

Simple shapes, a name, a logo, 3D letters and a final sign.

• Knowledge: none; this is a beginner course.
• Software: Inkscape (free) and NomadPanel (by NomadTech, downloaded from the course). Windows only.
• Machine: the theory and job preparation can be followed without a machine; to mill the exercises you need a CNC milling machine.