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Thread: Anyone own a ZK6090 CNC Router?
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5th Sep 2021, 07:05 PM #1Diamond Member
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Anyone own a ZK6090 CNC Router?
I saw one for sale , fairly close to me and was mildly interested.
Guys says its 4-5 years old, and he wants $6k for it. Way too much me thinks.
Its got round rails which I definatly don't want. Already have one of those.....6040.
I want to cut Ali with it.
Are the bones good on these?
Steve
ZK6090.JPG
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5th Sep 2021, 07:45 PM #2New Member
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I knew of one here in the UK the guy had a lot of problems with it and gutted it, replaced round rails for square, new motors and electrics running Mach3 and he now has a good working machine, If yours was under $2k it could end up a decent buy but at $6k no way.
Phill
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5th Sep 2021, 09:28 PM #3Diamond Member
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Thanks Phill,
yeah, thats what I was thinking.
I doubt he will go that low, so I guess its a 'no go'.
Will keep an eye on it ...you never know.....
Steve
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9th Sep 2021, 11:28 AM #4Diamond Member
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Update:
I have come across a business who are importing some 6090's, refitting them and then selling, for less than this s/h one so I've locked it in. ( just snuck in )
Will be 3 months before I get it but it be a much more capable machine.
Can't wait.
Steve
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11th Apr 2022, 06:30 PM #5Member
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So did you end up getting one delivered?
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16th Apr 2022, 12:24 AM #6Diamond Member
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Yes, I did. I got it just after Christmas.
The business ended up importing 10, as the costs have sky rocketed since Covid, to make it worth their while.
Five were spoken for but it didn't take long to sell off the rest.
Found a local tranport company to get to my town reasonably priced.
I wll do some small mods as time goes by ( change lamp, dust shoe and fogbuster) , but overall happy.
Steve
new Router.jpg
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16th Apr 2022, 01:38 AM #7New Member
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Well done Steve,
Now get some time on it and make it sing.
Phill
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16th Apr 2022, 05:11 PM #8Member
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They're a great machine and reasonably well made I reckon. Terrific value for sure.
One change I'd been planning for years and I finally made after around 10 or so years of use, was to change the table as the original flimsy extrusion used to amplify a lot of the noise when machining.
While I was at it I took the opportunity to clean up the castings, dusted everything off, used a tin of epoxy enamel I had kicking around to paint the castings with, cleaned and re-lubed all the ballscrews, etc.
I then fitted 1.5mm rubber nitrile sheet to the top to absorb vibration, and affixed the new thick alu extrusions. Still makes noise depending on what's being done, but doesn't shriek like a banshee anymore!
Wasn't at all cheap to do and took a lot of time and effort accurately drilling and tapping dozens of holes, but was a very worthwhile upgrade, especially as I've gotten so much use out the machine already and I don't want to upset the neighbours with noise.
Another great benefit was I was able to make the table longer and wider than the original, which has proved unbelievably useful when clamping materials down!
CNC_01.jpgCNC_02.jpgCNC_03.jpgCNC_04.jpgCNC_05.jpg
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16th Apr 2022, 10:06 PM #9Member
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And to answer your prior question Steve, as seen by a few of the bits I've done, most definitely you can machine aluminium on it!
It can be a little tricky though depending on what grade you're using, and how gummy it is. Although it stinks to high heaven and I'm sure it can't be at all good for you, frequent light squirts with WD40 while machining will give excellent results and completely stop the alu sticking to the cutters. In most normal grades of alu I've come across, without a lube like WD40 or misting, the cutter will gum up almost immediately and snap.
I use 6mm shank 3 flute carbide cutters designed for alu machining, around $15 a pop from memory, and they work a treat so long as they're kept clean by lube. I'm very conservative with the DOC, but I try and run the feed rate fairly fast to get a clean finish.
alu.jpg
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16th Apr 2022, 11:15 PM #10Diamond Member
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Yes, the bed will ned upgrading. It seems to have plastic strips over ali strips.
Still looking into alternatives.
Thought about using reconstituted stone, but not sure its machinable ( to get flat) or it it even needs it....
Next option is a big ar#ed piece of Aluminium plate, screw T-slot track to it and MDF between them. No good for using coolant though....
Steve
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17th Apr 2022, 12:16 AM #11Member
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I originally planned to fit a sheet of 20mm thick alu, but ultimately decided against that (after buying the sheet!) as it introduced clamping problems, and the more I thought about it the more I was worried about dipping in the middle from the weight, potentially causing stress fractures in the frames casting. The top casting is supported at the ends, and takes the full weight of the gantry as well. I next looked at lower profile alu extrusions which would allow better clamping, but the flex factor was still a concern, and didn't think the upgraded would be that much significantly better for noise and vibration compared to the high cost. So in for a penny in for a pound, I ended up going for 240mm x 40mm with the largest wall thickness I could get, and drilled and tapped for stainless steel bolts along the frame and centre support.
This way the extrusion not only resists dipping, but also firmly fixes the frame to the extrusion, so it greatly increases the strength overall.
Like I said, not cheap in the end, but I'd do it again in a flash. This machine has been unbelievably reliable for many years and was well worth it. And the extra clamping is just invaluable.
I have also thought a lot over time on solving the machining alu problem, and the best I can come up with is to obtain or have welded up, a simple largish alu box about 100mm high made from 6mm thick sheet for the walls and 10mm for the base, with tabs fixed to the outside to clamp it down to the table, and blind screw hole posts in a grid inside it to allow clamping items inside it to be machined with coolant.
Or I may end up using the sheet of alu to make an enclosed smaller cnc machine to cater for coolant. Although this is a lot more work.
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17th Apr 2022, 08:56 PM #12Diamond Member
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Thanks aaagh, Lots to think about.....
Early days for me.
Only experience I have is a chinese 6040 and that bed was horendous.....lol
ali extrusion on Aust is super dear and importing is not cheap either....
Steve
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