Carbide 3D Shapeoko HDM V3

About the Machine

The Shapeoko HDM V3 is Carbide 3D's heavy-duty machine for cutting metal, with a 690 x 610 x 145 mm (27 x 24 x 5.7 in) working area, a 4-pole 80mm water-cooled VFD spindle with a chiller (1.5kW at 110V or 2.2kW at 220V, 8,000 to 24,000 RPM, ER-20 collet, max 13mm/0.5in tool), and 16mm ball screws with HG-15 linear bearings on every axis. It ships fully assembled, aligned, and tested in-house, delivered by freight on a pallet.

Cut Settings on this Machine

Every cut starts with one formula: Feed Rate = Spindle Speed (RPM) x Chip Load x Number of Cutting Edges (flutes). Chip load is the thickness of material each cutting edge removes in one revolution of the bit. This number comes from the manufacturer of the bit, which publishes a chip-load chart for each bit diameter and material. Look up your exact bit and material, start from the middle of the published range, and you have the third number in the formula. The chart below shows the recommended spindle speed for each material and bit type.

The Shapeoko HDM's 4-pole water-cooled spindle runs 8,000 to 24,000 RPM with real torque behind it, comfortably covering the chart's recommended speeds. Ball screws and HG-15 linear bearings on every axis, plus a frame built and tested for cutting metal, give it the rigidity to take deeper passes than the desktop Shapeoko line, but material still sets the limit: aluminum and steel need shallower depth per pass than wood, even on a rigid machine like this. A truly rigid machine with a powerful spindle can cut as deep as the bit is wide in a single pass, but push past what the material and bit allow and the bit deflects and chatters, leaving scalloped edges, or it rubs instead of cutting and burns the material. The fastest way to dial in a cut is to see what has already worked for other people.

Worked example for feed rate: 1/8in (3.175mm) two-flute solid carbide end mill in hard wood. The chart says 16,000 RPM, and this spindle's 8,000 to 24,000 RPM range covers it, so run 16,000. With the bit maker's 0.025mm per tooth (0.0010 in): 16,000 x 0.025 x 2 = 800 mm/min (31 in/min) feed. For depth per pass, start shallow and check Community Cut Settings in Easel for what works on this machine. If the cut sounds strained, reduce the depth, not the feed. Slowing the feed below the chip load makes the bit rub instead of cut.

Community Cut Settings shows the spindle speed, feed rate, and depth per pass other makers actually run for your machine, material, and bit.