What is this CNC milling machine?

A milling machine I designed and built from scratch to cut aluminium. I'm Ewan Wills, a UK-based product designer with a robotics engineering background. The design work went into structural rigidity first, then mechanical accuracy and motion control.

Can a DIY CNC mill really cut aluminium?

Yes, if it was designed for it. Aluminium needs structural rigidity, so the machine doesn't deflect under cutting load, and it needs precise motion control. Those two requirements set the frame and the drivetrain on this one. There's a video of it cutting linked from this page.

Who builds custom CNC and motion-control machines in the UK?

I do. I'm Ewan Wills, a freelance product designer based in the UK. Machine tools like this one are part of an end-to-end product development service, along with motion systems and gantries: concept and prototype, design for manufacture, then handoff to your suppliers.

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Case study · By Ewan Wills, freelance product designer · UK · Last updated 2026-07-03

Machine tool · Personal project · Doc EW-CS-02

CNC mill, from scratch.

A CNC milling machine I designed and built from scratch to cut aluminium. Plenty of home-built mills manage plastic and wood and then fall over in metal, and it's usually the frame: cutting loads find whatever flex is in it. So this one was drawn around structural rigidity first, with mechanical accuracy and the motion control to hold it.

Watch it cut ↗ Project facts

DIY CNC milling machine for aluminium, designed and built by Ewan Wills

Sht 02 — Project facts

What was the goal?

ProductA CNC milling machine that cuts aluminium, designed and built from scratch.

FocusStructural rigidity first, then mechanical accuracy and motion control. Between them they decide whether a home-built mill cuts metal or only plastic and wood.

DisciplinesMechanical design · Motion systems · Controls

EvidenceVideo of the machine cutting: CNC mill cutting video (YouTube)

DesignerEwan Wills — solo design and build

Sht 03 — Why it matters

What does it demonstrate?

Structural design under load

Aluminium finds every bit of flex in a frame. I designed the structure for stiffness before anything else, because flex turns into chatter and parts that measure wrong.

ii.

Motion control

Accurate multi-axis motion. Same problem as the bolt pick-and-place gantry, with a cutting load hanging off the end of it.

iii.

First-principles capability

This wasn't a kit. Concept, CAD, parts, wiring, then a machine that cuts metal. It's also a personal project, so nobody checked the drawings but me.

Sht 04 — Frequently asked questions

Quick answers.

What is this CNC milling machine?: A milling machine I designed and built from scratch to cut aluminium. I'm Ewan Wills, a UK-based product designer with a robotics engineering background. The design work went into structural rigidity first, then mechanical accuracy and motion control.
Can a DIY CNC mill really cut aluminium?: Yes, if it was designed for it. Aluminium needs structural rigidity, so the machine doesn't deflect under cutting load, and it needs precise motion control. Those two requirements set the frame and the drivetrain on this one. There's a video of it cutting linked from this page.
Who builds custom CNC and motion-control machines in the UK?: I do. I'm Ewan Wills, a freelance product designer based in the UK. Machine tools like this one are part of an end-to-end product development service, along with motion systems and gantries: concept and prototype, design for manufacture, then handoff to your suppliers.

Sht 05 — Related

More motion & robotics work.

The mill is the personal one. The same motion-control thinking turns up in the automated bolt pick-and-place gantry and the MiniCapper lab-automation device, and there's the in-ear vital sign monitor if you'd rather see electronics than steel. All Ewan Wills, a UK product design studio.