Cast Iron Plates

I have some cast Iron 1 x 6 x 6 plates. Just a thought but I’m thinking about stacking them in the machine and not using concrete.

I think the purpose of the concrete is rigidity.
When it dries there will be no deflection. I don’t think weight is their #1 designed intention.

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Vibration dampening through mass…

Using the plates is unlikely to have beneficial result. Various anchors through the frame will help the concrete set up and reduce vibrations improving results beyond simply being rigid.

Answers are never simple. Tensile strength of concrete is only about 1/10th of it’s compression strength.

Why Does Concrete Have Great Compressive Strength, But Poor Tensile Strength?

About vibration dampening.

Granite & concrete vs. steel in mechanical engineering: five convincing properties

Does it matter much on such a small application like the MR-1 base? Probably couldn’t hurt. You decide.
Constructing the Future with Ultra-High Performance Concrete

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If they made this machine out of cast iron similar to a Bridgeport it would cost 20k.
This is a work in your garage 3 axis mill. Very cool information though.
What type of concrete would you recommend?

There are dozens of different concretes and unfortunately I’m not qualified to make a specific recommendation. I know there are many factors that affect strength so I suggest doing a lot of research and decide for yourself. This is where I started.

Building an UHPC Metal Lathe Part #4 - Casting and Unboxing…

VMC UHPC Mineral Casting 3 Axis CNC Mill - Part 1 Molds And Casting DIY

DIY Milling Machine Part 1: The base and concrete parts

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The Ultra High Performance Concrete is interesting. I wonder where you can purchase Nanodur Compound in the US?