Has started planning to build my first CNC router, I plan to use it for woodworking and (hopefully) milling aluminium.
Since I intend to use it to mill aluminium I decided to build the machine with aluminium since this is both strong and not to hard to work with. After some reading on the forum I also desided I would go for a gantry style cnc. When I started planning I decided to build a machine that was 1000mmX500mmX100mm. But I already have changed the Z-axis to 88mm since I bought a ballscrew with that travel length, I have also bought some linear glides for the Z and Y axis. The Z axis ballscrew is 6mm diameter (the load on the Z ballscrew is going to be vertically so I dont think it matters that that the diameter only is 6mm) and has a lead like 1mm/turn. The reason I chose that slow Z ballscrew was because I thought that this would increase the accuracy for the Z axis, wich for me is more important than speed, and since the Z axis dont travel so long I think it will be fine. Anyways are now looking for Y axis ballscrew that need to be around 470mm (the length of the linear glides) and I am therefore looking for a ballscrew with around 16mm diameter and 5mm/turn. I am planning to use mach3 since I have heard with that program I can compensate for different leads on the ballscrews. I am planning to build a 3 axis L297/L298 bipolar driver for the stepper (probably will build :
http://www.hans-w.com/9908-09A.gif). But I am unsure if Mach3 will suport that type of driver? I am further probably going to buy 3 of
these stepper motors wich are running on 4.05V and is using 1.5A. Would these motors work alright?
I will probably make some sketch of my design that I will build after once I find and buy the ballscrews and linear slidings I need...