Hi all,
I'm at the point with my Taig that I'm wanting a bit more power. I am probably going to upgrade to the ER-16 spindle option, but want to replace the motor as well. One idea that I have is to use a junker tredmill and steal the motor and speed control unit out of it. That would give me a nice varispeed control and I wouldn't have to worry about changing pulleys anymore, or at least limit it (maybe just a high and low pulley combo). But I've been reading up on motors a bit and it seems like you'd want a DC motor as the torque is constant across its speed range, and they handle speed changes much better than AC motors. Only problem is that DC motors and especially the drivers don't come cheap.
Ideally I'd like to have a 1 to 1.5 HP spindle when I'm done with it and "enough" torque to power through some serious cuts. The RPM range I'd be looking for is somewhere around 1000 to 5000 or higher for finishing cuts (thats where the high/low pulley system could come in handy). Anyone have some good suggestions for upgrading the motor?
Now along with that added power will come the need for rigidity to keep it all accurate along with a beefy spindle to handle the cuts. I've heard of people filling the hollow square column with concrete or the like to keep it as rigid as possible. Has anyone done this, and can they comment on how well it works?
Also, the bearings on my stock Taig spindle are going bad (can feel a slight wiggle at certain positions on the spindle, only around a thou though) so I'm left wondering if the ER-16 spindle will hold up to the cuts I want to put it through. The though of building my own spindle has crossed my mind but that'd be a pretty in depth project as well as a costly one for how I'd want to build it. It seems that with the ER-16 spindle upgrade the cutter will be closer to the bearings and have less leverage to pry itself off its intended axis which would be ideal for rigidity. The stouter, the better, right?
Later on I might consider ditching the steppers and leadscrews and putting encoded servos and ball screws in it, but thats an entirely different chapter. Right now I'm just basically looking to eek all of the rigidity I can out of the stock Taig frame. I've found the travel to be suitable for my needs for now as I only make small parts and work on small objects - I'm just wishing for a faster, more rigid machine. If anyone has any ideas for making the Taig an overall more beefy machine, let me in on your secrets!  |