Originally Posted by PowerNaudio  widgitmaster i love your machines, don't take this in the wrong way, its more of a compliment. i see your cnc machines more as a work of art, a show of craftsman ship, kind of like a Ferrari, it does everything you need or want it to, but i wouldn't want to put a scratch on it. now a cnc machine doesn't need to have every single component hand crafted from a block of aluminum or steel in order to be high quality and an accurate machine. you can build a much simpler machines that function just like your previews ones, without the high cost of making costume made parts, for the machine to be cost effective you can use off the shelf square tubing and flat stock for the frame, with the right dimensions where all you have to do is cut them to length and either weld them in or bolt them down, to keep the labor and cost down. mass purchasing components in the new but old stock of linear rails and blocks, or round precision shaft and pillow bearings as well as the electronics, till your machines start to sell enough to be able to buy, to the current year components. there are ways to make it cheap, but great. specially with your skills, and a bit of engineering and the keep it simple principle, im confident you'll be able to come up with a large, simple, accurate unit, on the cheap side.
good luck, so very looking forward to one of your larger machines. |
Thanks for your input
PowerNaudio!
Funny you should say that, as off-the-shelf items were the motivating reason behind my learning to make things for myself! They have always fallen short of my expectations, and seem to lack the precision I like or need!
Now, for the Keep it simple principle. That was exactly how I approached the Mini-Routers, and they are very accurate and rigid for their price. But any router with a travel over 12" needs to have a stronger, more supported slide mechanism. Thus the need to use a THK (or equivalent) Linear Slide Block system.
Widgit