Ger,
I've been aquiring parts for some time now and have the basic stuff-some nice THK rails, a few different slide assemblies (slides, ground ball screws, limits, and a couple with motors), and other stuff to build three tables and maybe retrofit a lathe.
My first table is is going to be small, at most 2' (X) by 2' (Y) by 5" (Z). I'm really doing nothing more than bolting together three complete slide units, slapping on some motors, a 2-1/4 HP, variable speed (8000 RPM -27,000 RPM) Craftsman router, and some Geckodrives. I've got both servos and steppers: I'm not sure which way I'll go.
This unit is a temporary, disposable unit I plan to use solely to help make the parts and pieces for the bigger units. Once I'm done with it I'll canibalize it for the parts.
Why?
Two of the slides came off of an X-Y positioning video camera inspection rig called a SpotSeeker II made by a company called MicroVision. They are highly accurate (9 mils/step), but somewhat wimpy in the leadscrew area. Without some serious work they are not going to last forever. All they were doing was moveing a small CCD camera, so they didn't need to be beefy.
Machine #2 will utilize 80" long THK HSR series 20mm rails on the X axis, 48" rails on the Y axis, Z as of yet undecided. I've got an 1-1/4" dia. ground ballscrew, 5 turns per inch, with 60" of threads for the X axis and a 1" dia. ground ballscrew, 5 turns per inch, with 50" of threads for the Y axis. I have a pair of 1,100 oz-in NEMA 34 steppers, but also some 50 lb-in, 5000 RPM Baldor servos. Haven't yet decided which I'll use. This will be a metalworking machine. Don't know where I'm going wih a spindle/drive/tooling yet-that's my weak area, as I have virtually no experience. This will be a sturdy, workhorse machine, so I don't want to skrimp, but I'm also somewhat "financially challenged" and that places limits on what I can do.
Machine #3 will use 3 pairs of the 80" THK HSR20 rails: two end-to-end for an X axis with 10' of travel even with an 18" wide gantry base, and the long Y axis we've been discussing. I've got another pair of the 60" and 50" ground ballscrews available for use. I've also got a very stout 30" slide unit for the Z-axis.
I can't for the life of me imagine needing to mill anything that big: this machine will be a dual purpose PLASMA torch and woodworking machine. I hope to add an indexer to allow carving of wind turbine blades about 10' long.
I'm doing all of this primarily to learn something new and see if a money generating making venture can spring from it.  |