There wouldn't be a better thank you than posting your build here for all to see and learn from! Congrats...
I want to thank everyone here on CNCZONE for the help I got on my LMS x2 CNC conversion.
I was able to figure out everything I needed to know by Google searches and mostly this website. I usually don't join forums but this one helped me tremendously! I figured I would join to try and help others. My day job is a Siemens 840D SL application specialist with 19 yrs job/production shop machinist experience. (don't want to get dirty anymore) I wanted to thank CNC fusion for the awesome ball screw kit and Hoss for all the inspiration! (you are a true engineer/machinist!).. Because of Hoss I'm now going to build a linear way machine from the ground up to achieve high velocity machining in a small package (big difference from High speed machining).. Dove tails Can't handle titanium in a high velocity application. Thank you Vince at EDealers for your amazing customer service and your superior hardware build! If you haven't already check out his kits, they are hands down the best on the market for the $$$$!!
Thanks again guys!
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There wouldn't be a better thank you than posting your build here for all to see and learn from! Congrats...
Well, I had to make room in the -Y- Axis for all that travel the LMS X2 has. Couldn't see losing even a .001" of travel if I didn't have to. Also I had to buy a different coupler for the -X- Axis. The LoveJoy spider coupler that came with the kit was too long and would have required a shim of about .200" to work which was kind of a bummer, but it didn't matter since I got a set of Ruland SS Beam couplers on amazon for $14 a piece with prime!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I got one that was 1.25" OAL for the -X- so no shim necessary. Once again thanks guys for all your help.
Thanks for posting the pictures, had the same problem with the coupling, but drilled a hole
in the center of the rubber part for the shaft end, and it was able to work.
Larry
That would of been a whole heck of a lot easier! I think it's funny that the LoveJoy coupler That ships with the fusion kit doesn't fit. What's even funnier is if the motor block was mfg. with the correct thicknesses for the lovejoy and you wanted to switch to a Beam/Helical/Bellows coupler later, you just could buy the length you need to fit the thicker motor block. Then CNCFusion wouldn't get so many bad reviews on their kits not fitting. I don't know if it's true or not but I read somewhere that CNCfusion designed the kit to use helical couplers and lovejoy was a cheaper alternative, but I find it hard to believe that is the reason it is mfg. With that thickness. I just got done installing a couple 60 taper 5-axis multi million dollar machines for my company that once they hit the shop floor required hand grinding and spacers made for various reasons.. In my opinion if you decide to build a CNC (Chinese especially) stuff will need to be "adjusted" to fit perfectly. There is a saying us machinist say that no two machines are alike off the assembly line, and a good machinist can make precision parts on the worlds worst machine. (Also, if you never have crashed a machine then you never have ran one)
Not sure which LoveJoy couplers you had, but their typical "L" style coupler can have some play in the spider. They make curved jaw couplers that can accept different hardness spiders and have no backlash; I've used them on my large router table. The Ruland stuff however are top-notch quality and I like them and use them as well.
Thanks for the pics - the machine looks great!
I have no complaints with the "Old Trusty Lovejoy's" the backlash shouldn't be a problem when the backlash comp. is set correctly. Most small shops machines all have the typical straight L lovejoys. I would say lovejoy is an industry standard. Actually I didn't have to adjust my backlash switching over to the Ruland coupler but, over time the Buna-N get soft and need to be replaced.
Believe it or not, when I posted my router on YouTube a while back, I mentioned in the comments that I used LoveJoy couplers on my machine. Amazingly, one of the VPs of LoveJoy International actually left a comment on a few of my vids, and I even corresponded with him a bit! I believe he actually peruses YouTube and comments on LoveJoy users, which I thought was pretty cool. Anyway, it was him who explained to me that there are some motor drives that actually need backlash as a sort of "buffer" or "shock absorber," and recommended to me their curved jaw couplers, which were designed for precision positioning. I still have those couplers on my router table!