Hi Rod,
Nice work and Great to see the machine in action and running so smoothly!
Tony
Very nice Rod, I'm definately jealous, can't wait till my third machine is finished. Can't wait till my FIRST if finished either... lol
VCarve really looks like the way to go, I better start saving my pennies.
Russell.
Hi Rod,
Nice work and Great to see the machine in action and running so smoothly!
Tony
Hi Russell
Thanks for the comments. Once you have your first machine up and running the next six machines will be a breeze.
Vcarve is excellent software and I use it for all my mechanical and decorative work. It has developed into a very useful drawing package that doesn't need a huge investment in time to learn how to use.
Hi Tony,
Thanks also.
I hope I didn’t embarrass you with my comments to Russell about Vcarve. It is great software and the support and ear to users is a credit to you and your team.
cheers,
Rod
Perth, Western Australia
Thanks again Rod,
The 2D machining is VCPro is often overlooked and something we need to try and promote a bit more.
Cheers,
Tony
Did you measure the spindle speed already? Tell us a little more about its behavior.
Thank you for for sharing your experience.
I tested the spindle before I built the machine and ran a mechanical test tachometer at the collet for the speeds. I know that the "O" ring drive starts to distort (expands out) at 25,000 rpm and that the top speed is 35,000.
I run it at 25,000 because I can easily see the speed throught the shape of the 'O" ring.
It has plenty of power and didn't slow down too much under load.
It is working well as a cutter and would be ideal as a PCB cutter but while it is not as loud as a router it still makes a lot of high pitch noise. I went down this path to produce a quiet machine that I could use late at night indoors but I think that was asking a bit much. What I didn't factor in was that the cutter itself produces noise and really anything at those revs must produce noise. Looks like a sound hood is my only option to overcome this.
I have given more detail on the spindle in my earlier posts and where to source it.
I hope this answers your question.
cheers,
Rod
Perth, Western Australia
Thank you for your quick answer.
Good work....it's amazing how quickly things come together when design to rails and leadscrews that are already completed. Lesson for all of us.
Thanks for the feedback. This machine has evolved a bit more and I have done away with the DC spindle. The DC spindle is restricted to 1/8th bits and is not as quiet as I had hoped.
I found I wanted more choice of cutters and have fitted a variable speed Milwaulkee 6mm straight die grinder. I can use larger bits and the machine is strong so it can handle the die grinder with ease. I have also swapped out the Z axis KR20 for a bigger pitch Issoku actuator. The Issoku has a 8mm pitch ballscrew verses the 1mm on the KR20 so rapids should improve on Z.
I have also installed adjustable screws to the table top to fine tune the table to the Z axis.
I am not sure if I have done the right thing but I kept comparing it to my larger machines and was disappointed by it's capabilities and performance. I will post some pictures and a video on the weekend so you can compare it to the earlier build.
cheers,
Rod
Perth, Western Australia
Seeing as I just updated my first build I should bring this one up to date as well.
I said in my last post that I have done away with the DC spindle and I now have a 6mm die grinder attached. The die grinder looks too big for the machine but it handles it well and I have more choice of cutters with a 6mm collet.
I have also swapped out the 1mm pitch Z actuator and replaced it with a 6mm pitch actuator. Speed was an issue with the finer pitch ballscrew.
The machine cuts comfortably at 2m/min and rapids are set to 3m/min so I will be leaving this machine as it is now. While it is small it is a great little machine to use and it is my first preference with a job. I have three machines now and will be converting a mill as my next project. Very addictive this CNC thing.
cheers,
Rod
Perth, Western Australia