building 5axis cnc for art design

[nitewulf]

Hi all,

I'm new around here and completely lost, i was surfing your forum for some time, but I'm confused dont know where to begin at all. I would much appreciate any kind of help if possible.

I would like to build 5 axis milling machine for creating architectural models from foam / wood / plaster. I have no experience in CNC at all but from searching around I come across Doughty Drive plans and B/C drive. Would like to ask you what you think about that, i dont mind spending extra money for a good build, but I cannot simply afford to pay for a commercial machine that cost over 10 000$. models i want to create range from couple of inches up to max 9 feet in one direction (flat decorative molding panels), later from models i would do silicone molds. I would need a good precision so the lines from the milling are not that noticeable.

thank you in advance

[ger21]

i dont mind spending extra money for a good build, but I cannot simply afford to pay for a commercial machine that cost over 10 000$

The cheapest 5 axis machine I'm aware of is the ShopBot, and it's $40,000.

Honestly, I don't think you can build a 5 axis machine yourself for under $10,000. And if you don't really know what you're doing, you'll end up with $10,000 worth of parts that don't work.

I think you'd be far better off to start with a 3 axis machine, and when you get really good with it, then you can think about a 5 axis.

In the 8 years this forum has been here, I've seen maybe five 5 axis machines built. And even fewer actually running.

[nitewulf]

The cheapest 5 axis machine I'm aware of is the ShopBot, and it's $40,000.

Honestly, I don't think you can build a 5 axis machine yourself for under $10,000. And if you don't really know what you're doing, you'll end up with $10,000 worth of parts that don't work.

I think you'd be far better off to start with a 3 axis machine, and when you get really good with it, then you can think about a 5 axis.

In the 8 years this forum has been here, I've seen maybe five 5 axis machines built. And even fewer actually running.

what about doughty drive ?

[mcphill]

what about doughty drive ?

The Doughty Drives are great, but do you know what to do with them? They will need a tremendous support structure to be able to machine a 9 foot piece. And we have not yet started talking about 5 axis CAM software.

I agree with ger21, I think at this point your enthusiasm is blinding you to the difficulties you would face trying to build a machine yourself.

Here is a build being documented on the forum right now that would fit your needs:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy-cn...ild_-_big.html

And here is his first one:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy-cn...ost727431.html

So, it CAN be done! Not to sound like an @ss, but could YOU build one of these two machines?

[nitewulf]

it would be good idea to start with 3 axis basic one, does anyone have any plans for it ?

[matt68]

The Doughty rig can be built as a 3 axis machine. If you want or need more, just add them later.

[matt68]

I just got a quote from 80/20 for the first part of my build. Just the main table for the plans from Doughty comes in at a little more than $1800. That's fully kitted up and ready to assemble. Once I add the X-axis table and the gantry I'm figuring around $3200. Even with the electronics thrown in, as a five axis it should come in around $9000. I'll keep you posted, but it seems pretty doable.

[asuratman]

Hi Matt68,
How much B/C drive cost you?

[osphoto]

The cost of the machine should also include the software that will be used to created the G-Code unless you plan to create the code your self. I use Mecsoft and to get the 5th axis will cost me an additional $1k for them to write the coded need to even use a 5th axis. And of course I had to upgraded to the Pro version of their software to even go beyond 3 axis. That cost may very but we're talking about $6k+ for software.

[giz]

Doughty Drive is ~$2500 shipped to US

[awerby]

Hi all,

I'm new around here and completely lost, i was surfing your forum for some time, but I'm confused dont know where to begin at all. I would much appreciate any kind of help if possible.

[For someone who doesn't know where to begin, it looks like you're jumping in with both feet...]

I would like to build 5 axis milling machine for creating architectural models from foam / wood / plaster. I have no experience in CNC at all but from searching around I come across Doughty Drive plans and B/C drive. Would like to ask you what you think about that,

[I'd agree with the rest of the people who advised you to start small, and work up to this giant 5-axis thing. Surely you'd find some use for a 3-axis router about a foot or two in X and Y, and you'd learn a lot about all this when building it. Any mistakes you'd make would be relatively small ones, not big disasters. It would also help in making the plates and other parts for the ultimate machine.]

i dont mind spending extra money for a good build, but I cannot simply afford to pay for a commercial machine that cost over 10 000$.

[As was pointed out, you're unlikely to find anything like the machine you're describing for $10K or even close. You'd be lucky if building this thing cost that little.]

models i want to create range from couple of inches up to max 9 feet in one direction (flat decorative molding panels), later from models i would do silicone molds. I would need a good precision so the lines from the milling are not that noticeable.

[That's not determined by precision, but by how you set up the finishing passes. Assuming the machine really works, if you make the cuts very close together, you'll get a smooth result - it might take forever to run, be out of square, or the wrong size, but you won't see those lines.]

thank you in advance

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software

[awerby]

The cost of the machine should also include the software that will be used to created the G-Code unless you plan to create the code your self. I use Mecsoft and to get the 5th axis will cost me an additional $1k for them to write the coded need to even use a 5th axis. And of course I had to upgraded to the Pro version of their software to even go beyond 3 axis. That cost may very but we're talking about $6k+ for software.

[I'm sure I could get it for you for considerably less than that.]

Andrew Werby
ComputerSculpture.com — Home Page for Discount Hardware & Software