cnc router , aluminum frame , pics only ...

[katran]

Man , I don't know if HSR20 would be alright ...depends on your design . But my master router uses SHS25 rails , on a 3' x 2' area ...

My first cnc machine ? O.K , that happened about 6 or 7 years ago ... My brother , Adrian , bought a K2CNC machine from USA , when I saw that thing ,
I was like ... I need one , or I die !!! So , we actualy cloned that machine , using that same machine ... I discovered KelingInc and Ebay ( very few chinese
sellers present on ebay then ... ) . After that , it became an obsession ... built about 15 machines since then . Beeing an air traffic controller , my problem
is that I have very little spare time ( about 4 hours every other 4 days ... I work in shifts 12/24-12/48 , and the shop is 100km away from my house ... )

cheers .

[Steve320]

great job!

[Dylwad]

I don't know about the HSR20 being too small, the load rating if im reading it right is over 4000lbs per block, I think most diy routers use way oversized rails (generally because we use what we can find on Ebay), the strength and rigidity of the machine surfaces the blocks and rails are attached to are usually far lower than what the block and rail is rated for. 20mm rails are used in some semi heavy duty cast iron steel milling machines.

Not saying there are any I'll effects from using oversize rails, besides the cost maybe.

Big mills use big rails because they need to move heavy (1000lb+) steel blocks around at 1G+ acceleration, the cutting force from the bit would never get remotely close to needing 25 mm rails on an aluminum gantry type router cutting aluminum with a few horsepower.


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[Spk64]

Excellent machines you are building there high quality parts everywhere.
What size ball screws are you using on your machines. They appear larger than 16mm but hard to tell. The cleanliness and organization of the shop is impressive. Keep up the great work.

[katran]

You are probably right , Dylwad ... but as you said , we use what ever we can find on ebay ... for example , I got the rails for my master router ( SHS25R ) from
hgrauctions , at a very low price ( around 100 bucks for a 1200mm rails + 2 blocks ) . This happened some time ago ...about 2-3 years ... now , is getting harder
to find this kind of deals ...

The ballscrews from the small routers are ISEL , 16mm dia , 5mm pitch ... The master router has ISEL 2505 / G-Ten 2005 ballscrews . I am trying to avoid
chinese products ( especialy ballscrews ) , because of the poor quality ...

[offerd15]

I wasn't sure if there was more than just a weight limit for the rails. I'm not an engineer but i'm learning I'd really like to build my own machine but I can't see going smaller than 4' x 4' so I could cut a sheet of plywood.

What kind of electronics and motors did you use? I love how simple you kept the machine.

[Dylwad]

There are a ton of specs on the load ratings of rails and blocks, in various directions and static/moving. A diy cnc router is just a blip in the scheme of things compared to some of the industrial uses for the rails.

Spend the money on the electronics and spindle, unless you get a killer deal on the larger rails

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[offerd15]

I have a ton to learn but that doesn't stop my brain from thinking about it. I don't even know what a killer deal would be at this point, but I have a feeling ballscrews for a 4' length would be a hard find. Is rack and pinion really that inaccurate?

[Dylwad]

Depends on the rack.

Design the machine around what you will be cutting. Woodworking doesn't need <.005-.010" accuracy generally.

Price new hiwin rails, that will give an idea of what a killer deal is.

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[CarveOne]

I have a ton to learn but that doesn't stop my brain from thinking about it. I don't even know what a killer deal would be at this point, but I have a feeling ballscrews for a 4' length would be a hard find. Is rack and pinion really that inaccurate?

No, it isn't. It depends mostly on how good of a builder you are. Buy the racks from a good supplier and they fall nearer to centered within it's allowable range of tolerance. The final accuracy of parts can be dialed in within 0.001" easily. For woodcraft projects it doesn't matter that much. When you cut aluminum router mounts and other precision aluminum parts, the other parts of the machine will typically flex more than the remaining inconsistencies in the gear rack tolerances.

[offerd15]

I will definitely be cutting aluminum also, so I may be more happy with ballscrews. As far as aluminum for the build...does MIC 6 make a huge difference over 6061?

[Dylwad]

I will definitely be cutting aluminum also, so I may be more happy with ballscrews. As far as aluminum for the build...does MIC 6 make a huge difference over 6061?

Mic 6 starts out flat and constant thickness, and stays pretty consistent when you machine pockets and such into it. Extruded 6061 not so much. It looks flat but once you start surfacing it you see how inconsistent it is on flatness and thickness, and it can bow and curve all over the place after machining.

6061 is stronger and good for parts that need the strength, anodizes nicely, polishes great. Mic 6 is more brittle, not sure about anodizing, and might get too weak in small features of parts. Great for machine structures and it's intended purposes though.

There are hundreds if not thousands of metal alloys available for good reasons.



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[katran]

There are a ton of specs on the load ratings of rails and blocks, in various directions and static/moving. A diy cnc router is just a blip in the scheme of things compared to some of the industrial uses for the rails.

Spend the money on the electronics and spindle, unless you get a killer deal on the larger rails

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Dead right ... In my opinion , one of the most important component of the machine is the spindle ... a good quality collet and endmill will
make a huge difference regarding precision and accuracy . As for electronics , your best bet would be servo motors and drives ( keling has
a nice selection of theese ) .

But in the end , as CarveOne said ... It depends mostly on how good of a builder you are ... and more importantly , what would
you like to use the machine for ... wood , plastics and such , or high precision metal parts ...

cheers.

[CarveOne]

Consider also that when you need to make high precision metal parts these CNC wood router style machines are not the machines that should be expected to do it. That would be better done with Bridgeport style milling machines converted to CNC control - or better yet, farm the job out to someone who has a commercial CNC machining center.

It's a nice bonus (and a testament to the builder's skills) if a DIY CNC wood router style machine can even approach high accuracies of under 0.001" repeatably. Mine doesn't do it, and I'm still very happy with it. Although I keep rebuilding my two machines from time to time in the pursuit of better accuracy and surface finish.

[offerd15]

I've got a few more questions. How did you attach your 90 degree brackets on your frame extrusion? Did you use t screws or did you drill and tap the holes? Did you build a jig to drill the holes (if you did drill and tap)?

Also, what is the black material that you used for the middle of your couplers?

[katran]

I've got a few more questions. How did you attach your 90 degree brackets on your frame extrusion? Did you use t screws or did you drill and tap the holes? Did you build a jig to drill the holes (if you did drill and tap)?

Also, what is the black material that you used for the middle of your couplers?

I use some special channel nuts ... like theese ...



The material used for the teh couplers is POM ( acetal , Polyoxymethylene ) ... a tough plastic .

cheers.

[eloid]

i notice in your other posted photos later on eg ( post #13) on your table tops your using a extrustion is that 25-5013 t slotted profile from 8020?

also what brand and model of lathe is that in your shop

[michalis_s]

Hello,
I'm from Greece and lately I'm trying to build my first cnc router.
What I have in mind is a similar construction to yours.
I really admire your neat work I must say. One of my big problems is finding all tha aluminium parts, like the extrusions the plates and the rest. Where did you find the materials? From ebay?
How much do they cost?? You say that chinese ballscrews are not so good? Is there any good place to buy them from?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Best regards,
Michalis.

[masinecc]

Hello Gabriel,
Really nice machine , simply looks awesone, no words. Wanna make something similar, but i am in doubt should i get nema 23 (425 or 270 oz-in ) and what type of spindle motor should i get. Can you please tell me what stepper motor do u use and what type of spindle motor do u use?! Can i have your mail so i can contact you there. Thanks a lot and i am looking forward for your answer.

[Drogers00]

I was wondering if these machines that you build are for sale I have been looking , but I like your design with the ball screws on the side? its awesome!