First Build newcomer

[FHUGO]

Hi I am new to the forum and CNC builds. I am looking for a little bit of info to get me started. I am wanting to build a machine that will' accept up to 1200 square sheets of MDF. The largest things I cut are speaker parts from 18mm wood and I'm wanting it to be capable of cutting 45degree edges for joining. other things o will want tl cut are 5mm sheet aluminium and plexiglass. Are there any recommended plans for this job and what electronics and router should i be looking for to get a good finished job fairly rapidly? Cheers for any help guys

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• Need Help!- Newcomer question

[awerby]

Wow, that's a lot of MDF to load onto your machine!

You could cut the 45 degree edges with a pointed router bit.

Cutting aluminum would require a more rigid machine than most. You might look at the Mechmate plans.

The most popular electronic driver board around here (by far) is the G-540 from Geckodrives.

Most hand routers die prematurely when used as CNC spindles, but if you're just doing cut-out work and not 3d, you might get away with it. But 3-phase spindles run with a VFD are definitely a step up.

[FHUGO]

Thanks for that Andrew. Yes its fairly large isnt it, I tend to do a few things by hand that stretch to 1200x900 so just for those projects really. In terms of motors are there any recommended performers out there to pair with the G540?

[pippin88]

I think Andrew was poking fun at "1200 square sheets of MDF" which seems to mean you want to load twelve hundred individual sheets of MDF on to your machine (rather than a single 1200x1200mm sheet).

[FHUGO]

Oh woops, I hadn't thought of it that way!

[wizard]

Thanks for that Andrew. Yes its fairly large isnt it, I tend to do a few things by hand that stretch to 1200x900 so just for those projects really. In terms of motors are there any recommended performers out there to pair with the G540?

As the machines become larger space ends up being a real issue. Also more engineering has to go into the design to make sure it is reasonably stiff. That being said 1200 mm isn't that bad However realize that you generally need clearance around your sheet goods for clamps and the like. So if you are doing sheets that are 1200 mm wide expect to need have an axis travel that exceeds that by something in the range of 200-300 mm. It would also be best to design your machine so that the gantry spans the 900+ mm length.

[FHUGO]

Cheers wizard. For bearings I see some using linear slide bearings and others using various types of roller. Do any out perform others and from the looks of things a linear slide on a long rail may be less ridged unless I go for a larger diameter or if some extra sliders take some of the weight.

[wizard]

Hi I am new to the forum and CNC builds. I am looking for a little bit of info to get me started. I am wanting to build a machine that will' accept up to 1200 square sheets of MDF. The largest things I cut are speaker parts from 18mm wood and I'm wanting it to be capable of cutting 45degree edges for joining. other things o will want tl cut are 5mm sheet aluminium and plexiglass. Are there any recommended plans for this job and what electronics and router should i be looking for to get a good finished job fairly rapidly? Cheers for any help guys

[/Quote]
I have to suggest lots of reading here. You ask questions about every feature of a machine, that indicates to me that you have a lot to do to come up to speed. As for plans there are many out there but I can't comment on them as I've not built any. My suggesting would be to focus on the stiffer designs out there to better support machining of aluminum. This also means avoiding designs built out of wood due to the high likelihood that you will end up using coolant/lube to machine that aluminum.

Funny but I'm not sure how I manage to quote two of your posts without trying. The important thing here is that you need to determine what sort of performance are you expecting and what is realistic for a DIY machine.
[Quote]

Cheers wizard. For bearings I see some using linear slide bearings and others using various types of roller. Do any out perform others and from the looks of things a linear slide on a long rail may be less ridged unless I go for a larger diameter or if some extra sliders take some of the weight.

The link you had there went to some profile type bearings. Then you mention a larger diameter which implies round rail! I really don't know what your intention is here, however if you want any hope at all of building a machine suitable for machining aluminum, in any volume, go with profile rails. Every vendor has a range of products some more suitable than others. It is best to become real familiar with the suppliers catalogs and engineering data.

Your big problem is the rigidity of the frame and components supporting the rails. For the rails to be rigid they need to be fastened to a rigid structure. To machine aluminum well that structure needs to be stiffer than what would be acceptable on a machine focused on woodworking.