Yep-Building a new Machine. Finally!

[vacpress]

So, I am finally building another machine. After 4 or so years of collecting parts, tools, and knowledge, and building a few crummy wood machines, I've finally got it pretty much all together to build a small, all-aluminum gantry router. Hopefully this machine can cut aluminum plate! As you can see, the design is not done. I hope to finish up the Z tomorrow nite after I purchase a laminate trimmer. I am leaning towards bosch because I like the brand. Any advice? I wish they were quieter!

In a few days, I will be asking for help selecting the endmills, feedrates, coolant, and mounting scheme to cut all the .25 and .50 thick aluminum plate on a commercial router I have access to, if it is possible to come up with endmills. There are encoders on the steppers, but sadly 1 is broken, which kills the chance of a LCD location readout. Sad, that would have been a killer feature.. There is a slight chance I will try to replace it, as the shaft and case make it very convenient to mount a new encoder. an x/y readout at all times would really be sweet.

Wish me luck!

Here are the basic specs:

• 10x10x4" Travel on THK HRW-21
• 5 start ACME and Wear Compensating Nuts on X&Y
• 2 Start Acme and Wear Compensating Nut on Z
• 3amp, NEMA23 Steppers
• 8020 Extrusion, Aluminum Plate Construction
• CNC Cut Parts(Hopefully) from a commercial machine
• Mach Charge Pump, Relay Spindle Control, Air-Blast Cooler Solenoid
• 8020 1010 & Acrylic Enclosure
• Mid-Range($120ish) Laminate Trimmer Spindle
• Mach3 Software, Xylotex or Gecko Drivers
• E-Stop & Manual Jog Controls on Machine

Robert

[FrankM]

Great cad work !

What sort of work are you planning with it ?
6" of Z travel seems a bit ambitious, Good luck

[vacpress]

Originally Posted by FrankM Great cad work ! What sort of work are you planning with it ? 6" of Z travel seems a bit ambitious, Good luck

I just edited it to 4, it will be sad to cut a 12" THK rail in half! Thouh I think it could do 6 easily, as these THK rails can handle massive loads, both in initial moments, and static. The 8020 is stiff to begin with, but the rails attacked to .50 thick 6061 plate and about 10 hex bolts should make it still stiffer.

I want it to cut aluminum plate, to help me convery my Enco Mill and lathe to CNC. Then it can help me make prototypes & models, which I do for extra money.

With luck it will also be able to etch circuit boards and all that.. Everything is being put together with alot of bolts, and it the cost is quite a bit higher than larger machines I see around the zone, hopefully the good components help ensure a good result. Somewhere around .01 accuracy, with luck.

Thanks for the comments!

[ger21]

Originally Posted by vacpress I hope to finish up the Z tomorrow nite after I purchase a laminate trimmer. I am leaning towards bosch because I like the brand. Any advice? I wish they were quieter!

Look at a Bosch Colt. A little bigger than a laminate trimmer, but you can get it with variable speed.

[vacpress]

Originally Posted by ger21 Look at a Bosch Colt. A little bigger than a laminate trimmer, but you can get it with variable speed.

Ah. Yes. That is the one I looked at before. Thanks for reminding me of the model..

So.. 16,000 to 35,000RPM speed range... Is that going to be a very useful range? If slowed down still more with an external speed control(such as the harbor freight one), will it just have allot less torque?

It seems like I run my manual mill allot slower than that.. Too bad I am not ambitious enough to try and build a spindle right now... Then it would be quiet, and all around better...

Anyone got this Bosch Colt on a small router table?

[ger21]

I don't think you can use an additional speed control on a VS router.

[vacpress]

Originally Posted by ger21 I don't think you can use an additional speed control on a VS router.

Hm. I bet it would do 'something'! Probably control the speed, with who knows what possible damage to the external speed control..If getting a variable speed eliminates all hope of a external control, I will definiately choose the single speed...

I also still have hope of making a high-power H-Bridge and having nice PWM speed control from Mach... I have seen that there is lots of activity in the forums in this direction.. Another reason to get the single speed.

I suppose the speed control in the device may be PWM. I have been seeing saws and drills with 'electronic feedback for constant torque' adverts. This may be PWM controlled?

[vacpress]

Well,

The design is progressing nicely. I hope to have it finalized soon so I can find out if my pal can cut the parts at his school.. If not, then I am going to be RFQing it here! Hopefully someone can help me out with my .375 aluminum plate. Going to go with some sort of ready-made z axis, such as this 'pic-design' i placed in for the time being.

Ordered a variable speed control box, single speed Bosch colt router, and 1/4" to 1/8" collet adapter. Rad.. It is nice to have already gathered 95% of the materials for a project like this... Just gotta figure out how to accurately drill all those holes if the cnc falls through.

Some 2D drawings will appear soon, probably with a request for quotes.

Check it out! Comments?

-R

[Treischl]

I like it! Clean design!

One suggestion though? Has nothing to do with your machine. When I view your post, for some reason your typing has lines REALLY long, like twice the width of the screen! I do not get this with other posts, you might want to look at that. Not sure why yours is doing it, but makes it about impossible to read.

Wish ya luck!

[ger21]

I think that's due to the width if the picture.

[vacpress]

great.t thanks.

[Glidergider]

Can you explain the advantages of a 5 start acme and then it looks like you are adding a 1-5 gear ratio pulley? They seem to cancel out their mechanical attributes.

What torque steppers did you get?