Cast components for a router?

[kiwichris]

I'm chewing over ideas for making a large (8x4') machine and plate is expensive here but I can get castings done quite a bit cheaper.

Without any details of a design, I'm wondering what people think of the concept of having some major components (gantry mainly) cast in aluminium, and then getting the contact areas (guide mounting etc) machined down.

If nothing else It'd be fun to make some huge mould plugs out of MDF.

[Oldmanandhistoy]

Hi,

If it’s within your budget; I’d say go for it. I would have thought it would be better than using just plate anyway. It would make an interesting build log as well, so don’t forget to let us know how you are going, with lots of pictures.

John

[Geof]

Do a whole bunch of reading about aluminum casting alloys and heat treatment of aluminum. What you are thinking about is perfectly feasible but cast aluminum comes in all flavors. You can simply have random scrap melted down and it looks fine, machines like cheap cheese (tapping is almost impossible) and can bend like a wet noodle; or sometimes after a year or so it has age hardened so it breaks when you give it a hard bump.

Find out the correct alloy to use, make sure your foundry knows all about heat treating cast aluminum and you can make something very nice.

[slatwood]

I find it hard to believe that its cheaper to build a pattern to have cast, then cast the aluminum and then mill it into spec. Wouldn't it be easy and cheaper to build it out of extruded aluminum or steel tube. I have a plasma cam 4x4 gantry machine and it is simply built with a piece of square steel tube. I have done allot of aluminum casting and there are way to many variables for me to try and build a machine from. I hate to be the pessimist but it seems like you are traveling down a road with allot of hidden obstacles.

[Eurisko]

Check out http://www.buildyouridea.com/
by Dave Kush

Dave uses cast aluminum for much of his router.
He also made the castings himself using the lost foam technique.
He also built the propane furnace that melts the aluminum.

It was Dave's site that inspired me to build my own CNC router.
After pricing aluminum shaft supports, I fully intend to cast my own.


Go for it. Do some research, as Geof suggested.