New Machine Build- Proxxon KT150 table

[konwood]

Hello,

I'm new in CNC, however I learned a lot from your pictures and forum.
I feel beholden to show you back what I made with the Proxxon KT150 table.

There is also a small movie at:

YouTube - DIY Proxxon KT150 CNC

YouTube - DIY Proxxon KT150 CNC

Thank you again,
Kostas.

[CarveOne]

Excellent video production!!, and congratulations on completing the build successfully.

So, what next? Bigger machine, more little ones to increase production?

CarveOne

[konwood]

Originally Posted by CarveOne Excellent video production!!, and congratulations on completing the build successfully. So, what next? Bigger machine, more little ones to increase production? CarveOne

Hello CarveOne!

Thank you for your good words,

I'm not finished yet with this "machine". The X and Y threaded rods are the original so they have gaps and they result in no perfect movement. I must change them to ??? I will look at the Greek market first.
The other big problem is with LazyCam I use. I uncounter problems with Offsets and Pockets. It makes crazy things. ex with this Autocad 2008-drawing. I convert it to dxf and Import it. The Offsets always have problems.
I include it with this message. Maybe someone has an answer.

Thank you,
Kostas

[CarveOne]

Unfortunately, I don't have anything that will open an Autocad 2008 format file.

Ellipses are not supported by some gcode generator programs. Not sure if LazyCam does or not. You might want to try the newly released CamBam beta that was announced a few days ago.

http://www.cambam.co.uk/download/latest.html

One of the new features is support for ellipses. I haven't downloaded it yet but will do so. There has been some discussion about this subject in blue_can's thread in this forum in the past two days.

CarveOne

[konwood]

Hi again,

Here is a dxf for Ellipse-2008.dwg.
I sure need an alternate program for LazyCam but I don't want to invest more money now.
Thanks anyway.

[CarveOne]

CamBam is a free, limited trial, download for MS Windows. I downloaded and installed it this morning. I just successfully opened your Ellipse-2008.dxf file with it. When I click on the ellipse it is selected. When I click on the other boxes it selects each individual line of the box. Were they created as four individual lines, using the box tool, or as a joined polyline?

CarveOne

[konwood]

I used CamBam as you suggested me and started to learn it. It goes well.
Anyway, I use the set [Autocad/Corel12/Photoshop - LazyCam - Mach3].
What is your favorite set ?

[CarveOne]

I'm new at this cnc and gcode stuff, and use WinXP Pro, TurboCAD 12, and CamBam for the CAD and CAM for time being.

I'm using Ubuntu 8.04LTS Linux and EMC2 for my first home built cnc router machine's computer. I would like to do the CAD drawings and gcode generation in Linux also, but for now some of it will be done in WinXP.

Let us see the results if you get this ellipse pattern working. I'm thinking that the boxes in this drawing need to be joined polylines for this to work properly.

CarveOne

[konwood]

To JOIN the curves together we follow this:
Mark the whole area (with a mouse-draging box), then lsft-click the mouse to open the dialog, Choose:Edit then: Join. I give a (big for this) tolerance of 0.01 (gap between unjoined edges in mm)
What about a set for WindowsXP? What others use? I have to check over the forum for this I think.

[CarveOne]

There are lots of choices for much money. There are much fewer choices for no money. I choose no money when there is something that works well enough to do the job.

I will eventually buy the better software when I know that this cnc hobby turns profitable. Most of my hobbies never become anything but efforts to waste my money at an ever increasing rate.

Check the software forums and the many advertisements on CNCzone for more choices.

CarveOne

[Trevix]

Hi Konwood/Kostas.
I was wondering how ended up with your cnc conversion, since I'm trying to convert the same table.
As you see from attached photos, I did X and Y but the stepper seem to miss to many steps....I have alignment problems (I noticed that you solved with the coupler) and, probably, there is too much friction all together.
So I'm thinking of trashing the XY table and replace it all with bearing rail, etc., keeping only (?) the Y axis.
What do you think ? What have you ended up doing ?

Trevix

[konwood]

Hello Trevix,

Well, I purchased 2 new railing (for X and Y) with special bolts that have no gaps.
I got some trouble to fit them on the base, but it was worth the time spent.
Nowadays they told me that programs (ex Mach3) do have correction capabilities even for these gaps! I didn't searched further so to say my opinion and details. Please ask to the forum where this correction is located in Mach3 and under what name..
It goes well!

(Obviously you mean you will keep Z axis-not Y you wrote.)
The Z was the biggest problem as you see from the structure!

Speak again,
Kostas