Need help choosing cnc router

[coldpizza721]

i have all the software..., autocad 2007full license, mach 3, and lazy cam. But i have never built a cnc router before and need help finding plans to match my needs.

Im looking for plans that are atleast for a 2'x2' minimum with a z axis of 2.5 - 6 inches i guess but that part doesn't really matter. Anything from this to about 2'x4' would be good for me. I will be needing this to cut through plastic and acrylic and sometimes a thin metal(i dont need a plasma machine for metal.. correct?). I do not know that much about motors or anything iether. Could someone please recommend what i should get along with the plans.

thank you

[ger21]

What kind of thin metal? Hopefully aluminum, as you won't have much luck cutting steel with a router. I'd recommend buying Joe's 4x4 plans. You can modify it to a 2x4 if you want, and buying the plans gives you access to a user forum where you can find out what motors other users are using. A large number of members here are building or have built this machine.

[Ed_R]

I can recommend the rack and pinion plans from Solsylva. Sounds like just what you need.

[coldpizza721]

ugh..ill be needing to cut through steel. k heres the next question. Can i use a plasma cutter to cut through plastic and acrylic or will it deform it somehow?

Will i need to end up getting to different machines?
Also im not sure if there is a difference but the dimension i put on the first post "2'x2' atleast" i will need to be the actual cutting area because what is a footprint? Is that the actual cutting space you have which is smaller then the dimension listed with the plans.

[ger21]

How thick is the steel? What are you making with it?

[coldpizza721]

most of the steel im cutting is 1/32 of an inch. some of it might go up to 1/16th.

[CarveOne]

Two issues with plasma cutters are that they usually don't cut non-conductive materials and they create strong electrical and RF fields that can interfere with or damage computer equipment if the proper precautions are not followed. Check the CNC plasma cutter forums for more info on this.

CarveOne

[ger21]

I've never tried cutting steel, but I doubt you'll be able to do it with a router. Steel needs much lower rpms, and usually a lot of coolant. Building a combination router/plasma is not usually a good idea, as switching between the two is not as simple as switching the router for the plasma cutter. They need different beds or tables. If you don't cut a lot of steel, paying someone else to do it for you might be a lot cheaper and easier option.

[coldpizza721]

wait. This might not be steel. There are other metals besides steel and aluminum correct? Its not aluminum because its magnetic but to tell you the truth i have no idea what it is or dont have anyway of finding out. All i can tell you is it is 1/32 of an inch think