Newbie- Yamaha XY 2-axis conversion to CNC foam cutter

[jlaiii]

I have a small Yamaha 2-axis XY arm-style pick-and-place robot with controller. (I think about 10 years old) The idea is to add a third axis (z) and be able to machine foam (up to 15psf urethane). My understanding is that I would have to get software write gcode for a surface and then to convert the gcode to xyz points in yamaha robot language. This is about all I know.

Can someone give me an idea if the software exists and how easy it would be to mount an additional axis and contoller to make this work? How big of a project is this and does anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[vger]

I would be tempted to use the driver boards in the machine (if they are seperate) and skip the Yamaha robot language. Does the existing machine use stepper motors or servo motors? Are the drivers for the motors seperate from the controller board? Obviously you will need a third axis driver and motor, and sticking with the same style (stepper or servo) may make things easier. The one pick and place machine I seen up close uses servo motors / ball screws to run the 2 axis and air to handle the pickup/placement. Post a pic or two of your machine if you can. Do you have schematics?

Steve