Jgro router as a 4/5 axis machine

[mrbaseball]

Has anyone converted or upgraded the jgro design to include a 4th and 5th axis?? I am lookingto add a 4th axis to the jgro for use wtih Balsa and Foam to carve plugs for fiberglassing and for vacuum forming.

[mrbaseball]

anyone??

[mrbaseball]

I'm thinking of making the Z axis rotate, but only the router. If I place a small stepper motor on this axis will it cause problems. so basically the router could rotote and you would have a B axis, but it would not be the conventional lathe type setup. any thoughts?? downfalls of this method??

[ger21]

Originally Posted by mrbaseball downfalls of this method??

Find software to write g-code for it.

[mrbaseball]

What about CNC Toolkit?? I have seen that this can handle up to 6 axis? or what about mach2 or Mach3. I have read a post that says that you can use the software for up to 6 axis as well.

[ger21]

Mach3 can run the machine, that's not the problem. Creating the g-code is. CNC Toolkit can do it, but have you actually tried using it? Ever used 3D Studio Max? The learning curve may be very steep. Anything else will cost several thousand dollars.

Do you really need 4 or 5 axis, or can you do what you want with 3 axis?

[mrbaseball]

I would like to use this machine to "carve" my plugs for vacuum forming and for fiberglassing. I guess I wold need to see exactly what kind of intricate work other folks machines have done.

Originally Posted by ger21 Mach3 can run the machine, that's not the problem. Creating the g-code is. CNC Toolkit can do it, but have you actually tried using it? Ever used 3D Studio Max? The learning curve may be very steep. Anything else will cost several thousand dollars. Do you really need 4 or 5 axis, or can you do what you want with 3 axis?

[Splint]

Worth noting that you dont need to create the part in 3ds max, you can create it in Rhino and import it. From there toolpath creation is relatively straight forward using the cnc toolkit script.