Picking out a Servo Drive for Mach3

[gbowne1]

Hi All!

I am going to be building a new cnc milling machine. Not a gantry/router type. I am going to be using Mach3. The machine's table will be 13.25" wide (front to back) and 56" long (left to right) and about 1.75" thick.. but may be up to 2.25" thick and T-Slotted. I have no idea what the table travel I will use.

I want to make it a minimum of 3 axis and use servos not steppers.. perhaps NEMA34. I have been told that AC servos are good. 4th Axis would be a rotary table as an option.

I was looking at all sorts of servo drives on ebay "business and industrial". There is Mitsubishi, Allen Bradley, Siemens, Yaskawa, Indramat, Omron, Kollmorgen, Emerson, Electro-Craft, Parker Compumotor, Panasonic, Pacific Scientific, Glentek, Moog, Vexta, NSK, Galil, Samsung, Baldor, Gettys, Bosch Rexroth, FANUC and a few others. I need something easy to set up and run with EMC2.. but something more than a Gecko. I see a ton of Yaskawa, Mitsubishi and Allen Bradley on there out of all of those. Anyone have any ideas? I also see a lot of Yaskawa servos.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions on which ones work well with EMC??

I am going to have some inputs/outputs to some switches, lights, etc. as sort of a operator panel/HMI. plus limit switches, etc. such as Cycle Start, Cycle Stop, Emergency Stop, Jog, a Jog MPG handwheel, Coolant On/Off/Auto, Jog, Home, MPG, Spindle controls (jog, etc).

The build will include THK linear rails and blocks (HSR &SHS), Rockford Ballscrews and a custom built spindle for a small BT30 or CAT30.

Again, any suggestions comments etc. are welcome.

[Montabelli]

http://www.granitedevices.fi/