SNEAK PEAK: CNC Fusion X3 Deluxe kit

[wisp]

Coming soon to an X3 near you......





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[phantomcow2]

Can you outline some of the differences from your previous kit?

[wisp]

The main upgrades are the ballscrews and thrust bearings. Four circuit ballnuts with ZERO backlash, factory preload. Angular contact bearings on the X-Y axis, preloaded with lock nuts.

[phantomcow2]

Is this a different ball screw than the original kit you are selling?

[wisp]

Hi Phantom, Yes, they are a different brand. The black ballscrews we have sold up until now are made by Nook, these ballscrews are made by ABBA. The ABBA ballscrews also have a 5mm pitch, that works out to .1968 inches. The Nook ballscrews have a .200" pitch.

We will still stock the Nook ballscrew based kits & options. This is just another kit option. We have been listening to feedback on what people would like to see in a kit.

[phantomcow2]

They look like the 16mm diameter ground series.
Good job listening, this is an excellent improvement over your original kit. Do you have an estimated price yet? All 3 axes- the full kit.

[wisp]

Yes, they do look like ground ballscrews in the photos, but they are precision rolled screws. We did get quotes on ground ballscrews, but even when we purchase in high quantities to get a discount, the cost is so high it is ridiculous. It is one thing to cruise eBay for a great deal on a ground ballscrew, but when you have to have to purchase them month after month, you get stuck paying retail.

As far as pricing goes, we don't have anything firm yet. We know CNC kits are expensive, and this is a hobby market. Most people don't have wheelbarrow's full of money to throw at a hobby. We have tried, successfully I think, to offer the lowest priced kits available. This option will be no different.

There are a couple new pieces for us to machine, but 85% of any cost difference will be due to the increased component cost.

[phantomcow2]

Paying retail for ground ballscrews is pretty much a waste for the mill anyways, not unless everything else was brought up to par. I don't think you will have an issue justifying the cost, clearly there are better components. Looking around, other kits out there easily cost 850+ for just the three axes, and yet people buy.

[InspirationTool]

Glad to see the improvement Wisp!

How do you adjust the pre-load on the bearings? If you are using a nylon locking nut, how do you hold the screw from rotating?

I'm asking this from experience

I look forward to seeing pricing on this kit!

-Jeff

[Deviant]

What kind of ETA are you looking at for release?

[wisp]

We should be ready for orders by then end of March. We just want to get some feedback from the first installation.

Jeff, the locknuts we use are made by Whittet-Higgens, here is a link. We use the Bearhug series. The nuts have a 32 pitch, what that gets you is a small amount of torque on the nut produces a lot of preload force. We just hold the coupling on the opposite end by hand, and use a crecent wrench or pliers to tighten the nuts. You don't need a special spanner wrench, pliers work fine, as it only takes a small amount of torque to produce a good preload.

[wisp]

The new deluxe kits are now shipping! cncfusion.com

cheers,
Michael