4th Axis options needed

[Dave's_Not_Here]

I have posted elsewhere but this looked like a good place as well...

I purchased a Techno-Isel 4896Plus servo driven CNC Router. I want to add a 4th axis but the Techno people are pretty lax about responding.

If you go to their website, they offer a great looking 4th axis add-on and the controller is supposed to be 4th axis ready. However, their online store does not offer any of the add-on's one might be interested in, such as the 4th axis, a lubrication kit, Laser Scanner, etc. They post no prices and no direct links to e-mail the sales department and phone calls go into Never-Never Land. After hours of searching their site, I am giving up.

In fact, I had an issue with the remote control box not resuming properly and waited several hours for a tech reply and finally found my answer here on the Zone... I opened the box and blew out the dust... I never did get the call back from tech support.

The machine is a great HD machine and I am totally satisfied with my purchase as far as equipment is concerned.... the support and sales departments leave a lot to be desired!

So, can anyone direct me to an after-market 4th axis source? I only have 5.5" clearance under the gantry.

I assume the controller could care less what brand the hardware is, so long as it receives the proper signals and codes via a compatible connection.

Lastly, dumb question, I was told that you can mix servos and steppers but that just does not seem right in my limited mind...

Any help is appreciated,

Dave

[awerby]

I can sell you one if you'd like. I'm not sure what sort of drive system you've got on your Techno, but even if there's no separate 4th axis driver, you can probably borrow the Y-axis (which generally stays in one position during 4th-axis milling) to run it. Just make sure to lock the Y-axis physically in place while you're doing this, since the motor won't be holding it. Try to provide the same kind of motor used on the Y-axis to run the rotary table.

Another thing you might consider is to excavate a trough for the 4th axis assembly in your table. Putting the axis on the table plane instead of above it would double the diameter of workpiece you could deal with.]

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

I have posted elsewhere but this looked like a good place as well...

I purchased a Techno-Isel 4896Plus servo driven CNC Router. I want to add a 4th axis but the Techno people are pretty lax about responding.

If you go to their website, they offer a great looking 4th axis add-on and the controller is supposed to be 4th axis ready. However, their online store does not offer any of the add-on's one might be interested in, such as the 4th axis, a lubrication kit, Laser Scanner, etc. They post no prices and no direct links to e-mail the sales department and phone calls go into Never-Never Land. After hours of searching their site, I am giving up.

In fact, I had an issue with the remote control box not resuming properly and waited several hours for a tech reply and finally found my answer here on the Zone... I opened the box and blew out the dust... I never did get the call back from tech support.

The machine is a great HD machine and I am totally satisfied with my purchase as far as equipment is concerned.... the support and sales departments leave a lot to be desired!

So, can anyone direct me to an after-market 4th axis source? I only have 5.5" clearance under the gantry.

I assume the controller could care less what brand the hardware is, so long as it receives the proper signals and codes via a compatible connection.

Lastly, dumb question, I was told that you can mix servos and steppers but that just does not seem right in my limited mind...

Any help is appreciated,

Dave

[Pplug]

Unfortunately it might not be as easy as Dave is making it out to be. There are a couple of problems you might face. I'm not familiar with the PLUS box but I do know my way around the standard box.

If you do have a 4th amplifier in your controller it will make things a lot less costly for you. You can not mix steppers and servos with the amplifiers in a techno box. I think You need to have a servo motor with a 1000 count encoder. I think it needs to have a break as well. (I saw a Chinese vendor with the same motor and break on e-bay somewhere about a month ago.)

You can also forget about hollowing out your table. It would be a sin to cut those beautiful aluminum extrusions and the steel support frame underneath. I would buy or make new side supports about 3-4 inches taller than the current ones. You have more than enough travel on the z axis for the new height. I bet you could just cut some AL plate and make extensions so you could save a few $s!

[woodman08]

have a look at the gorilla cnc section i posted my story about the fourth axis

[Dave's_Not_Here]

If you do have a 4th amplifier in your controller it will make things a lot less costly for you. You can not mix steppers and servos with the amplifiers in a techno box. I think You need to have a servo motor with a 1000 count encoder. I think it needs to have a break as well. (I saw a Chinese vendor with the same motor and break on e-bay somewhere about a month ago.)

You can also forget about hollowing out your table. It would be a sin to cut those beautiful aluminum extrusions and the steel support frame underneath. I would buy or make new side supports about 3-4 inches taller than the current ones. You have more than enough travel on the z axis for the new height. I bet you could just cut some AL plate and make extensions so you could save a few $s!

Yeah, I sure hope it has the guts in the box. I need to open up the controller and take a peek, maybe a photo or two.

I agree with the taller uprights, especially with wanting to add an ATC. The only e-mail I ever got a response to was when Roy thought he was going to sell me new uprights to increase my gantry clearance. He quoted me $6,000 for uprights! I ask what they were made of and how a couple of aluminum plates could cost so much and he told me it also included two days labor and expenses for a tech guy to fly out and bolt them on... at $2k/day. I now have a machinist friend willing to make them for me for a fraction of the cost from Techno. Since that e-mail exchange, I have not been able to raise the dead in their offices.

So, if I raise the gantry, just how difficult would it be to adapt an Ebay 4th Axis servo setup to my router... similar to this one http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT ... keep in mind, I don't know what I need and what I don't need, so this is going to be a learning exercise for me... but I will eventually get what I want one way or another.

Thanks for the input!

DNH

[Dave's_Not_Here]

have a look at the gorilla cnc section i posted my story about the fourth axis

Will do.... Thanks!

[Montabelli]

are you wanting to use your 4th as an indexer? if so it is easy to build your own 4th axis. there are several ways to go but the easiest is to find a rotary table set up to be mounted in either horizontal or vertical position. get one with a matching tail stock if you need for it to have a three jaw chuck on the drive end, that can be purchased as well. most of the models have a 90 to 1 gear ratio i drive mine with a gear belt pully at 3 to 1 ratio. it won't spin fast enough to use as a lathe, but it works with true 4 axis tool paths and as an indexer. the one i have has a no2 Morse taper in the center of the table. the most difficult thing about it is making sure you get the worm drive tight enough to eliminate back lash and still be able to move freely.

as to the gantry clearance, the general problem is jumping the tool over the work piece. if you make a dovetail plate with a gib so you move the whole z axis assembly up and down (z assembly is moved and locked in place and then you still have your z travel but in a different zone ) you might be able to expand the working range of the machine to take advantage of the full 7 inches most of the techno machines have between the gantry and the table.

the controler may require another chip, and a servo amplifier

if you are interested I can try and take a picture of my setup. it ain't pretty but it haworked quite well for the last ten years or so.