Open Team Cheap DIY CNC Moving Gantry Router

[pminmo]

I updated the objectives based on inputs I've gleaned from the thread. To be perfectly honest, while it would be wonderfull for there to be a "standard", realistically I don't think it fits the bill. Most everybody has different objectives, maybe minor, maybe major. In the first post of this thread, I pointed to a FREE 2D CAD package, and a design file. My hope was several fold, we could learn from each others mistakes, take input from those who had been successful and get their take on what they wish they had done different, then to evolve a design and techniques that people could go with or modify to suit their individual wants. Then repost their design so that there would get to be a whole host of plans available. Pictures and techniques that people can reasonably understand, maybe the most important part of the equation, rather than a common design. Please reread the very first post in this thread about the objectives and see how your desires fit, or suggestions to be made for changes. I'd like to get it to the point where somebody comming to the thread can say YES it fits me or No it doesn't. I'd like to move on and nail down some specifics. To me these two machine's exemplfy the type of machine the objective set out for:

CBCnc's
http://www.cnczone.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/291
http://www.cnczone.com/gallery/showp.../cat/500/page/
Chucknights:
http://www.cnczone.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/27


Phil

Others to glean from:

Balsamans
http://www.cnczone.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/122

http://home.comcast.net/~machinecnc/...nc_router.html

Thought provokers

http://www.cnczone.com/gallery/showp...cat/500/page/1
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~bows0006/
http://www.rcmodels.net/cnc/hobby/cnc.html
http://www.geocities.com/fneagu/cnc_engraver.htm

Cranky's designs as thought provokers
http://www.crankorgan.com./

[berin]

pminmo Thats why I have been talking about my design so much. It's cost me about $35 at most so far. and I still just have to make the wooden arch and the Z axis. Most of my machine that you can see came from single peices of metal cut down. I've still got a lot of L shape left. I still have some more of the round rail left. and threaded rod left as well. I need to find one of the cad guys who can give me a hand. Well just in making a nice cad setup displaying my design idea. its basicly 13 peices per axis if you count every thing, 2 rails, 1 base peice, 3 L peices, 5 sleeve bearings, 1 1" nut, 1 work area peice.

[pminmo]

Berin,
I kind of follow you picture and description. A couple of questions. Looks like you have some angle iron, rod and all thread and some brass sleeve. What are the sizes and how did you fasten the rod to the angle?

Phil

[berin]

every thing is 1/4". the rails are connected by good old solder. If i had an oxy/osed setup I'd brase it with bronze. But I dont so solder does the job.
The main reason's I'm trying to push my idea is because its self alining, not to mention it can be ported to other setup's for a method of alinment. Its all basic numbers, If you take the bottem peice on the top axis as seen in the picture. its total squar right off theshelf. You aline your end peices the angle iron as you call it to match upwith the end and sides. If you want to use an other sized peice so be it. Just make sure the end cut angle iron peices are cut to be EXACTLY! THE same lingth. as long as you set up each end in the same manner. Say for instance you have one side of the angle iron hanging off one end but the other is squar with the side of the bottem peice. Then you do the same on the other end. Kind of liek in the picture. Then do the trick with the threaded rod small plates 2 2"x2" peices. being held on with a few nuts. and tighten. As long as the end peices of the alining tool stick above the half way mark on the rail (slide rail). you'll get it right every time.

[berin]

I gues I dont know if I'm trying to push my style of design more or my idea on alining. I will claim that my alinment method is the way to go for the newbie tryin to build his first rig. Or even the advanced! you can do the attachments in anyway you want but I'd suggest not using gas welding. Just because the connecting rods/rails may drop as the metal melts. So arch welding, brasing, solder, screw, glue, jb weld/epoxy, clamp what ever.
Could one of the guys who are really good at CAD get ahold of me. I wouldnt mind getting a hand in building a cad drawing of the alinment tool. I do have on hand autocad 2k4. but I'm not very good at it yet. A friend gave me autocad 2k and i sold it to get 2k4. So I'd have no problems with file sharing. Thanks

[pminmo]

I can do it in 2D, but still not sure I fully understand. You can email me via the zone.

Phil (Zone user -> PMINMO)

[Damachine]

Berin,
Could you write out step by step instructions for your alignment method? Maybe in a sort of work instruction format? It might be a good step toward getting this DIY project off the ground.
Thanks,
Doug

[berin]

k will do, at work right now though. The problem is its just one of those things thats hard to explain. But a picture is worth a thousand words EASLY!

instead of adding a new post I'll just edit this one. I've been very very busy. I just got 3 laptop's for all but free, and have been restoring them. plus I'm rebuilding a new laptop for my self "thinkpad 570 pII 366mhz got it in a dead condition for $20 had 128megs ram onboard. got a new mother board for $10" I have every thing working but the keyboard. had to replace the mother board. the other laptop's I'm rebuilding I'm selling at work for about $50 a peice "p150mmx's". local computer guy gave them all to me for $50. Just becuase they all had bios passwords on them. he gave up trying to remove the passwords. needless to say I had the passwords out in 10min.
To night I'll try and start the generation of well defined instruction's befor I go out. Dont forget I'm only 25 the ways of youth are still strong with me .
If you want to get ahold of me in person. add me to your messager list's. aol "bc oldschool" icq "25133744". I dont get home from work till about 4pm EST.

[pminmo]

Berin,
How are the instructions coming? I've kinda taken a pause pending your alignment technique.

Phil

[berin]

OK, lets make this easy for a description of HOW to do my simple alignment setup.
At most hardware stores like home depo or builder supply places you can get lots of materials needed for building a cnc machine. The alignment system I’ve so boldly promoted cost’s only a few dollars, yet is very versatile.
Ok picture this, and first off you need two of these aligning tools one at each end of the axis. So you take some steel square tube pipe. I’ll refer to this piece as the end rail risers. You also get a piece of pre cut sheet metal any size/shape that you need BUT IS PERFICLY SQUARE!!!!!!! Now all your doing is making parts the exact same size which are parallel with each other in dimension. So you take your riser piece or what ever you want to call it. Or L shaped steel as show in the picture of my cnc machine a few posts’ back. You must places these parts at opposite ends of the sheet metal and clamp them into place. They must be the exact same lengths down to the 16th in dimension. All you have to do is insure the ends of the risers match up with each other and to the sheet metals opposite ends. Say you have the risers over sized by an inch on each side of the sheet metal. Or the exact same length doesn’t matter so long as it’s the same on both ends. Next you take a piece of threaded rod. Any size doesn’t matter. If you used the square tube steel put the threaded rod in side of it, sticking out on both ends. If you used round or even angle piece (L piece) put it inside or in the corner. Next you need some small cut pieces of metal, thick enough to hold up to a bit of pressure but not to thick to cut. You drill a hole in them at the same spots (4 pieces 2 for each end of the axis risers) and put the small pieces of sheet metal on the threaded screw on both ends of the threaded rod inside the riser. Then add your washer and a nut to hold them on and tighten a bit. These end pieces must be higher then the middle of the rail that your going to set on top of your riser piece, which you just aligned and clamped on top of the pre cut square sheet metal at each end. So for my setup I needed a piece which was about 3”x1” 3” tall 1” wide to align my machines rails. The shape dimension doesn’t matter so long as these end pieces are ridged and stand above the middle of your parallel rails. Now what you have created are ends which stand above the top of the riser giving a 90 degree angle end piece or stop piece. So you set your rail at these end 90-degree stops, and the 2 parallel rails will be at exact distances from each other. Simply secure them in place, I highly recommend soldering or braising them into place. Or even arch weld them into place. You could clamp or what ever floats your boat so long as they don’t move. Don’t use gas WELDING! For the rail may drop a bit due to melting metal. You may warp or screw up the hardening of the rails if you weld them in place. Braising or soldering makes the end bars adjustable incase you need to increase or decrease the distance of the bars a bit. You can epoxy your rails in place but I wouldn’t suggest it because once it’s on its non-removable. Once the rails are attached you can remove the alignment tool’s.
And last but not least don’t forget. If you don’t have a CLAMP ON setup, you MUST ADD YOUR SLEEVE BEARINGS OR LINNER BEARINGS BEFOR YOU ATTACH THE RAILS. If you use wheeled bearings you have no problems. Also you dont have to keep the axis on the sheet metal if you dont want. You can move your axis onto something else easly. If you do leave it on the sheet metal though then secure it with what ever means you see fit.

I hope this is a good description of my alignment method. As you can tell its very adaptable to other setups for aligning your rails.

[Hobbiest]

I am sure that it is easy to implement, but it sounds very involved when reading it to oneself. Perhaps a detailed list of individual components that you used may help someone to draw it in CAD. You could even give number or letter assignments to each piece so that it could be refered to directly. "Slide tab A into slot A", type of explanation. I think I understand, but not positive!

[berin]

To be honist its so easy its not even funny! like I said befor a picture is worth a thousand words. to sum it up, you take a square object having perfict 90 degree angles. put your riser peices on. use a screw with end peices to overlap and go abive the end's. set your rails on top of the riser next to the end peices which are mesured out just by design to perfiction. Then connect and call it good.

[pminmo]

I've been busy this week, it's nice weather outside. I maybe kinda slow here for awhile.

Phil

[berin]

Welp I've got a little bit more work done on my cnc machine. I'll post a new latest picture some time soon. You'll be impressed. So for its REALLY starting to look like something that will work. Basicly all I need to do is mount the spacers which will house the primary drive screw. once that is done the X/Y axis will be functional. I cant wait, though I've been lazy lately. That and working on this mini computer I have. The mother board is a type of all in one system. Its got a cel 1.4ghz mother board is 4"x11" 256megs ram and gfx 5200 pci video card. not the greatest but its the best I could afford . cnc comes first.

[bows0006]

hello, just wanted to let you know my website (www.tc.umn.edu/~bows0006) has changed to http://home.comcast.net/~bowzacnc/

thanks,

Aaron