Nate,
Looks good! Looking forward to seeing machine based on both of our parts start cropping up on the zone!
Best regards,
Ahren
www.cncrouterparts.com
Fine Line Automation - Affordable CNC Parts for use with 8020 Extrusion
Today I launched Fine Line Automation, a site that sales affordable CNC Parts. I have partnered with Ahren Johnson of CNCRouterParts.com. My product lines are extensions of his. For now, I am offering machined steel rails to use with Ahren's linear motion carriages.
These rails are designed to be very cost competitive. $200 for a machine with a 3'x3'x6" cutting area. I challenge you to find a better price. These rails are 1018 cold rolled steel flat stock with CNC cut mounting holes for 5/16" bolts.
In addition, I am an official distributor for CNCRouterParts.com and carry all of there components. Please check out my offerings and ask any questions you might have.
Similar Threads:
Nate,
Looks good! Looking forward to seeing machine based on both of our parts start cropping up on the zone!
Best regards,
Ahren
www.cncrouterparts.com
Shipping Restructuring
I have redesigned the shipping structure on the site. The site will now connect automatically to UPS to get a live quote. Shipping is based on weight and region being shipped to. I did this because a full set of rails for a 3'x3' machine cost $40 to ship to California but on $20 to ship to New York. I don't want to make money on shipping, and this seemed to be the most fair solution for everyone.
All,
Nate and I are working on our first set of plans for a machine using my parts and his rails. The first machine has a 2' x 3' travel, to be followed shortly by a machine with a 3' x 3' travel, using the parts we have available now. Here's a shot of the 2' x 3' machine -- I just need to finish the BOM and drawing call-outs to release the plans, which will be provided for free.
Ahren
www.cncrouterparts.com
Well if nothing changes I still plan on starting a build the first quarter of the coming year and have been going over the options of type of rails etc. Right now I am looking at two options and you two are sure making the pendulum swing your way.
A question or two.
As of now I want a cutting area of 4x6 feet. Will you take orders for longer rails?
For ahren: Is your r&p system still on track for next year?
Congratulations ahren and solodex... pray for ur success
I have longer rails in the planning stages. I was thinking of offering 4' and 8' rails, mainly because it makes it easier with sheets. If you have a 4'x6' machine, you can process 3/4" of a sheet and then have a 1/4 sheet left. A 4'x4' takes 1/2 and a 4'x8' takes a full sheet. However, if I can get enough interest in a 6' rail, I will gladly offer it.Originally Posted by lovebugjunkie
If you do start offering 4' and 8' rails and I go in this direction I would go with the rails offered. Going from 6' to 8' in the build would not add much to the cost.
6ft rail
i'd buy a 6ft rail. 3x6 or 4x6 sounds ideal as a 'hobby' to me
Ahren,
I will be interested to see your new machine. Your website was a big help in my build. The people at CNCZone also made it possible for someone like me to build a fine CNC table that can produce professional parts with little effort. Thanks to you & everyone at this site for sharing your knowledge.
Jim
Lovebug,
Still working on the R&P system. Designs are based on 20 pitch, 20 degree PA racks from standard steel, which are a fantastic value. After working on the design, there are a couple of options, and I'm curious to get people's feedback.
First is a simpler (read, done faster and less expensive!) option for a direct drive rack and pinion system. My math on this shows that you could get (theoretically) 150 lbs of linear force using two 600 oz-in motors on a 1" dia. pinion, but this falls off with the torque curve of the motor. Regardless, this more or less puts you in the NEMA 34 frame size. I'm hoping to make something compatible with the Gecko G540, but this is harder for NEMA 34's, and may require bipolar series or bipolar half-coil wiring (less ideal than bipolar parallel) to meet the current / inductance specs on the G540.
Another option is a 4:1 belt reduction system, which has more parts, and will be more expensive, but will work great with smaller motors, and hence with the G540.
Yet another option is to go with the Mechmate style motors from Oriental Motor, which have integral gear heads, but these are quite expensive, and have a funky mounting profile.
I'm leaning towards direct-drive NEMA 34 mounting. If the G540 doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world, and this gives people flexibility in terms of what motors to choose. My take is that if you're in the market to build a large machine, you can probably afford slightly more expensive drivers.
Oh yeah, timing. As with all my products, I have to do some prototyping to make sure things work well (otherwise Nate won't sell them!). It is an exciting idea though, so I'd look for something around end of February '09.
Best regards,
Ahren
www.cncrouterparts.com
Not that I know a lot about CNC drive systems, because I don't, I like the idea of the direct drive NEMA 34 mounting. I was already planning on putting 2 600oz inch or above on the Y axis so I was looking at NEMA 34 steppers.
Just so everyone is aware, Ahren sent me some parts stock and I have every CNCRouterPart in stock except the Extended Linear Carriages (just sold the last one's today). If you need parts, I can fill orders while Ahren is on Vacation. Lastly, I am slow in switching the shipping structure of the website over, but if you order my parts and Ahren's parts together, I will ship them all in one package and reimburse you for the difference in shipping.
In addition, I also have MSC parts on hand. If you need any of the parts for the leadscrew setup, use the contact form, let me know what you need, and I will give you a price and ship them with your order.
Ahren or Solodex,
Are dimensions of the ACME anti-backlash nut available? Where can I get them?
ilya,
Ahren is on vacation until the 7th, so he probably won't be answering questions. I will take measurements tomorrow for you and post some CAD files.
Nate Lowrie
Owner, Fine Line Automation
Nate,
That would be great! Thanks a lot!
I put up a pdf for the anti-backlash nut at my site. It has most of the dimensions called out. If you need a dimension not listed, let me know.
Great!
Is it possible to measure the exact position of the center of 0.5" thru?
It is 1/2" from the bottom of the part.
Nate Lowrie
Plans for 2'x3' Machine Released
Ahren and I are proud to release these plans for a 2'x3' moving gantry machine. These plans are the culmination of many months of design experience with the CNCRouterParts system. We are currently releasing the plans in a E-Drawings format. You can download a free E-Drawings viewer from http://tinyurl.com/cq9f7 In addition to the E-Drawings, we provide a full BOM and a document on how to use these plans.
Please feel free to ask any questions you wish.
In addition to these plans, I will soon be offering both a full kit and various sub-assemblies to help you with your build.
Regards,
Nate Lowrie
Owner, Fine Line Automation
