According to the statistics, almost 30% has finished the 1st cnc machine, the data actually is not higher, maybe there have still the other users not been counted yet.
Not planning on building a cnc machine.
Still planning 1st cnc machine.
Building 1st cnc machine, but it's not done.
Finished 1 cnc machine.
Finished 2 cnc machines.
Finished more than 2 cnc machines.
Just finished another one.
Joescnc 4x4 R&P Router, Minimill, Minilathe, CNC Foamcutter, laser cutter, Vectric Aspire. http://makermasters.com, http://themakersguide.com
According to the statistics, almost 30% has finished the 1st cnc machine, the data actually is not higher, maybe there have still the other users not been counted yet.
ISweek(http://www.isweek.com/)- Industry sourcing & Wholesale industrial products
Or in the case of people like me that voted WAY back when and have subsequently done more.
Don't exactly remember where I was when I voted, but now stand at 2.5 machines!
Wish we could update the pol.
Art
AKA Country Bubba (Older Than Dirt)
Started to build one which I never finished because I realized it will be too weak and flimsy.
Started with a new one, considerably better, more rigid. Finished that one, used it for about six month and started upgrading about two months ago. Z and X axis ready, Y axis table is almost done. Will be night and day difference between the first version and this upgraded one. My own design from scratch and I am pretty proud of it. Here is a link to my blog, there is a link list on the right called "My CNC story" where the whole story is told for those who want to read about the project details and all the setbacks.
Adapting Camera
...and here is a video about the Z update:
I am one of those folks who think you never really complete a machine. There is always something you can add/change/upgrade. This is true of professionally built machines too. Most of us move on to a more precise, stable, sturdier, larger or new concept design.
A lot of folks arent expert woodworkers so the first build, especially if its a book build is not up to snuff. You build the first one and use it cut parts for the second one. As I tell other folks, you get your build to a working cnc machine, you are offically cooler than all your friends.
Thus endeth the philosophy rant for today.
"It always takes longer than you think, even after taking into account Hofstadter's Law" Hofstadter's Law
I have done a bunch of them.
Lee
I've finished 3 CNC mills, 3 CNC Vertical/horizontal plasma cutters, 1 Birmingham 1236 Lathe. All work great. The only issue I have run into making the CNC conversions is thinking that I'm smarter than all the Mach3 guys and continue to try laptop computers to run Mach3. Never have I ever got it right. Some people do. I won't waste my time anymore.
Last 5 years - over 30, this year - 8 and another 3 in the works.
Mostly small cnc picture engravers, small vertical mils and cnc plasma cutters mixed with 2 cnc foam cutters.
All this i have done alone, in a country that has no cnc parts or literature or knowledge.
Oh i forgot to mention 2 KUKA robots, one complete setup for co2 welding of oval metal frames, and one just service and programming.
I usualy do not take pictures and videos, but i made some, so here they are:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS0...w=0&shelf_id=0
Regards,
Tom
I have made more upgrades since the above video was taken. One resulted in changing that Z top plate to a larger one because after installation of the Z which you can see in that video, I realized that the plate is not long enough, so I had to extend it a bit with a sandwiched extra plate, but that fix was only good enough as a temporary solution, while using the DC spindle motor. Now I am using a 1.5kW high speed brushless 3 phase spindle and for that I decided to make a new Z plate. The new plate is much nicer and better.
Other than that, I have also built a new power supply unit. With this unit my rapids increased from maximum 1500mm/min to 5500mm/min. The new power supply is based on a thoroidal transformer, delivering 44V to my steppers, which is why the speed increased this much.
Next which is under progress right now is a new controller box, containing the UC300 + BoB + DQ542MA stepper drivers.
Just finished getting a working machine after 15 years ( is that a record or just par for the course? ) and cut out some PCBs which was the driving motivation for getting the machine running.
The process went like this.
1. Buy machine.
2. Disappointment. WTF is this parallel port junk? I hate parallel ports ( used to make computer peripherals all the time... Don't have a parallel port on anything anymore. )
3. What ? no laptop support for this thing called Mach3? Junk... Leave it on a shelf.
4. Wait 15 years.
5. Hmmm. I need to get rid of that. I wonder if I can get a couple of hundred dollars for it... Hmmm. I wonder if it can cut printed circuits.
6. A few weeks searching the internet, and someone tells me the 6040 is a good model and if I have an old one, don't get rid of it. ( Were they lying? I won't know for a few years ).
7. Order parts.
8. Determine mid-cost chinese parts I ordered are junk. Get refund.
9. Order even cheaper chinese parts.
10. Get motion ! ( Hooray! ) ... Spend 3 days over Easter learning to run a CNC machine with Mach3 ( original supplied software ).
11. Spend a day trying to work out if I wanted Mach4. Gave up quickly. Sticking to Mach3.
12. Get first results. The PCBs I'm engraving are junk.
13. Rewire control box. Get badly electrocuted... Who wires a motor straight up to mains power via a light dimmer? I suppose that's normal for CNC.
14. Get brushless motor. Wire up controller. Reverse engineer USB adapter pinouts. Wire up spindle to analog. Get working. Get probe working.
15. Rebuild controller box. Hook up external PSU for brushless. PCBs start coming out good. Look nice.
16. Rip everything apart and start rebuilding from scratch...Just rewiring control box as we speak, and hooking in a smart brushless controller with internal/external controls and RPM display and pulse output. 90% complete.
So technically, I'm still on the first build, but I've had it working, and it runs under Windows 10 pretty well so I'm happy. Total budget is still below $1000 even if I include the 6040, well, it was only about $600 when I first bought it.
Still a novice, but it's nice to have the shelf decoration actually working now, so I brought it inside and stuck it in my office so I can use it when I want to. Even wired a 12v vacuum cleaner up next to it.
But yeah, it was dormant for about 15 years because I couldn't get it working quickly, and discovered 3D printing solved most of my problems at the time, and I still had a manual mill and lathe anyway, so didn't need to progress on it's function. It's nice to have it working now though...
David.
I bought a 6040, had to make it work properly. Busy with a larger more rigid machine. Plan to use the new machine to make other machines. Hope to have it completed before 2019
Just finished a machining center retrofitting, next project is to retrofit a lathe machine, cheers.
http://cncmakers.com/cnc/controllers/CNC_Controller_System/CNC_Retrofit_Package.html
Still in the planning stages. Have my side plates, bearing / motor mounts already designed in 2D and have the tool paths set. Just waiting on time to finish cutting them out on my son's CNC router. My plans are to use the 8020 aluminum extrusion 40 Series 8080 for 95% of the build and the 8060 (80mm X 160mm) for the gantry. Rack and Pinion drive on the X & Y axis along with dual Z axis; one for a router and the other for a plasma torch.
may tow cnc router complete i Have built CNC Screen Printing Machine Have any person make the Mach3 Wizard
Have a retrofitted Chinese lath and a scratch built router. Gathering parts for a bigger router... Thinking about running servos.. Have some but need to study what else I need..
Are they ever really “finished”? ????
you mean that poll ? about finishing cnc machines ?
not finished yet