New Member from the West Midlands

[biketrialsdave]

Hi all,

Just a quick introduction of myself here.... Like many, I have been wanting to build my own CNC machine for some time now and finally put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard...) and started to design my machine. My day job is as an Electronics Design Engineer so this may come in handy if I can be bothered to design my own electronics (stepper drivers etc)! Although knowing my attention span that will probably never happen.

I have the beginnings of a design in Solidworks at the moment. I am hoping to cut Aluminium with the machine so coming up with a strong and rigid design is important. So far it looks as if I will be using a mixture of Aluminium plate and Extrusion for the frame along with Hiwin 20mm Linear rails, RM1605 Ballscrews and probably a Bosch 1617 Router (imported from the USA). Hopefully I will post my own build log soon.

Cheers,

Dave

[D.C.]

I'm in Walsall so your just down the road from me. :)

Have you considered and dismissed the chinese 2.2kw water cooled spindles already?

[JAZZCNC]

Forget a router if your wanting to cut mostly Aluminium. It's too fast with minimum 8000rpm and the bearings are just not upto the job and will wear quickly.

Then there's collet range and again they are often limited to just popular router shank sizes often imperial so 1/4",1/2",3/8" or if lucky may get 8mm. You'll need or want metric collets to go with popular small shank sizes of 3 and 6mm and anywere in between that simply won't be available.
Then there's run out.? Routers are not the best for it has cutting wood doesn't need really high tolerances.

2.2KW WC spindle with 1-13mm collet set will be a much better choice and well upto cutting Ali and wood.

[GEOFFREY]

Wellcome to the look forward to seeing your design. routers very noisy too. G

[biketrialsdave]

Thanks for the input guys! I have considered the Chinese spindles but dismissed them on terms of the quality (although there is a large assumption here). Has anyone had any experience with them? I hear the VFDs aren't the best quality?

More info on the Bosch 1617 here if anyones interested:

1617EVSPK 2.25 HP Combination Plunge & Fixed-Base Router Pack | Bosch (http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/boschproductdetail.aspx?pid=1617EVSPK)

Dave

[JAZZCNC]

Thanks for the input guys! I have considered the Chinese spindles but dismissed them on terms of the quality (although there is a large assumption here). Has anyone had any experience with them? I hear the VFDs aren't the best quality?

Have no fear my friend I have had many thru my hands and they are well on top of the job. In the early days the VFD's where a bit shite but they are lots better know with faults fixed or ironed out.
Been using one for years and they will eat that Bosch router for breakfast and on some of the long jobs I've done that router would have melted into a moulten mass of plastic. The duty cycle on WC spindle is pretty much continuous and I have done jobs lasting days not hours, 36hrs has been known. 10-12 in mostly Aluminium very common and routers just can't do that.

[biketrialsdave]

Looks like you may have swayed me! Is the water cooling much of a problem? I assume a simple re-circulating pump like something out of a fish tank submerged in a bucket of water would do the job?

Dave

[JAZZCNC]

Yep my system works just like that it's a 25-30ltr barrel with a Lid top. You'll get from any local Chinese restaurant has it's what things like chutney come in.
Then just use distilled water, I used distilled water, with approx 70/30 antifreeze mix. Just make sure the pump has decent head height, around 2mtr will do. Doesn't need to be high flow rate has they hardly get hot and don't need massive flow or pressure.

[biketrialsdave]

Finally got some time to myself and had chance to get back into Solidworks. Here's a very early sneak peak!...you get the gist! I will start a build log when I get some time.

7815

[JAZZCNC]

So then some thing like the one I Prepared earlier.!!7816

To be honest thou if you use this type design then it's mainly a wood machine and won't do aluminium to the best standards.

[biketrialsdave]

Nice design! I won't be doing lots of aluminium to any particular high standard but I would like the capability. Out of interest, did you machine those aluminium parts yourself or have them done externally? (manual/cnc?).

Dave

[JAZZCNC]

Yep my design made by me for someone else.!

Edit: Here's some more pics i've posted before of various bits of different machines built on the same design.
I've built 2 versions one that had the motors on out side like Pic 1 & 2 and also version were the motors are all turned inboard or under bed like in pics 5 & 6 to fit in confined space like the corner of a shed.
I also have version that use's twin screws on long X axis with shorter stubby sides if just doing thin materials and bit more capable at handling Ali with decent results and feed rates.

[Iwant1]

Thanks for picture 5 Jazz. I've only seen the 'L' gantry as drawings before. Nice to see everything in real, like how the motors are supported and fixing of the ball screw behind the gantry.

Cheers

[biketrialsdave]

How thick are the aluminium 'uprights' if you don't mind me asking? I'm looking to use ~18mm at the moment but they look slightly thicker?

[JAZZCNC]

How thick are the aluminium 'uprights' if you don't mind me asking? I'm looking to use ~18mm at the moment but they look slightly thicker?

They are 19mm from cut from 3/4" x 12" plate from here. Aluminium Flat Bar - Imperial Sizes (6082T6) 12 in x 3/4 in (http://www.aluminiumwarehouse.co.uk/Aluminium-Flat_Bar_-_Imperial_Sizes/c120_126/p29060/Aluminium_Flat_Bar_-_Imperial_Sizes_%286082T6%29_12_in_x_%3Csmall%3E%3 Csup%3E3%3C/sup%3E/%3Csub%3E4%3C/sub%3E%3C/small%3E_in/product_info.html)

[biketrialsdave]

Thanks, I remember using that website years ago. Will have to bookmark it!

[biketrialsdave]

Now started a build log:

http://www.mycncuk.com/forums/router-build-logs/5549-cnc-router-v1-0-build-log-cutting-multiple-materials.html