It's coming along nicely Mike keep up the good work looks like you will have a nice machineQuote:
Wish me luck boys!
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It's coming along nicely Mike keep up the good work looks like you will have a nice machineQuote:
Wish me luck boys!
Thanks Clive for your kind comments.
I've uploaded a YouTube video here showing the gantry moving in all axes at a magnificent speed of 1 metre/min!
Now that I've worked out how soft limits and emulated home switches work, I'll post a video of it working with a piece of real G-Code doing air cuts at this stage.
Hi, I have a quick question how are you finding having one Y axis with the cut quality you are getting, i am at the stage now where i am thinking for the first machine i will keep it at one for now, so i don't need to worry about belts driving two ballscrews etc. If you had your time again would you use Two steppers / or belts or do you find having a single Y axis drive centered is working for you?
Kind Regards
Sherpa
Which to use or how well one works over the other moslty depends on the width of machine and like Clive mentions what your cutting.
The cut off point for me is anything wider than 600mm cut will bennifit from twin screws/belts. 600-400mm is open to usage to which is best. Less >=400 then single screw is fine unless mostly cutting Non ferrous metals then I'd go twin every time.
Hi Sherpa
I don't know about the cut quality yet -still fiddling with basic calibration and wanting to fit Jazzcnc's relay based e-stop system before really "going" for it. There may be some racking issues but if I cut in the centre of the board, this should reduce it. I guess if (or most probably when!) I do this again , then twin 1610 ballscrews, belt driven (avoids problem of twin steppers de-synchronising but I don't want to start a flame war here!!!) 68v stepper drivers and a different design for the gantry and precision profiled rails. But I'll wait and see how I get on with this one. It's taken me long enough to get to this stage!!!
I have to admit I'm impressed with the current stiffness of the gantry but cutting will be the true test.
Regards
Mike
I've uploaded another YouTube video here running g-code for the first time. Programmed random rapid movements in the XY plane of up to 4500 mm/min. Now got the cable chains installed but had to unsolder all the stepper motor connections to fit the cable chain! doh!
Almost there Mike sounds nice as well, keep up the good work.
Have some more footage posted on YouTube here
Have temporarily given up trying to get my proximity switches to work :-( so using soft limits for now.
Question: I now have to tram the spindle head. I have a dial micrometer and a sheet of 10mm plate glass. Do I need to level the glass in absolute terms, then tram against the glass or just tram against the glass so that the spindle is correctly aligned relative to the glass?
Advice appreciated.
Thanks
Mike