Building My First CNC Router, Looking for Advice & Other Info

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Originally Posted by AlexDoran

I see, i also had this answer in another thread, a couple of the guys thought that it should be fine as long as there are no major crashes and i have a method for adjusting the gantry to be tram.



That's a good shout, i will be buying my Extrusion from KJN too, i have used them in the past! Are brackets alone not rigid enough do you think?

Thanks

Alex

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Brackets are strong enough but bolts are stronger, cheaper and alignment is easier of course. Seemed to me a no brainer but you need to use 2 brackets with 4 T nuts to keep the beams straight whilst you bolt them tight then remove the corners.

What are you intending to use as a bed?

I agree with you, how did you go about organising the counter boring? Can they also thread the ends of the Extrusion?

For the machines main function (Routing the 1mm Interdens), i will simply use 18mm MR MDF, and use strips of double sided tape to hold the sheet and keep the cutout items in place after they are separated from the main sheet.

I will also drill the MDF and fit a grid of threaded nuts to use standard clamps / buy a machine vise for machining components we hope to make out of aluminium / bakelight / acetel.

Our larger CMS machines use vacuum pods, sometimes these suffer a nasty end if they happen to meet with a cutter :( I have machined them before on the smaller of the machines but i find it difficult to get repeat-ability in the jig i made to machine them. It will be much easier on this machine. The largest of the pods are 80mm Thick Phenolic Plywood so it will be a good challenge, i think i have enough Z Travel.

Here are some pics of the 2 Bigger Machines and an example of the Vacuum Pods. The Larger Through feed machine has a 3200 x 2000mm workable area (depending on which tool your using in the Horizontal / Arbitor A Axis), It has a 16 Space Carousel Tool Changer. It has a "5th Axis" which actually only controls the mobile vacuum pod row.

The smaller machine has 2600 x 1300mm workable area, 1 Horizontal / Arbitor Head - 8 Head Revolver (8 Motors Fitted with Tools, very fast tool change, mass production suited).

Both machines use an OSAI Controller, programs are generated from a CAM Package called DDX PowerCam - I write C Based Programs for Component Files, we use an Access Database where the guys in the office can build different Door Configurations (We make timber fire doors), Access exports a text file of parameters, PowerCam reads the text file and builds the CAM File autonomously, no manual drawing is ever done.

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Thanks

Alex

I holed the extrusion cad model then emailed them the model as a .stp but you're using solidworks which they do so you can send them a solidworks file. Make sure the holes are the correct size lol, should be 13mm I think but check this they can tell you if you ring them.

As for counterboring just tell them to counterbore every hole on 1 side with the correct size head but again they will know this is a pretty standard operation. There's no need to model the counterboring.

Make sure your hole size is correct! I can measure the correct bolts with a vernier calliper but will have to wait till tomorrow.

You are using 9045 and 4545 extrusion? If so you will have the same issue I have if using BK12/BF12 ballscrew mounts the hole distance is 45mm between the tracks and the hole distance for the mounts is 46mm.

My Y axis I'm having custom mounts made for the gantry I'm just going to wangle the mounts into T nuts but did consider custom T nuts offset by 0.5mm. I still might have them made.

Ok i will ping them an email and ask how best to send to them, My extrusions are only 40x40 & 40x80, i have drawn up mounts that bolt to the Extrusion and then take the BK & BF15 supports. I will 3D Print these first to check how well they work, then have them machined or attempt to machine myself.

I THINK the 40x40 & 40x80 will take an M10 Bolt? Im not sure and im also not very clued up on the tolerances i should be putting on any the holes i have on the Build, at the moment through holes i have just allowed 0.5mm tolerance for the bolts to slide through - too much or too little?

I would have to check that through bolting into the extrusion would not interfere with the mounts for the bearing supports at either end of the X Axis, if so i will just have to use brackets.

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Thanks

Alex

PS Any build log for yours?

If you have to send the extrusion I would google and find a supplier closer to you they will almost certainly be able to cut and drill the same as KJN but without the cost of sending the extrusion. I thought you would buy the extrusion from KJN not already have it. I'm lucky I live down the road from them so it was easy to get everything sorted.

Country has many extrusion providers I would look for somewhere you can drive to to drop off otherwise it will be expensive with postage.

KJN are in Leicester, I am very happy with the quality of their work. BUT make sure you have everything specified first correctly because it will be expensive to correct later! I had an issue but I sorted it if I didn't live 5 mins down the road it would have been a big problem.

Click my sig, the budget went up a lot lol from when it started but we're getting there and I ditched the supported rail and belt drive for Hiwin's and ballscrews so was going to cost lol.

Any supplier of this extrusion will be able to cut, drill, counterbore and tap.

If you do want to send via post try myparceldelivery.com you can send 30kg's for just over a £10

Apologies, i have not bought it yet! Just what i planned to use. Your build looks like its progressing well, i was looking to pay nearly £700 for the ballscrews but my guy in China is doing them & the supports, mounts etc for $217 delivered!

Where do you get your fixings / bolts from? I commonly use ACCU Group, hundred of sizes, heads types and relatively cheap, annoying sometimes as some sizes / lengths have a minimum order Quantity, but they do usually turn up next day so its handy.

Thanks

Alex

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AlexDoran

Apologies, i have not bought it yet! Just what i planned to use. Your build looks like its progressing well, i was looking to pay nearly £700 for the ballscrews but my guy in China is doing them & the supports, mounts etc for $217 delivered!

Where do you get your fixings / bolts from? I commonly use ACCU Group, hundred of sizes, heads types and relatively cheap, annoying sometimes as some sizes / lengths have a minimum order Quantity, but they do usually turn up next day so its handy.

Thanks

Alex

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I recovered a lot of fixings but I had to buy weird lengths so I used ebay.

When I finally finish the router and stop bleeding money I will make an order from alixpress getting a feel for the bolt sizes going to want. Already planning the next router lol but I also want to build a positive pressure vac former. I also toyed with a co2 laser cutter but need to be comfortable with the router first lol.

Just placed the order from China for my Ballscrews, Nuts, Supports, Mounting Brackets & Couplers. Total Price: £169.70

Delivery by FedEx so i hope they will be here next week or early week after. If anyone is interested in the store i got them from i used the Link CNC Store

If you make a list a send him (Mr Shu) a message he will quote you a good price, cheaper than what his parts are listed as.

Thanks

Alex

Ok so i had a reply from the seller on ebay regarding the spindle and he has said to me that the spindle on has 3 bearings - the one he sells with 4 bearings is considerably more expensive. Does 4 bearings over 3 hold much of a difference in terms of robustness or would the 3 bearing suffice for my needs - can the bearings be changed in the future if they were to deteriorate.

Thanks

Alex

So my Ballscrews were dispatched from China last Thursday and arrived yesterday, upon first glance they look to be pretty decent (for £170 delivered!), none seem to be particulary bent compared to what i have seen in some threads / videos, the RM2010 screws seem to be slightly stiff but im hoping this will clear up once they are greased / run for a while.

Ballnuts, supports etc look pretty cheap but will do the job just fine.

Ordered the extrusion which should also be here this week and also all of the fixings.

3D Printing the aluminium parts to do a dry assemble, still waiting to hear back prices for the aluminium plates but wont order anything until i have assembled it using the plastic parts to check everything fits properly.

Alex

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