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Thread: New member

  1. #1
    hi

    my names paul, I am a silversmith living in the uk.
    I have 30+ years experience in metalworking and cad and 10 years cnc and cam experience.

    I have two small cnc machines in my workshop which I have built new controllers for both running mach3. plus other conventional machines Colchester lathe, thiel mill ,j&s surface grinder, dowling toolgrinder ,alexander die sinker and a kearns horizontal borer plus bandsaw drill press polisher etc

    my interest is in machining dies for metal stamping , mainly in silver
    and making models in silver .i use bobcad v26 and vectric vcarve amongst a host of other 3d modelling programs , like blender , hexagon and rhino.


    I model the dies in blender and export as dxf, then import to autocad to convert to iges files, which can be read by bobcad as surfaces to toolpath.i have also modelled by hand and used a pix-3 scanner to 3d scan for machining.

    hoping to glean a few extra ideas from the forum to build a 4th axis for my mill. and maybe to upgrade my tiny connect lathe.

  2. #2
    Hi Paul,

    I'm a new member to the board and my profile hasn't yet been approved by the moderator, but hopefully you will get this message.

    I'm just down the road from you it would seem (Southam) and I'm seeking a bit of advice / help if at all possible. I am building my own design CNC rig. I have a nice little workshop, Warco lathe, Naerok Mill (I converted both to 3phase), drills, computer, and am using Mach3. I have Vectric Cut2D v9 but will upgrade to Vcarve when my CNC is up and running.

    Years ago I bought and assembled a HobbyCNC pcb kit, but the maximum current is 3Amp which is a bit limiting.

    Recently ran it using Mach3 with my Warp9 ethernet SmoothStepper - no problem - works fine on X,Y & Z.

    I have a single 4.2Amp Bi-polar stepper wired up via a Break out board and SmoothStepper to the X output of a DM542 Stepper Driver ...... nothing!!

    I have double checked the Mach3 settings to no avail. Slave the SmoothStepper back to the HobbyCNC - perfect.

    Now I am at a complete loss. I imagine it's only going to be a selection or two incorrect with Mach3 but no idea now and looking for some help/direction please if possible. Have followed the Mach3 manual settings to the letter.

    To trial the set up I have the Stepper Driver etc on a separate board - it's stand alone and the wiring layout is clear and easily checked, not a rats nest!

    I'd be very grateful for any input at all.

    Kind regards,

    Barry

  3. #3
    Clive S's Avatar
    Lives in Marple Stockport, United Kingdom. Last Activity: 15 Hours Ago Forum Superstar, has done so much to help others, they deserve a medal. Has been a member for 9-10 years. Has a total post count of 3,333. Received thanks 618 times, giving thanks to others 78 times. Made a monetary donation to the upkeep of the community. Is a beta tester for Machinists Network features.
    To trial the set up I have the Stepper Driver etc on a separate board - it's stand alone and the wiring layout is clear and easily checked, not a rats nest!
    Hi Barry and welcome to the forum.

    Can you be a bit more specific in how you have it wired with a sketch or pic etc. and a screen shot of the port and pins in Mach3
    ..Clive
    The more you know, The better you know, How little you know

  4. #4
    Best to start a new thread in the right area. Copy the text from post 2 and add info as per Clive's note. You'll get the help you need.
    Building a CNC machine to make a better one since 2010 . . .
    MK1 (1st photo), MK2, MK3, MK4

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  6. #5
    Thank you for the suggestion about re-posting in the "Right Area" but I have no idea which area is appropriate for the problem.

    So, a bit of guidance please - what Forum heading do you suggest to be the most appropriate?

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by pmesilver View Post
    ideas from the forum to build a 4th axis for my mill.
    You can build something like this -

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hollow-Sh...cAAOSwY3BZGmIp

    Use an ER collet chuck on a straight shank, stepper of your choice, step pulleys of your choice for drive ratio, steel cored belt for minimum stretch and re-design the eBay offering with a plate and bearings outboard at the back behind the belt to take the flex load off all the components and convert it to compression load.
    Shout f you want more detail,

    - Nick
    You think that's too expensive? You're not a Model Engineer are you? :D

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