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  1. #1
    Hi my name is Chris and I am new to CNC. I don't have an engineering background but I have always been interested in engineering and manufacturing.
    I am bullding a 4' x 2' cnc router moving gantry design. I'm aiming to cut wood plastic and occasionally aluminium. I know I've made some purchasing mistakes such as 5 mm pitch ball screws that means it will run slow but I've decided to live with this. As far as the build goes the mechanics are nearly done and i have purchased three low inductance nema 34 stepper motors for x and y (motors for moving gantry will be slaved). I have a nema 23 for z axis. I'm aiming for direct drive of the ball screws. I have already purchased a CS labs IPM controller. Next task is to decide between Mach 3 or 4 and to buy suitable stepper motor drivers and a power supply.
    Inevitably I would welcome any advice on my build. Thanks in advance ....Chris

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  3. #2
    Welcome Chris!
    If you use toothed belt drive from your steppers to your ball screws you can get the movement speed you want with pulley ratios.
    I don't have a gantry machine, but if I did I'd couple the screws with pulleys and a belt to eliminate any chance of them getting out of step ;-)
    You think that's too expensive? You're not a Model Engineer are you? :D

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  5. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by magicniner View Post
    Welcome Chris!
    If you use toothed belt drive from your steppers to your ball screws you can get the movement speed you want with pulley ratios.
    I don't have a gantry machine, but if I did I'd couple the screws with pulleys and a belt to eliminate any chance of them getting out of step ;-)
    I have got it rigged at the minute with a crude belt drive to drive the gantry ball screws (so i can move gantry up and down with a power drill while im building it). I have considered running it from one motor but when i move the timing belt (20mm wide 8mm tooth pitch) manually there seems to be to much resistance. Hence why im thinking of direct drive and slave method. If i do choose the latter im thinking of putting a thinner timing belt at the far ends of the ball screw just to mechanical sync the ball screws in addition to electronically slaving the motors (this would be a safety / gantry allignment consideration).

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  7. #4
    I'm not a model engineer. I am building the machine as a hobby and eventually manufacture some ideas to see if I can sell them as a sideline / hobby.

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  9. #5
    Welcome to the forum! Would love to see some photos of the machine.

    Quote Originally Posted by chillybo View Post
    I'm not a model engineer. I am building the machine as a hobby and eventually manufacture some ideas to see if I can sell them as a sideline / hobby.
    Ignore that line - its a phrase that appears at the bottom of all his posts (a signature) - Seems to confuse a number of people!

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  11. #6
    Work area is a bit untidy at the moment

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  13. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by chillybo View Post
    Work area is a bit untidy at the moment
    Excuses It helps to see pics. Its not a good idea to have a belt joining the two screws and then using two motors . Either 2 motors or 1 motor with one belt over both screws.
    Last edited by Clive S; 15-04-2019 at 01:15 PM.
    ..Clive
    The more you know, The better you know, How little you know

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  15. #8
    having difficulty attaching pics bare with me

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  17. #9
    Hope you can see these pictures of my machine that i have attached.
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  19. #10
    Its not freestanding yet i'm waiting for some box section steel to arrive.

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