Proxxon FF 500 to CNC machine..

[Automan]

Hi everyone !

I have a Proxxon ff 500 and serached for CNC kits everywhere without any luck at all, and no luck from Proxxon either on getting parts for conversion :(

Could anyone help me with what i would need, steppermotors, controller, fastening for the motors etc ? Any help is more then welcome and very much appreciated.

[Doddy]

It looks a little light-weight. But I'll not comment further on that - I expect you know your machine's limitations and are satisfied.

You'll notice that the FF500 is available as "CNC-ready", with the screws replaced with ball-screws and steppers. It's probably not surprising that Proxxon are not prepared to sell upgrade kits - I know from experience with a Sieg conversion that the original machine is (in my case) often finished by hand and dowelled - replacement parts most likely won't align / fit well without an amount of effort, which they won't want to underwrite an end-user performing.

Your challenge - if you're convinced you want to adapt your machine - is to understand how to undertake a conversion yourself:
* Understand the construction, particularly the XY table and traverse screws - understand how you'd approach removing those and replacing with ballscrews.
* Understand the column, and how you could remove and replace the screw with a ball screw.
* Understand that the above removes the ability to operate the machine manually (the efficiency of the ballscrew is such that you'd have to continuously lock the static axis).
* Design and construct motor mounts to couple steppers to each axis.
* Introduce limit/home sensors on each axis.

None of this is hard. But it does require an intimate understanding of the machine construction. If you're not happy to strip your machine down completely (apart from the spindle... for now) then I'd suggest this isn't a job you want to undertake. Be aware of the cost of this, and the value of the machine, and understand if the costs and effort are compatible, or whether it'd be easier/more cost effective to find a 2nd-owner CNC mill elsewhere.

Of course, there may be more useful information available on adapting this specific machine elsewhere - but that's for you to find.

My own experience - I've gone this route myself with a SX2.7 - it was an interesting and challenging project - I don't regret it, but I wouldn't argue that it wasn't perhaps the best approach.

[JAZZCNC]

Doddy that is an excellent reply my friend and absolutely spot-on correct.!

To the OP don't waste your money trying to make something that was never designed for CNC into a CNC machine it never works out good. Like Doddy says either buy a used CNC mill or convert a brand that is well known for CNC conversion and has been done many times before, like the Sieg's etc.

Or design and build your own machine custom to your needs.! It's not as difficult as you may imagine and with some(lots) research reading the Forum etc you'll soon pick up what's required.
If you fancy this route it's a good idea to start a Build thread and post all your ideas and thoughts there, plus ask all the questions you may have in this one place rather than making multiple threads which are scattered around the forum. This way you can easily find a reply or answer to a question from weeks or months ago without trawling the forum.

Good luck.

[Automan]

Thanks for the replies guys. I just wanted to know if there was anyone that have done a cnc conv on this machine, as i know that many have done this with great results (and its sold also as a cnc machine, just that i think it would be fun to do it myself) . But as im not planning on getting a big several hundred kg machine this is the best bet by far if i want quality. Thanks again guys for your inputs.