Desktop gantry router for hobbyist

[Soyb]

Hi everyone, bought I would join the forum and post the details of my machine. It is a designed for a 43mm spindle (AMB, Kress) and the various attachments like vinyl cutter, 6w laser etc. I want to use it for making model RC planes so it will mainly be cutting thin ply but might be used to cut aluminium. I already have a Stepcraft D600 but I am finding that it is ok for hobby work but requires a bit of maintenance so I have used it to make most of the parts for the new machine.

Bed size is 1000mm x 600 mm
Machine size is 1150 mm x 758 mm
It utilises 15 mm rails and carriages
Chinese ball screws 1605 c5 (found a good supplier on aliexpress)
Slim line T slot bed.1000 x 600 x 12

2991129912299132991429915

[A_Camera]

You need to change that Z design. It is not going to work the way it is now, it looks like it is just hanging there.

[Voicecoil]

Yes, well spotted @A_Camera: To get decent rigidity on all axes you need to use paired blocks spaced a decent distance apart. Yes, you lose some travel or alternatively make the footprint bigger, but the benefits greatly outweigh the costs.

[routerdriver]

Why such a tall gantry? Your effective cutting depth is limited by the distance from the tool tip to the collet and you can't really make much use of all that height.On top of which,those tall skinny gantry side plates are quite likely going to flex unless you add some stiffening.It also looks like a single central ballscrew and that can be prone to skewing the gantry.I suggest a revision to reflect the thickness of material you will actually be cutting and a 40mm Z travel may be more realistic.

[Kitwn]

Make a nice hot cup of tea, open a packet of HobNobs and read through the build logs and as much of the rest of the forum as you can cope with. It may sound tedious and there is plenty of chaff among the wheat, but it's not as tedious as building a machine that will prove to be a dissapointment to you.

Kit

PS My wife has a saying, "The best time to plant a tree is ten years ago". The same principle applies to starting to read this forum when you suddenly need to accumulate a brain full of wisdom on all the various factors involved in building a machine.

[Soyb]

Thanks for the feedback. I’m still learning Fusion 360 so the model is missing some components and the z axis rail has a mind of its own!. The philosophy behind the machine it to make a table top machine from readily available components, with the fewest parts that will fit in my small workshop. (Cost vs rigidity vs complexity). I was hoping that since the Kress spindle is relatively light and forces low I might get away with a pair of blocks. The gantry height was based on my need to cut parts on my Stepcraft (about 100 mm). The decision to use twin y axis ball screws or single again are based on cost/complexity.

I will head back to the drawing board for v2

[Kitwn]

That Z axis with single bearings on each rail is going to be the main weak point, the single Y axis ballscrew is much less of an issue in my opinion.

Kit