Re: Planning my first CNC machine
Have you found a commercial machine that uses your structure / axis setup? If you can't, that should tell you something.
I've never seen one (and I've spent a lot of time looking at machine frames / designs).
There are large machines with a Y axis at the bottom, a lifting Z beam, and X axis travelling across the Z beam
Axis naming convention for a vertical machining centre:
Standing facing machine
Z goes up and down
X goes left and right
Y goes forward and back
Re: Planning my first CNC machine
My concern is mainly that the movement on the designated X axis may not be accurate.It is analogous to a wide drawer and they are prone to jamming or going out of square quite easily because the short runners aren't long enough to provide directional stability and I suspect that the same situation will pertain here.I strongly suspect that a moving table on the Y axis only will be better for stability and a Z axis with bracing,that traverses the gantry would be better.I would probably go for some external diagonal bracing on the X axis too.What family of steppers are under consideration?
Re: Planning my first CNC machine
By the time you have bought all the materials it might be as cheap to but an off the shelf XY table and convert it. To build a machine you probably need a mill anyway,
https://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catal...able-400x145mm
Or buy a complete mill and convert that. You will learn nearly as much and have a higher probability of success and of achieving the accuracy level you want.