Converting an AMAT25LV

[Lloyd Barnes]

Made some progress on the enclosure this weekend. Quite a lot yet to do but with luck I'm hoping to get it in primer and enamelled next weekend.
P
Have set it up for flood coolant for the future. There's also box section at the rear to bolt the Z column to. If nothing else should be able to hold everything pretty rigid.
P
Mill arrives next Saturday so hoping to make a start taking that apart soon.

[Lloyd Barnes]

I'm using the Oldham style couplings from CNC4YOU on my build. On the NEMA23 they clamp around the shaft with no other locating method (the NEMA34 motor has a woodruff key in the shaft, so I'll cut a corresponding slot in the coupler).
p
What's everyone's experience using these? Do they slip at all or is there not a problem. There is a flat on the NEMA23 motor shafts, so I can drill and tap the couplers and add a grub screw locking onto the flat if its worthwhile?
p
Appreciate any advise

[John S]

Yes Grubb screw as eell

[John S]

Well, stupid phone

[Lloyd Barnes]

Great, thanks John.

[Lloyd Barnes]

Bit more progress over the weekend. Pretty much finished up my enclosure. A 3rd set of rails for the tops of the doors to be added, and some more polycarb for the windows now that I've measured it right! Some final wiring of lights etc and its about there. I've plastered it in sound deadening and its bolted to both the floor and the wall so very rigid. Will be nice to have a bit less cleaning up to do, the Bridgeport fills the whole shop with chips.
P
I've also put a fixing in at the rear direct through the enclosure to the wall to give me a strong point to anchor the column to to beef up its rigidity further. I'm planning to add some adjusting screws to help tramming the mill. How well do the columns line up on these little Chinese mills normally? The mounting faces look nicely ground but I've not done any measurements at this stage.
P
The mill arrived so starting stripping that down as well. First time I've bought a brand new machine then proceeded to start throwing half of it away!
P

[Lloyd Barnes]

Bit of an update. Have started building machine back up.
P
Machined the base out to get a bit more Y travel, and generally clean it up. The ways look OK for a Chinese machine but the casting is the typical Chinese effort, bit wibbly wobbly! Had to do some slightly clearancing to the underside of the table where the casting was very uneven to make room for the ballnut mounting. Both axis are now running nicely under Mach3.
P
Column also needing machining to straighten up the slot for the ballnut mount which was a little cocked over. That's back in place. Next job is the Z axis motor mounts and ballnut mount and should be somewhere near ready to try some cuts.
P
Was going to upgrade the spindle to 5k rpm but I'll need to make some fresh motor mounts for that so might as well get the machine running and use it to make them as a test.

[John S]

Aaaarrrrrggggg.

You have made a fantastic job of the enclose and the rest of the machine and then mount the steppers on 4 pillars ?????????????????????????????????????

It's a CNC machine tool not a fooking clock !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!