Nema 17 stepper motors ?

[The Gresley Luthier]

Hi.

Still currently building my CNC wood router to make wooden Electric Guitar bodies. I have been offered 4 of the above Stepper motors, but are they powerful enough to do what I want to do?

The hardest wood I will probably use is ASH, the softest probably BASSWOOD, and I am not in any hurry, so speed and acceleration are not important to me, accuracy and dependability are.

Has anyone got any thoughts on these?

Regards.

Ray

[Muzzer]

You need to post a link to the datasheet or at least tell us the part number. NEMA 17 simply means the size of the flange is 1.7" across but the length of the motor isn't specified, nor the winding or magnet parameters. Those will effect the torque and speed charateristics.

Can you identify and share the manufacturer and part number?

[m_c]

In short, NEMA17 are unlikely to be powerful enough.

17 is the size you'd typically find on 3D printers.

[NikosR]

"NEMA 17 steppers are too small for wood carving. Success depends on the cutting tool you use, the hardness of the wood, and the speed. I once used them myself on my first small (very small) CNC with a Dremel spindle, and as soon as it encountered resistance, it would lose steps. The cheapest solution with very good results is NEMA 24 motors (I still have those on my CNC). Forget about using ASH; with BASSWOOD, it will work, but at a very low speed."

[The Gresley Luthier]

Hi, thank you for replying.

I have 3 NEMA 17's Labelled "KYSAN" 1124101, and 1 NEMA 17 labelled as "KYSAN" 1124090.

Sounds Japanese, though "KAIZEN" means "Continual Improvement"

Regards

Ray

[NikosR]

Because NEMA 17 motors lack sufficient power, when you attempt to cut ash wood—which is hard and quite grainy—the cutter will often veer off course slightly as soon as it hits a knot or a tough grain.

[The Gresley Luthier]

Many Thanks for the info.

Regards.

Ray

[gd485]

I agree Nema 17 are more suited to laser engraving or 3d printer. Any cnc machine that uses a cutter needs a lot more power to overcome the cutting forces. As you are cutting wood you could use relatively high cutting speeds. So to reduce the chance of missing steps I’d suggest Nema 23/24. Use a power supply near to the max the drivers limit. This will improve high speed torque. Remember the stepper motor torque falls off a cliff around 500rpm. So choice of lead screw pitch along with the 500rpm limit creates the maximum cutting speed.
Routers need to be quite rigid and therefore heavy, the acceleration rate is critical in preventing missing steps. The best solution t is to buy the most powerful motors you can fit into you design. Too much power won’t cause as many problems as too little. I hope that helps.