1250 x 1250 cnc router (from scratch)

[GEOFFREY]

That machine is looking very nice. Well done. G.

[longy]

Things i would do differently next time:
oversize the control box, as the wiring become a little messy and cramped

Looks good Dan, how big or small is the is the control box you've used ? like you say it does look a bit cramped in there.
Mike

[PAULRO]

Hi Daniel, great build. i have steel ordered for a similar build and am curious to know the inside dimensions of your m/c. the travel of your x and y axis. i have allowed 1440 mm inside dimensions allowed for 1220 mm standard width of sheet.



i'm trying to minimize this dim so i can minimize the length of the gantry. i'm also curious about the distance from the spindle router collet face to the work table . as i say the steel is due in next Tuesday / Wednesday and i'll start cutting the frame members early next weekend so i have these last couple of days to refine and tweek the frame design. any input would be greatly appreciated. by the way ,it would be great to see videos of the m/c in action. !! cheers , Paulro.

[Danielroyal25]

Thanks Paulro,
X & Y both have 1250mm travel so will cut a full 4x4 sheet allowing 15mm a side. Just make sure that you allow for the width of the z axis, so that when the z is at either extreme of its travel it passes the board to make full use of the sheet and allow a little extra so that the z axis doesnt max out on its travel.
i think i left 150mm between the collet and top of the bed, i should have made the bed height adjustable really, but maybe next time....
i will try and get some vids up soon, i have been tweaking it lately and trial cutting projects so once it is all ok i will post some videos. let me know if you need any more info, all the best!

[Danielroyal25]

Thanks mike, it was 400 x 600 x 200. It weighs a ton!! I had to add an aluminium section on the bottom for cable entry etc which is around 40mm deep. This just about fitted all of the connectors an glands in. Would have a much larger box and add conduit / cable management in next time.
still new to mount it on the side of the machine and add vents on the top before it's completely finished.

[JAZZCNC]

Bloody hell Dan when I gave you parts and said use some decent sized bolts to bolt Z axis together I didn't mean "Raw Bolts" . .

Looking good mate but now you know we need the matching video. .

[longy]

Still looks very impressive to me Dan, looks as if I will have to keep my eye out for an 800 x 600 x 200 enclosure if it needs all that wiring and I will at some stage want to get 5 drivers in a case for my build. I noticed that on your Z axis which I have to looks fantastic very nice finish, that you've had both the parts machined to give clearance for the ball screw. Could you not have just packed out the plates where the rails and blocks are fitted and use a thinner plate ?
Mike

[Danielroyal25]

Hi Mike, yes i could have used a thinner plate and packed the parts out but it just allowed all of the parts to be machined out of 1 sheet of material, saved ordering separate pieces.

Cheers Dean, will get some vids up soon. I was going for the industrial look with the bolts ha! i havent had much time to play around with it lately but as soon as i do i will get posting.

[Danielroyal25]

Opinions please. The pulley on all of the axis were bored out manually on a pillar drill (I know, stupid idea - I had no acess to a lathe) so they are are slightly off centre. They have 1 m4 grub screw in also clamping onto the flat of the motor shaft / ballscrew shaft.
after the slipping episode I am wondering whether to
a- have them rebored to a larger diameter and have an insert made up and add another grub screw for fixing
b- order some new pulleys that are pre machined at around £70
how much would optio a cost (if anyone is up for the job) or would anyone want to buy my old pulleys to modify and use.

i was just going to loctite them in place as is but if they align at worst case the belts tighten and loosen which isn't the best.

next question.. My dust extractor is linked via a relay for Mach to control. When in e-stop mode the relay is inactive. When the machine is reset the relay is active and switches the extractor on. How do I get the relay to be controlled via the g code command instead. The vfd run start stop is controlled this way and works fine but I have wired the extractor in a similar way and it's not working as expected.

[EddyCurrent]

My dust extractor is linked via a relay for Mach to control. When in e-stop mode the relay is inactive. When the machine is reset the relay is active and switches the extractor on. How do I get the relay to be controlled via the g code command instead. The vfd run start stop is controlled this way and works fine but I have wired the extractor in a similar way and it's not working as expected.

Some people use the relay built into the vfd to switch the extractor on and off, you will need to program it for this operation by consulting the manual.
You could use the Mist and Flood coolant outputs controlled by M7 and M8 in the G-code file. These are in the 'Ports & Pins / Spindle Setup' page of Mach3, you would then have to enable the corresponding output in 'Output Signals'.
This is just a similar arrangement to M3 and the relay you set up for the spindle.