combination machine.

[JAZZCNC]

Eddy's correct that a big put off with router machines is the speed or more impotantly acceleration and speed together is a lot higher for 3D and laser.
This causes a conflict of interests in the way the machine is built and components esed.
For instance good engraving requires high resolution and stiff machine so smaller pitch screws are needed but this slows the machine down so acceleration and speeds required for 3D/laser is not reachable with steppers.
Routers are some where in between but then they need a much stronger design which starts to slow things down regards acceleration, so again very difficult to reach acceleration and speed required for good 3D/laser.
Then you have all the difficulties of each having there own business ends which don't mix very well.! Saw dust, high heat and molten plastic don't really mix very well. Changing out each one isn't as easy as it sounds so thats not feasible in reality and will soon become pain in the arse.

Regards 3D printing then the technology is so cheap and easily available it's not worth struggling to make a combi machine that will be compromised when you can have the real thing.
Also while mach3 can fullfill all three requirements all the action and software 3D printing developments are happening on the Arduino based systems so it will always be behind in technology. Programming isn't required for 3D so thats not something to worry about.!

Poppy Ann I've built a machine that lives in Mansfield and I will be calling there some time soon to give it a check over. So if your available then I'll gladly call on you for a Cuppa tea and chat.

[Popp Ann]

Hi again, one of the main reasons i was thinking of a 3 in 1 machine was not to try and save money but to save space i know if i build one machine as soon as i try it a few times i would want to start on a second one, I have been back in UK around 2 1/2 years now and in that time i have replaced quite a lot of my tools even though they will not get that much use, i have built two large size quad copters 2 planes and have a couple of 1/8 scale off road cars and every time i think i will just give something a go i get a little too interested and end up with more "toy's" to try and store i can hardly turn round without falling over something, every time i see something new which catches my eye i end up getting one then have to try and find somewhere to keep them. i have already had a go with arduino and raspberry pi i wish some of these things were out when i was younger i started off programing back in the 70's on a acorn computer at the time you could not buy one ready built and i ordered a kit which came in a big plastic bag and you had to solder every thing together even the keyboard was supplied in little parts with each key made up of two springs and 2 contacts which had to be soldered together and then attached to the board i had a extra 1 KB of memory which gave me 2 KB ram which 1/2 KB was used by the operating system but i managed to write the classic space invader game in the 1 1/2 KB, and from then on i think i had a go at just about every home computer there was available but that is many years ago now i doubt i will be writing any programs now people now do not know how lucky they are with all the great things that are available as long as you have a little money.

I was under the impression that all the laser and 3D printers used stepper motors for movement if not stepper motors what do they use? i know by the time i get this finished i could have bought a ready made machine.
I remember when i was starting out in engineering one machine i use to run was a sort or computer machine but it had a huge programing board where to get it to do something you had to plug in little colored pegs into the board which told it what movement to make that was back around 1969/1970 and that was meant to be the cutting edge of machine tools.

if you want to call round for a cup of tea you will be welcome the only time i will be out is around 4.30 as i have a doctors appointment then for my yearly "mot"

[lucan07]

If you want a combination machine have a look at this site http://www.vicious1.com/ I did build but the cnc router is only good for wood and plastics probably suitable for what you need though. It is all put together with Arduino and Ramps 1.4 but uses Estlcam very succesfully with repetier firmware for Routing. Loads of videos available on You Tube if you search mostly printed CNC. If you are interested I have a bundle of parts from the one I disassembled you can have if you pay the postage, you will just need some 25mm conduit and the other hardware all cheap enough on Aliexpress if you're patient enough to wait for delivery.

[Popp Ann]

If you want a combination machine have a look at this site http://www.vicious1.com/ I did build but the cnc router is only good for wood and plastics probably suitable for what you need though. It is all put together with Arduino and Ramps 1.4 but uses Estlcam very succesfully with repetier firmware for Routing. Loads of videos available on You Tube if you search mostly printed CNC. If you are interested I have a bundle of parts from the one I disassembled you can have if you pay the postage, you will just need some 25mm conduit and the other hardware all cheap enough on Aliexpress if you're patient enough to wait for delivery.

Hi Lucan,

Thanks for the reply and offer of parts but at the moment I have put the rig on hold as I recently bought one of the mini lathes and I am spending my time building a steam engine the cnc machine is just sat on my kitchen table with just 2 micro switches waiting to be fitted on the X axis to complete it except for the micro switches it is ready to run all wired up set up to run under Mach3 software the site you put up looks like a great easy build, I just downloaded the software Estlcam that it shows on the Vicious1 site and it looks much easier to use compared to Mach3 so once I return to the machine I will give it a try.

Again many thanks for the advise and offer of parts.

Regards Poppy Ann.