new cnc

[Ben-bee]

again 2 x hi-win rails with rack and pinion

[GEOFFREY]

Hi Ben, welcome to the forum. If you have access to a decent 3 phase supply, I think that you could do a lot worse than look for a reasonably priced used commercial machine. Many of this type of machine will have a vacuum bed and a tool change facility and are very robust. Good luck with whatever you decide. G.

[Ben-bee]

I only have single power, I can wire into the fuse board, giving 32 amps or 64amps, the cable to my workshop from my house is rated at 64 amps.... this rules out a fair few commercial machines. The space for a bigger commercial machine is also an issue. max height is 2.2 meters and not much bigger than the drawing above 3 meters by 1.5..

[Ben-bee]

im fairly happy about building a vacuum bed. simple 6 section mdf bed.

[Clive S]

Hi Ben
It would help if you put some dimensions on your drawing. Some vac pumps are quite big Hp I believe. Clive

[routercnc]

If I understand your dwg correctly I would put the hiwin rail on the TOP of the section. This gives natural vertical spacing of the gantry, provides a nice way to connect it to the bearings, and gives you the option of epoxy leveling the surface to get the bearings level with each other (LH and RH side).

Do you know how much vertical clearance and travel you want between the spindle and bed? It looks very close at the moment so you may need to make the side sections deeper to raise the gantry. Don't commit to the side bits until you have drawn the Y, Z and spindle and got the top/bottom travel worked out as this will dictate the X rail height to a degree.

[Ben-bee]

thanks for the replys guys,

suction bed, yes ive seen some pumps need a lot of power, I was looking at the option of using a small pump or a hoover.

rails, the plan was to mount the rails and the rack and pinion on the side of the left and right main frame.