[luis.gm]

Hi all members of this great community,

I have been around for not too long and participated in very few forums, I am not more than a beginner here but hope that some day can provide of help and support to others, as you do it for people that need help.

I am here today to share with you that I have decided to make the step and live through the experience how to cnc your own mill feels like. I have never done something like this, but you guys have encouraged me, specially because I have always seen that there are always people willing to help others.

I purchased a Sx3 the last december. I had it waiting for me some time, specially because I was reading more and getting more information about how to proceed with this ritual.

I have started with the disassembly of the mill and the cleaning part. I will be using for my conversion:

- Sx3
- Will leave the quill
- CNC-Fusion's small-Mill Deluxe cnc kit with premium ballscrews
- 2x Heli-Cal Zero Backlash Couplings
- 1x gas spring
- Mach3 since I had some problems seting up EMC2 in the laptop (yes I will try with a laptop). I plan to be using an old Laptop with parallel port that I have since long time ago. I will see, the preliminary Mach3 tests showed promising results, but i guess until the moment comes, I will see if theory approaches reality. Anyway this will be another thing to test after the mill is completed, for now the main thing will be the mill :rainfro: !!
- Electronics reccomended by CR and bought from Automation Technologies:
- - G540
- - 2x Keling KL23H2100-35-4B 381 oz motors for X and Y
- - 1x Keling KL34H295-43-8A 906 oz N34 motor for Z
- - 1x Keling KL-350-48 48V/7.3A PSU

Since you guys love pictures I am attaching some pictures of what I have done until now.

Looking forward to hearing from your suggestions, they are and will always be very welcome.

I know there are a lot of different opnions regarding the laptop use in cnc applications. If you want to suggest I will super very welcome your suggestions, but would not like to enter in a discussion around this topic for now but until the first steps are done . I tell you this because I would really like to think about your suggestions but since now I will be mostly around the mechanical conversion I would probably not be able to fully concentrate on that before the mechanical components are in place.

So guys, hope I can soon share with you much more about this little project, this is very exciting!

Thanks all for reading and/or commenting!!
lg

[3space]

Hey, looks great! I received the identical mill Friday. It's still on the skid, but have started with very minor disassembly and cleaning. Did you use a shop crane to lift the machine? I know you disassembled it, but the head itself must still be really heavy, no?

I too just ordered the CNCFusion deluxe kit and gas strut. I want the same motors, but still deciding on 540 or 203Vs. Also considering LinuxCNC. It might depend on the computer I choose. Anyway, looking forward to lots of pics!

[Crevice Reamer]

Hi Luis. Welcome to the SX3 Club. Looks good so far. Excellent electronics choice! :-)

You will need these resistors:
http://www.digikey.de/scripts/DkSear...6&y=15&cur=USD

USA:
http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...8KXBK-ND/13132

and this spare fuse:
http://www.digikey.de/product-search...8-ND&x=14&y=18

USA:
http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...700753?cur=USD

While you have it apart, you should consider sawing a notch under the column for future travel expansion:
http://crevicereamer.com/Page_34.html

Notice how it's done on the KX3, which is almost the same column:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...3&d=1252456185

CR.

[luis.gm]

Hi guys!

Thanks for the nice welcoming comments =D, its nice to see people around!!

Hey CR, guess what? today came the resistors and the fuses!, I looked also for them in your website and decided to order them I think 3 days ago, but anyway lots of thanks for the links, thats vip support man!

I am afraid I dont have the right tools to cut now the column, I would love to make this preparation but I think for now its a little out of my hand. I dont mind if I have to disassembly the head again in the future because it will be worthy =D!

Hey 3space congratz for the machine! dont forget to share with us the geckos you choose. I could not really afford the 203's at the moment but I wanted to move forward with the conversion and start learning and supporting.

When I got the mill last december I had to use a shop crane to put it on the workbench. I was really happy when that day everything ended well.

Regarding the head of the mill, I removed the panels, quill and spindle but left the motor inside. When the head stays like that its a little heavy but not too much. I was afraid that it was going to be more heavy, but I was kind of surpised that it was relatively easy to move it by myself and without too much of a problem. Something I did was to leave the head in the middle-bottom, so it was easy to sit the head on some wood pieces (here is when I tested the head weight and if I could carry it or not). When I saw the weight was ok then I just unscrewed the head and carefully carried it and placed it next to the machine, as seen in the picture. This way did not have to unscrew the cables and was kind of practical.

At the moment I am waiting for the kits, both the electrical and the mechanical. As soon as I have some news I will try to upload some more pictures for you guys.

It can be that I cannot reply you but after some hours, well.. I am living in germany, so we have some hour difference but I will do my best to reply you soon.

Hope you guys are doing good!
See ya laterrrr
lg

[luis.gm]

Hi all,

I am just giving a brief update. Today came the electronics

I really liked how the were packed, everything was carefully packed in protective plastic. I am uploading two pictures showing you my new electronics. In the picture you can see that not everything is packed, well... it was me , i just rushed to open most of the things i received and at some point I just thought, wait a second.. I will make pictures for the forum!! so left some things packed so you can see how well they were packed.

Im expecting the mechanical components should also come within the next days, I will keep you guys updated.
lg

[luis.gm]

Hello again,

I decided to make some little progress with the electronics since I am still waiting for the cncfusion kit.

I am attaching some pictures of my controller box :idea:

I have to thank to CNC Lurker since the forum he made called "Minimum wiring connections for Gecko G540 " helped me a lot to quickly go through the correct g540 connection and testing.

Hope to have more to share soon.

lg

[WOTDesigns]

The build part of having a cnc is the most exciting! Keep it up!

One very useful comment someone shared with me during my build was to figure out a way to oil the Z Ball screw after everything is assembled. I drilled a hole through the top of the column, mounted a small angle aluminum scrap inside the column under the hole and ran a plastic 1/8" like thereof the hole, zip tied to the angle so the end of the hose just barely touched the Z ball screw (while parallel to the floor because of the angle aluminum. The other end of the hose I heated up and pressed onto an oil can nozzle. Now every time I fire up the cnc I give a couple pulls on the oil can and the Z gets oiled too.

Also, if you dont have a photographic memory take good notes on your wiring set up. I have had to go back and trouble shoot and was freaking lost for a while trying to figure out exactly how my spindle relays were set up.

Another tip I never got around to posting is that you can get industrial double relay rated well over your motor draw. Wire it inline with your motor. Bring two lines to a switch box in the front and then to a solenoid valve and hook your air up to that so your mist/air will automatically turn on when the spindle does. Flip the switch and it's off. I can't see the point of using M9 to turn on something I want on 95% of the time. Of course if you are planning flood the same thing works, but wire an outlet instead of a solenoid valve.

[luis.gm]

Thanks a lot for the tips PriddyShiddy.

I was thinking on how to oil the machine some days ago but did not come up with any solution yet and i really appreciatte your tips, also for the tip for the coolant system, that is also very helpful.

If everything goes well, tomorrow I will pick up the conversion kit and work on that during the next weeks.

How did you guys oil your screws (in the small mills like x3 or sx3), by hand? automatically? are you also oiling your nuts or only the screws? I know nothing special for the oiling of the machine so i was thinking I will manually oil it but have no idea of the frequency for the oiling or even what kind of oil one shoul use. Hope you guys can help me with your experience.

More to come!
lg

[WOTDesigns]

I run my X3 almost every day. In fact for the last 5 months it has been doing production on my product that requires over an hour of machining per part and I have sold over 600 of them since November so that should tell you I am over using this poor little machine. I wrote a warm up program that I use to warm up the spindle and lets me oil everything that I run every single time I fire up the CNC. I load an empty TTS set screw holder first, then the program starts the spindle at 500 rpm and moves the table all the way to the right then M01 wiats for cycle start again while the spindle still runs. I have an oil can I oil the gears first while it is on low. Then take a 1" paint brush and dip it in a vitamin bottle full of Vactra Oil No. 2, ISO VG 68 Way Oil from McMaster PN 2158K21. I dip the brush and run one side against the rim to get a decent amount then oil the screw on the left, then both front and back way on the table. Cycle Start brings the table all the way to the left then I do the same on the right. Cycle Start centers the table in X and brings the saddle all the way towards me. Oil the Y screw then both sides of the ways, cycle start runs the Y back and forth a few times then repeat. While it is jogging the Z moves up and down slowly while I oil the Z oil points. Then I pump the oil can that oils the Z screw. The program starts and ends by rapiding to 1" off the limit switches and homing each axis one by one automatically. The whole process (took longer to type) takes about 3 or 4 minutes.

It would be nice to have added oil grooves when I had everything apart, but doing it the way I do it it only takes a few minutes and I cant see tearing it back aprat to add them now as the time lost would cost a lot more than the 2-3 minutes a day it would save me.

Again this isn't your average weekend warrior machine; mine is on at least 50 hours a week and some weeks it actually is running programs over 70 hours. When I am slotting my parts I have 1000 slots to cut that are .145" wide, .625 long, and either .65" or .95" deep, plus a hole I plunge drill with the same .125" end mill next to it and one of the two halves has another slot same width, length and height but open ended. That program alone is 83 hours of run time and I usually get that done in a week and a half with 8 parts each in two vices at about 5 minutes average per part.

The last production run I had to tighten the gibs every other day while roughing the parts out (.25" carbide Data Flute @ .06" DOC, 4700 RPM, 24 ipm), so I sent the parts to be waterjet out and I am going to load them on the same fixture and just take 20 - 30 thou off the outside (3 x .25" high same as I roughed them) which should save me 30 hours at least and ensure I can get this run done on the X3 then I will be buying a Tormach PCNC 1100 with PDB and possibly a tool changer. The tool changer is tough since I HATE coolant and much prefer air and or mister. With the pdb I would need programable mister height and that isn't available yet and it isn't something I feel like trying to make.

[luis.gm]

Thanks a lot again PriddyShiddy.

I find very helpful to describe the way you do it. I guess when you mean you oil everytime you fire the cnc, you mean everytime you make a piece, am I right?
I can see that you really push the machine to its limits, but why not if this is the machne's purpose I guess

As for me, I hope I can learn a lot with this machine, this is mainly the goal I have at the moment, I am inititiating myself into the cnc basically. I had little to do with cnc in the past but not really, and since once in a while I'd like to do "this and that" I thought this is the time to learn, and of course chose to build it myself , I think this is where the learning process starts!

Nice that you will go for a tormach!, I hope some day I can have one too, but to be honest and knowing me, probably I will also end experimenting with it

I will keep posting, thanks again for the good tips!!
lg

[luis.gm]

Hi Luis. Welcome to the SX3 Club. Looks good so far. Excellent electronics choice! :-)

You will need these resistors:
Widerstände | Durchgangslochwiderstände | DigiKey

USA:
MFR-25FBF-52-3K48 Yageo | 3.48KXBK-ND | DigiKey

and this spare fuse:
Überspannung, Überstrom, Temperaturbausteine | Sicherungen | DigiKey

USA:
0251007.MXL Littelfuse Inc | F2318-ND | DigiKey

While you have it apart, you should consider sawing a notch under the column for future travel expansion:
Page 34

Notice how it's done on the KX3, which is almost the same column:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...3&d=1252456185

CR.

Hey, looks great! I received the identical mill Friday. It's still on the skid, but have started with very minor disassembly and cleaning. Did you use a shop crane to lift the machine? I know you disassembled it, but the head itself must still be really heavy, no?

I too just ordered the CNCFusion deluxe kit and gas strut. I want the same motors, but still deciding on 540 or 203Vs. Also considering LinuxCNC. It might depend on the computer I choose. Anyway, looking forward to lots of pics!

Hi CR and 3space,

I think you did not received my reply, because I do not know very well how to reply to multiple people =S but I hope this time at least can see that I replied to you.
Thanks a lot for your comments and suggestions!
The message I wrote for you some days ago was:

---------------
Hi guys!

Thanks for the nice welcoming comments =D, its nice to see people around!!

Hey CR, guess what? today came the resistors and the fuses!, I looked also for them in your website and decided to order them I think 3 days ago, but anyway lots of thanks for the links, thats vip support man!

I am afraid I dont have the right tools to cut now the column, I would love to make this preparation but I think for now its a little out of my hand. I dont mind if I have to disassembly the head again in the future because it will be worthy =D!

Hey 3space congratz for the machine! dont forget to share with us the geckos you choose. I could not really afford the 203's at the moment but I wanted to move forward with the conversion and start learning and supporting.

When I got the mill last december I had to use a shop crane to put it on the workbench. I was really happy when that day everything ended well.

Regarding the head of the mill, I removed the panels, quill and spindle but left the motor inside. When the head stays like that its a little heavy but not too much. I was afraid that it was going to be more heavy, but I was kind of surpised that it was relatively easy to move it by myself and without too much of a problem. Something I did was to leave the head in the middle-bottom, so it was easy to sit the head on some wood pieces (here is when I tested the head weight and if I could carry it or not). When I saw the weight was ok then I just unscrewed the head and carefully carried it and placed it next to the machine, as seen in the picture. This way did not have to unscrew the cables and was kind of practical.

At the moment I am waiting for the kits, both the electrical and the mechanical. As soon as I have some news I will try to upload some more pictures for you guys.

It can be that I cannot reply you but after some hours, well.. I am living in germany, so we have some hour difference but I will do my best to reply you soon.

Hope you guys are doing good!
See ya laterrrr
lg

Thanks for the nice welcoming comments =D, its nice to see people around!!
------------------

[diyengineer]

Looks good! I really like that stand! Looks beefy and solid!

[WOTDesigns]

by "fire up" I mean turn on the computer. Basically I oil when I start every morning. I add oil to the internal gears after lunch, and if I'm running over 5000 rpm some times every few hours. The ways and screw I only oil in the morning when I start.

[luis.gm]

Thanks diyengineer!

I was looking for something I could also use in the future. I dont know if I will buy a tormach or something else in the future, first I have a looooot to do and learn with this machine, but, in case that the future brings me to the point I need to buy something bigger, then I wanted to be able to put it there and not to have to buy something else. This thing can carry up to 2200 pounds, more than enough for now :cheers:

I will see about the coolant in the future maybe in another place rather than inside the house, for now I will start looking for possibilities of how to learn machining without it. I could maybe consider using mist, but I have read mist is not to healthy, but I dont have enough knowledge to judge it myself. I just know that for now if I use coolant my gf will try to kill my machine im sure.

Love and peace :rainfro:
lg

[luis.gm]

Ohh so I totally missunderstood the frequency, thanks for being even more precise

lg

[luis.gm]

Hello everyone!

I need from your experience

Today came the cncfusion conversion kit. I started installing it and when I was installing the X ballscrew I realized that it seems to be too small. The distance between the end of the helical couple and the beginning of the motor mounting plate is 18mm, plus 7mm to the place where the motor sits. That makes 25mm that you can see in the picture my motor shaft is still missing 7mm just to reach the helical couple.

Do you have experienced or seen this problem before?, do you have any idea how this can be solved? I already emailed Michael from cnc fusion, but since I am not sure what to do I wanted to ask your guys if your have more ideas?

Thanks in advance for all the help!!
lg

[diyengineer]

Is your table abnormally long?

[luis.gm]

Hi diyenginner,

I measured the table size and its exactly 550mm long, as far as i know this is the right and normal size for the standard tables.

I was thinking that some solution could be to use a helical couple that is 4.5long, instead of the 3cm long it has on it. The question is if this couple would work as good as the one its included in the kit (with the backlash) and if it exists.

What do you guys think about this "solution", do everyone think this could could work??

Other than that, I have not been able to come up with an easier "solution" to this problem at the moment

Thanks for replying,
lg

[diyengineer]

When you buy the kit, does it state the length of each screw? Many times ebay says 800mmX, 600Y, and 300Z (example). Any way you can cross check that they did indeed give you the right length?

[diyengineer]

The only way i can see this working, after taking a second look is obtain a longer coupler, exchange for the right length of screw, or somehow extend the shaft into the couple you already have. Do you have access to a lathe? If you had a piece of round stock, you could make a sleeve that goes over stepper shaft, with a set screw, and then turned down to fit inside the helical coupler you have. That would be a quick fix, if you have a lathe.