3 Attachment(s)
x3 conversion w/ cncfusion's deluxe kit, Grex, G320's & keling servos
First off thanks to everyone who has shared their knowledge and experiences here at the forums. Without your contribution to the cnc community I would have never embarked on this journey. :cheers:
So, let's get on with it shall we?
Here's an overview of my build:
mill: x3 from Grizzly (G0463).
spindle motor: Kollmorgen Goldline XT (MT308TB1-E1F4) brushless servo. 1.81 HP - 3000 rpm @ 225 oz/in.
spindle controller: ServoStar CD (CE06250) w/ motion link controller software.
spindle encoder: Class F LPR incremental w/ 2048 ppr
leadscrews: ABBA Precision rolled Ballscrews @ 5mm pitch (cncfusion x3 deluxe kit)
motors (x,y,z): Keling brushed nema 23 (KL23-120-36) w/ skewed rotor design. 3300 rpm @ 230 0z/in. (36VDC - 19A peak)
gear reduction (x,y,z): 3:1 hi-performance planetary gearhead w/ backlash = 6 arc-minutes.
encoders (x,y,z): US Digital optical (E4P-300-250H-PK1) w/ 300 cpr (1200 ppr @ 1:1) from Kelingcnc.net.
drives (x,y,z): Gecko 320 brushed servo drive - purchased from Kelingcnc.net.
motion controller (x,y,z): Gecko G-Rex G100 w/ 6-axis control from Geckodrive.com.
cam software: Mach 3 by ArtSoft w/ 6-axis control. (purchased from Keling).
coolant system: Fogbuster 1/2 gl sprayer (#10100) & quick mount w/ mag base (#00316)
Total cost to date:
For the above mentioned items I have invested almost $3,100. However, this doesn't include the costs for all of the miscellaneous tooling and other items that would be required if someone were starting from complete scratch like me. I will try to get a total on these things and post them here at some point.
Items still needing to be purchased:
> E-stop, limit and home switches.
> electrical power supply for x,y,z motion control and required general harware (e.g.; cables, case, fans, etc...).
Current build status:
I'm just now getting ready to begin the actual conversion process so I figured that this was a good time to start the log. The mill was stripped and cleaned in 20gl parts cleaner upon arrival and is now partly re-assembled and mounted on new table/stand (see pics).
Right now I am trying to figure out the power supply requirements so I can purchase the components for building the power supply to drive all this. I will likely follow up a post with more details on the PS in hopes of getting some feedback from other users here before I commit to buying parts.
A word on the x3 vs. the new sx3:
So, I wanted to comment on my decision to go with the standard x3 over the new sx3. After looking into it I found that I could retrofit the regular x3 with a much higher quality spindle servo system for the same difference in cost. What I ended up with is this ServoStar rig from Kollmorgen that fit perfectly within the price range (thanks to the bay) and was enough to justify my decision to pass on the sx3. Plus it didn't sound to me like the sx3 users were all that impressed with the new spindle setup from some of the comments I have read online.
At a straight 1:1 direct drive this motor has more HP and RPM's than either of the stock motors and from what I can tell it should be ideal for this application. (If someone disagrees then PLEASE post your comments). It also has some awesome software control (I plan to run this controller directly from the PC using an rs232 cable) for direct tuning and monitoring of the motor performance, etc..., and I will likely drive this w/ Mach3 via the Grex if I can get my hands on a skyko p100 board (or similar) to convert 5v digital > 10v analog signal.
I welcome any and all comments, questions, criticisms, etc...., and I would greatly appreciate any advice on this build so do me a favor and please post if you get the urge.
28 Attachment(s)
starting from scratch - table/stand build
So, I wanted to build a steel stand/table for my x3 and I have never touched a welder in my life. In fact, prior to this project my tools consisted of a simple hand drill and small toolbox w/ some common wrenches, etc.... So, I am truly starting this from scratch.
The first thing I did was head to Harbor Freight and purchased the following items:
Arc-120 Welder (for welding the table/stand)
4" Angle Grinder (for general use in building steel table/stand)
4 x 6 Bandsaw (cutting steel for table construction and to be used for prepping material for milling)
8 gl 120 psi Air Compressor (for fogbuster spray coolant and for painting table/stand)
Industrial Paint Spray Gun (for painting table/stand)
1-ton foldable shop crane (a must have for lifting the mill on the table!)
I ended up building a very small welding table w/ a decent top (24x24x3/8") so that I could have something flat to work on. This got me off the ground and gave me something to clamp onto. (see pics)
For materials I purchased all scrap metal from my local supply store and ended up with this 2x2 (16 ga) steel tubing and 13 ga sheet metal for under $.60/lb for a total cost of $55. The leg leveling mounts were approximately $7 each. Primer and paint for build was under $10. So my total material cost for this stand was less than $100.
Here are some pics of my x3 stand/table build in progress:
Main table frame construction:
pic #1: making first 45' cut for tabletop frame w/ 4x6 HF bandsaw.
pic #2: prepping for first tack weld on tabletop frame.
pic #3: clamping for more tacking of tabletop frame.
pic #4: clamped and prepped for tabletop cross-bracing. (this is where the mill base mounts will bolt through).
pic #5: clamping arrangement for a leg and cross brace.
pic #6: tacked tabletop resting on tacked legs - preparing to tack the tabletop to the legs.
pic #7: bottom plates w/threaded nuts welded to bottom of legs for mounting leg level mounts.
pic #8: finished product after grinding welds off btm plates.
Tabletop pan/tray construction:
pic #9: rigged up the cheap 4" HF grinder to cut a strait groove in the tabletop to help with bending the edges up to create a pan.
pic #10: groove cut completed - finished product.
pic #11: corners notched to accommodate angle after bending edges up.
pic #12: I decided to drill and countersink holes in the top plate so I could spot weld it to the main table frame underneath. This was because the steel tubing has a rolled edge on the corners making it impossible to weld it to the top sheet metal since there is no way to get my 1/16" rod within proximity for welding the two together where they make surface contact.
pic #13: spot-welding completed - finished product.
pic #14: my make-shift bending solution. A temporary welded frame with matching dimensions to the tabletop so I could bend both short and long sides up.
pic #15: close-up of bending frame in action.
pic #16: first-bend completed.
pic #17: final product after bending was completed.
pic #18: final welded edges.
pic #19: final corners after edge welds were removed w/ grinder.
Final construction, surface prep & finish:
pic #20,21: lining up and cutting mounting holes for mill base.
pic #22: couldn't resist - a little bondo body filler action. ;)
pic #23: first coat of primer started (mill base riser platform)
pic #24: first coat of paint applied.
pic #25: second coat applied.
Mounting mill onto table/stand:
pic #26: rubber sheeting applied to help w/ absorbing vibration.
pic #27: prepping crane to lift mill onto table/stand.
pic #28: mounting mill onto table.
About half way through building the table I had the idea of modifying it for a full enclosure design to accommodate a flood coolant system. But, after many hours of R&D I realized that it was nothing short of a nightmare to design and build and in the end I really couldn't swallow the whole concept of drenching my costly components in water. It just seemed like a real bad idea to me. Besides the cost and design involved in fabricating a full enclosure is something that should not be overlooked. Just calculating the angles for the drain pan and dealing with vibrations and seals, etc..., is a royal PITA from my point of view.
I ended up moving forward with my original design (the one you see here in the pics) with the intention of building a small splashguard-like tray that mounts to a tooling plate that can be directly mounted to the milling table itself. Here's a sample of what I'm referring to here on the cnccookbook.com site:
cool splashguard design
This design paired with a fogbuster spray coolant system should be a great alternative to flood cooling for my x3 setup. People say the fogbuster is an expensive solution but if you add up all of the time and cost (not to mention the hassle) involved in designing and fabricating a full enclosure on top of building or buying a decent flood system - it's actually cheaper! Not to mention all the maintenance issues of dealing with a flood system and also the damage caused by soaking your quality parts in water all the time!
Anyway, hope this little table build inspires those of you who are starting from absolute scratch like I am. ;) It was a lot of fun and a great learning experience so it was well worth the hassle. Also, I am really happy with how stable the mill feels on the stand - it's very sturdy from what I can tell so far.
6 Attachment(s)
sizing the gas strut for the Z axis
Took some measurements for sizing a gas strut to the z-axis. I had a tough time finding info on the weight of the x3 head assembly so I did what I had to do and broke out the bathroom scale. ;)
pic #1: I wasn't about to pull the head off the column just to weigh it so I just lowered the head onto the scale by removing the side plates from the z-axis support and then loosened the gib screw until the head started to slide down the column onto the scale.
pic #2: milling head total weight = 65.6 lbs (minus the motor assembly & top cover/cap).
pic #3: motor assy & top cover/cap total weight = 24.5 lbs.
pic #4: top cover/cap total weight = 9 lbs.
pic #5: stock x3 motor assembly total weight = 13 lbs.
It looks like the total weight for the stock x3 head assembly is approximately 90 lbs!
With the weight out of the way the next thing required for sizing the strut is to figure out the stroke length and/or the min (compressed) and max (extended) length.
One thing that I plan to do is to mount the strut so that it helps offset the cantilevered effect due to the weight of the head's overhang. To accomplish this I will likely use the existing mounting hole located in the side of the head. (see pic #6) This is a pretty good position to mount the strut to help offset the cantilevered effect.
Since I plan to keep the quill locked in it's fully retracted state I had to base my measurements on that configuration. To calculate the shortest length (compressed) I lowered the head down to the table and the raised it back up to compensate for the quick-change collet holder that I'll be using (H2689).
Based on this reading it looks like I will need a compressed length of 12" or less. (see pic #6) I raised the head to the max position and it looks like 22" would be the absolute max that I would need for the strut's extended length.
According to the Mcmaster.com chart I can get a 90lb strut with a min and max length of 12" and 20". This is slightly shorter than I needed, however, I didn't exactly account for the added length of the milling bits and I also plan to mount a somewhat permanent tooling plate on top of the table which will decrease the overall length of travel even more. With all things considered; I'm satisfied enough to place an order for a gas strut. ;)
