cnc rotary table

I just got my new toy used(2015 Mill/Turn) and the guy gave me what he had in regards to Mach 3 Mill, Mach 3 turn, and very light on the Shopmaster literature, said there was a lot of research that could be done online, cant find a whole lot. Anyways, have it running, learning what I can, noticed there is an open axis plug in on the Gecko 540, did a little research, looks like eiter a CNC tool post or rotary table, for what Im thinking for me would best be used with a rotary table, got on Shopmasters website, and they dont sell them anymore, but give them with the system. Found a no name one on Ebay, that can be sent with the 540 recepticle, that should be all I need right, then obviously going in and activating some items in Mach 3. Those of you guys that have the cnc rotary, is it something you use very much? thanks in advance, Mark

Yes, you can run another stepper off the 4th port in the G-540. And a rotary table can be quite handy for some projects. Without knowing what you intend to do, it's hard to say whether that thing you found will be sufficient for your needs. But some of those "no name" 4th axis kits on Ebay don't have much (or any) gear reduction, have lots of slop in the bearings, and don't support the 4-jaw chuck you'd need to hold anything but round stock. Buyer beware,,,.

Did you manage to get the CNC rotary table you wanted?

It sounds like this CNC rotary table is a cool addition to your setup. I did a little digging and found a company called UPET GROUP that sells CNC rotary tables and other accessories. They seem to have a good selection, so you might want to check them out. In terms of the open-axis plug on your Gecko 540, it sounds like you're on the right track with using it for the rotary table. The one you found on eBay should work just fine, but be sure to double-check that it's compatible with your system. And as for whether or not people use their CNC rotary tables often, I think it depends on the user and their specific needs.