OT - Steel CNC Router Table
Hi, new guy here
Couldn't figure out where to post this
I am making plans to build a metal cutting CNC router and want something rigid and stable. It will be used to cut aluminum sheet up to 1/2" and table size will be 48" X 60". It seems that most of the DIY router tables I have found on the web are constructed from aluminum 80/20 type of T slot components which for most uses is an easy and clean way to go. But I want a more heavily built machine and expect to build it of steel. I plan to use standard steel shapes such as box section tubing with some brake work (metal bending) for the gantry.
What I am hoping for are some links to builds like mine that are more heavily constructed. Can anyone point me in the right direction to see what others have done? Thanks.
Randy
Re: OT - Steel CNC Router Table
You might take a look at the Mechmate: MechMate CNC Router - Build your own with our detailed plans It's sturdy enough to mount a cutting head on, or you can fit it with a plasma torch.
Re: OT - Steel CNC Router Table
I don't know what your skill level is as far as metalworking or machine building and design. I don't know what tools you have available, or what other agendas you might have that tie into building this machine.
But I'm going to give you some great advice.
Find a good quality brand name commercial router that is proven to cut aluminum well, that is used, perhaps there is something wrong with the control system (that works in your favor, for example if you only have 240V single phase, and the machine needs 600V 3 phase originally, then it will get sold on the cheap, and you would have had to modify it anyway).
Perhaps you will have to change the motors and drivers and all the electronics and run it on UCCNC or Mach 3 or Mach 4 and you will loose some of the original functionality and end up getting rid of and replacing certain bits of it. Who cares, you got it for cheap.
But the frame will be rigid and flat, the linear components good quality, and at the end of the day it's going to do what you want it to do. Plus it will have a higher resale value if you want to get rid of it. Just pay a company to move it for you.
I don't know if it's just me, but my projects take a really long time to complete.
I came across a very nice Biesse router some years back for $2000 because the guy couldn't figure out how to get it to run on 240V, and I should have jumped on it, but I had no shop or garage to put it in. It sold in a few days. Deals are out there, you just have to be patient and keep looking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rudifisk
What I am hoping for are some links to builds like mine that are more heavily constructed. Can anyone point me in the right direction to see what others have done?
Many people have build logs of some serious steel construction routers on this forum, you just have to do some searching. But they don't always choose to post performance videos of cutting aluminum after finding the right bits and feeds and speeds, so at the end of the day, you can't be certain how well it would do the job that you want it to. And some people just want to cut wood. Also, check the date of the first post and the last in those threads....the projects can take years to complete.
Linux_Fan made a pretty awesome router that cuts aluminum, his thread is here:
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/uncat...aluminium.html
Re: OT - Steel CNC Router Table
