“Best” inexpensive route to 3 or 4 axis closed loop drives + motors setup?
Been quite a while, so I don’t know the current state of the art, what is good to use, ...
I’m looking for recommendations on how to do a 4 axis milling machine. Ok, really 5 axis if you were to do the spindle as an axis.
I’d prefer to do full servo with AC servo drives, if I can afford it, but failing that, minimum tier would be closed loop high power steppers.
1. Software? I have a Mach 3 license, but open to other software as long as it is performant and not very expensive.
2. Affordable Full servo motion controllers for use with software above?
Failing that, good 5+ axis stepper motion controller?
Ethernet SmoothStepper still a good option?
3. AC servo motors and drives with ALL cabling?
Or, powerful closed loop steppers and drives?
4. Breakout boards?
5. Spindle encoder and other necessary components.
Whatever else I forgot.
Goal is for overall system cost to be low, but be a good, performant, poweful and accurate system.
Anybody tried these “1721 oz-in” (I am always skeptical of their numbers) closed loop steppers?
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F123955405290
Re: “Best” inexpensive route to 3 or 4 axis closed loop drives + motors setup?
Suggestions for AC servo motor and drive kits that take step and direction input?
Anyone running these?
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F122117061315
Who’s using AC servos as spindle motor?
What about these?
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F123240281063
Anybody using Sanyo Denki AC servos and drives for step and direction input?
Yaskawa servos & drives?
I have access to a number, but I need cabling/connectors, which might be as expensive as just buy whole new Chinese AC servo kits.
Got an inexpensive source for cables a
Re: “Best” inexpensive route to 3 or 4 axis closed loop drives + motors setup?
Is this for the Sharp Mill you bought in another thread?
You start designing the machine first, then size the motors to match what you need, and adjust the ballscrew lead and any belt or planetary gear reduction to give you the best acceleration while having some torque left over for cutting force. It's a little bit of back and forth. At least that's my take on it.
It's hard to give any motor advice without knowing what machine it's going on
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rpseguin
I couldn't find a torque vs speed graph, one will exist somewhere if you want to look for it, but those steppers have an inductance of 6mH.
IMO, that translates into extremely high torque at near zero RPM, but that torque will drop off fast as soon as the RPM's go up.
If this is for the Sharp Mill, I'm guessing that there is already belt driven gear reduction (looks like that from your pics in another thread?) and a 5mm/rev leadscrew?
All of this combined would translate into a very slow machine.
A stepper motor with far lower holding torque but lower inductance would outperform this motor. A 400W servo, with the gearing that I assume you already have on your mill would vastly outperform this motor, at least in X and Y, no idea what's going on with your Z.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rpseguin
Anybody using Sanyo Denki AC servos and drives for step and direction input?
Yaskawa servos & drives?
I have access to a number
What do you have? I have a couple of 300W AC servos that I am trying to figure out myself. My thread is here:
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/servo...-software.html
Those Chinese servo kits you posted a link to..... DMM servos and drives probably wouldn't cost too much more. If you're going to buy all new stuff, I'd check them out.
So does this machine currently have brushed DC servos? You don't want to reuse them?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rpseguin
Goal is for overall system cost to be low, but be a good, performant, poweful and accurate system.
Open loop steppers with linear encoders on your axis. I see surplus linear encoders on EBay all the time. That's another option.
I found this video on Youtube. How much backlash do you have on your screws?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvOhgM5uBF4
Re: “Best” inexpensive route to 3 or 4 axis closed loop drives + motors setup?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NIC 77
Is this for the Sharp Mill you bought in another thread?
No. Sharp mill is running well.
A friend has a Shizuoka.
Bigger, box ways, ballscrews are currently direct driven.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NIC 77
You start designing the machine first, then size the motors to match what you need, and adjust the ballscrew lead and any belt or planetary gear reduction to give you the best acceleration while having some torque left over for cutting force. It's a little bit of back and forth. At least that's my take on it.
Good idea for designing, but this already exists in the flesh and was designed by others a long time ago :-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NIC 77
A stepper motor with far lower holding torque but lower inductance would outperform this motor. A 400W servo, with the gearing that I assume you already have on your mill would vastly outperform this motor, at least in X and Y, no idea what's going on with your Z.
What do you have? I have a couple of 300W AC servos that I am trying to figure out myself. My thread is here:
My friend has a good number of Sanyo Denki and Yaskawa AC servo motors and drives, ranging from 100W to 7.5KW. Lots of 200W, 400W
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NIC 77
https://www.cnczone.com/forums/servo...-software.html
Those Chinese servo kits you posted a link to..... DMM servos and drives probably wouldn't cost too much more. If you're going to buy all new stuff, I'd check them out.
So does this machine currently have brushed DC servos? You don't want to reuse them?
Sharp mill is working fine, brushed DC servos.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
NIC 77
Open loop steppers with linear encoders on your axis. I see surplus linear encoders on EBay all the time. That's another option.
I found this video on Youtube. How much backlash do you have on your screws?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvOhgM5uBF4
I’ll check it out.
Re: “Best” inexpensive route to 3 or 4 axis closed loop drives + motors setup?
I'm going to try a Lichuan on my mill as a spindle drive replacing my stock 1.1kw on there now.
Planning on a bigger motor pulley to bump spindle up from 3k to around 5.5k rpm.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3305...archweb201603_
Re: “Best” inexpensive route to 3 or 4 axis closed loop drives + motors setup?
Hello,
did you get the Lichuan motor and drive? how is it working out?
I'm contemplating Lichuan for all 3 axes on a benchtop conversion.
thanks.
