[Clyde]

I finally got this thing going..............I think I like it

I'm using Nema 23 motors (PK266-1A for Z, PK266-E2.0 for X & Y), gecko drives, homeade parallel port box, etc.....

[Clyde]

The actual work area is 17.5" x 36".
180 IPM, using ACME 1/2x10 as drive screws, nylon as drive nuts.

Thanks everyone, for the information on this site, I found it to be very useful!

[duluthboat]

Very Nice.

Gary

[High Seas]

Very nice overall! and I add. a VERY Nice mount for the router!
A little anodized aly and plastics in that? Looks like a stout rig.
CHEERS - Jim

[Clyde]

Very nice overall! and I add. a VERY Nice mount for the router!
A little anodized aly and plastics in that? Looks like a stout rig.
CHEERS - Jim

Yes, it's UHMW and a cam lever from Rockler Woodworking supply.
In the above pics, I also have a block of 3/4" MDF where the 1/4x20 socket cap screw mounts the router from the back. This evening I built a replacement for that block that will have four 1/2" holes in the bottom edge that route to a mount on the right top side for a 1" vaccum hose for dust collection (a dual purpose fitting).

This has been a long project (~3 months). I bought a mini mill and mini lathe and began learning how to use them (of course the expense is not in the equipment but in the collets, end mills, boring outfits, on and on........).

I modeled the entire project in Rhino3D (some at the start, some as I went along). I didn't mill, drill, tap, or cut until I knew how it was going together. That helped alot in _not_ having to redo stuff. I drilled and tapped some of the plates in pairs (bolted together) to reduce the work.

For some of the larger plates and channel (larger than my mini mill could handle, 11"x23"x3/8" plate on the gantry and 48" long channel for the X rails), I built a device using 3/8"x16 allthread that allowed me to get accuracy on the drill press for drilling and tapping. I know that others must run into these problems with needing to drill (and or tap) long pieces accurately. I handled it with a homade jig. I even milled a ruler for it into 1"x1/8" aluminum angle.

[arvidb]

What's with those motor mounts? They look really cool , but are there any other reasons for the way they look?

Overall very tidy and nice!

Arvid

[DR-Motion]

Nice work Clyde,

"The actual work area is 17.5" x 36".
180 IPM, using ACME 1/2x10 as drive screws, nylon as drive nuts."

Is this a typo?

180 IPM equals 3 inches per second... which means your motors have to spin 3 inches x 10 revolutions per inch = 30 revolutions per second or 1800 RPM... that's fast! ... especially under load.

Gary

[Clyde]

I made the motor mounts like "Heat Sinks" to help keep the motors cool, don't know if this is necessary, but thought I'd give it a try.

The 180 IPM is jog speed, the motors (oriental motor PK266-E2.0) can run at 2000 RPM (used on X and Y).

I had problems with vibrations in the X ACME screw (~48" long) at high speed, so I made a dampener yesterday (not shown in the above pics) out of UHMW that applies slight pressure on the screw about 2" away from the nylon nut on either side, and it worked great!

[Clyde]

I learned at least one thing today:

The accelertion/deceleration values are as important as the cut feed rate for performance. I hadn't really thought that much about it until I saw the router run yesterday. During short runs with changes in direction or axis emphasis, accleration played a big role in the actual cut rate. So I up the acceleration (still might up it a bit more).

Lots more to learn............

[Kerri Ann]

wow Dad, nice job

maybe soon I'll know what exactly all that stuff means....

[jimbo]

nice machine, any problems with the leadscrew driving from one side as on the x axis?

[Graham S]

Nice machine!!

What is the white base made from?

Have you had any problems driving the axis on one side only?

Graham

[Clyde]

I haven't had any problems with driving the gantry from one side, yet.........I have only cut 3/4" MDF so far in my tests, but up to now it is solid.......It is 23" from center to center of the thomson rails for the x axis.

THE WHITE BOX that the x rails and channel are sitting on is 1/2" MDF torsion box 5" tall, 34" x 60" (WxH). I read a reply in a thread here somewhere about DIY having a show on it, so I looked it up on DIY's web site and decided it was a good thing, and it is very very solid. I built mine a different way than they suggested.........but still a torsion box all the same.

I would have built the box with some options built into it before it's assembly if I had it to do again............one, I would like to have had wood blocks in the corners for mounting legs............two, I would make sure I kept my measurements of where exactly the internal supports were (horizontal and vertical honey comb like supports)...........three, I would have relieved the internal supports by drilling large (2.25"?) holes in them so that air would flow easily throughout the inside (for dust collection purposes, and It would have been lighter, I can barely handle it by myself with nothing attached to it)........four, I would like to have put PVC pipe through it in strategic places to run wires around internally..............planning ahead to that detail would be quite a task, but probably worth it..............

[Clyde]

The attached pic shows how I built the torsion box............

[Graham S]

I thought as much, it just looked solid!!

[High Seas]

.......three, I would have relieved the internal supports by drilling large (2.25"?) holes in them so that air would flow easily throughout the inside (for dust collection purposes, and It would have been lighter, I can barely handle it by myself with nothing attached to it)........four, I would like to have put PVC pipe through it in strategic places to run wires around internally..............planning ahead to that detail would be quite a task, but probably worth it..............

Might add, "....."five, consider the box as a plenum for a vacuum mount system....
Looks great and the torsion box is a real good idea - Did you use smaller (thinner) dimensioned MDF for it - suppose you could have and still be plenty rigid.

[Clyde]

Yes, I used 1/2" (instead of 3/4) MDF throught the torsion box.........it is plenty sturdy!


Today, I have to start on building 2 guitars that were ordered, so I must pause a while on finishing the cabinet that the torsion box sits on (only the frame is complete, have to add draws, enclosed area for computer and driver box, etc............).

[InventIt]

Very nice job.
Like the motor mounts with cooling fins, good idea.

[svenakela]

I'm using the same idea of sandwich layed up table as your torsion box, but with aluminium in three layers. Almost as strong as a solid plate but almost half the cost and of course less weight.

Forgot: your machine looks really nice!

Cheers,
Sven

[napalm03]

nice machine Clyde, I like the heat sinks on the steppers, they do get very warm if you over power them, I have some on my taig mill and they get almost too warm to touch somtimes. I'll make my mounts a heat sink like yours, very novel idea! What kind of rails are you using? Are you able to cut alum plate?