So, I squeezed in a few hours every night for the last 5-6 days to design this one, using experience from my tiny first machine (moving-bed style for wood) as well as reading lots of threads here.
Pretty proud of the effort as a beginner, but not so confident (read: nervous) about how it will go in reality, so wanted to ask some questions (see further below) and maybe get some feedback!
Below are pictures of the best design that I could manage to create based on:
- my dimensional requirements/constraints
- the goal of cutting aluminum
- taking advantage of at least some components like rails and bearings that I already had lying around
Attachment 365946
Attachment 365948
For the Y-axis, I do plan to have a separator/wall on each side of the work-area to prevent dust from flying into the ballscrews+linear-rails.
Here are questions/concerns that I have (Q1, Q2, etc. are marked in red on the first picture above):
- (Q1) Do I absolutely need a support-bearing block for the Z-axis ballscrew? I did this for X and Y, but the Z-axis construction is really tight on space, so I'd prefer to leave it out if that's fine.
- (Q2) I presently have two Hiwin HGH-15 bearing blocks for Z-axis; ordering more would add cost and more importantly time due to re-shipment, not to mention the reduced Z travel. Is two bearing blocks good enough?
- (Q3) Any improvements I can make on these plates? I used fairly thick plates (15mm), but I'm more concerned about the shape and positioning.
- (Q4) Steppers: 350 oz-in. Are these going to struggle with moving the amount of weight all the parts add up to? I am mostly concerned about Y, even though I have dual-drive (i.e., two steppers) on that axis. I don't need too much speed even on rapids, as this is mostly for occasional personal use. I do want the router to run without skipped steps obviously.
- (Q5) Any other general feedback on overall structure/geometry? I'm excited to begin assembling this, and see where it goes.