[dbsharp]

As an option, take a look at the AC servos from dmm-tech.com . I purchased the 900W, 7.2 Nm servos and drives as a package and don't regret the investment even a little bit. The owner and developer, Hui, is absolutely fantastic when it comes to customer service.

Keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to seeing the finished machine.

I purchased all the parts months ago. Its all in the assembly phase now!

[scobob]

I purchased all the parts months ago. Its all in the assembly phase now!

I hear ya! I thought that would be the easy part. Almost 9 months later I moved the gantry for the first time! The best part of the experience is knowing every single detail intimately! I've got a BIG 3-ring binder of every step. It's an awesome process and really rewarding when you move it for the first time. I'm getting ready for a size upgrade and getting just as excited as the first time. Best of luck to you and enjoy the process. The nice thing to know is you can screw up and then always do better on v2.0.

[aarggh]

Awesome looking build! I'd definately like to know more about the simulation process and method.

cheers,
Ian

[dbsharp]

I used solidworks fea simulation. You set up fixtures and loads as they would act on the real part and use the results to interpret how the deformations will affect the machine overall. Some simulations were simple just one part and simple forces and constraints, others were more complex with fea of an assembly and more complicated loads and fixtures.

I'm really trying for there to not have to be a V 2.0 lol

If you count the number of times the design has had a big change this would probably be V 10 or something.

I'm going to make an offer on those THK 30mm rails. If I get them these Chinese rails are up for grabs, I've got a few unused ball screws laying around too.

I think the thk rails would take the quality of the machine up a notch or two, they are defiantly more rigid.

[dbsharp]

I wish I had seen the 380 oz-in motors before I bought these, if I cant get the results I wanted out of these motors Ill switch them out.


I went ahead and fully mounted and preloaded the z axis rails and tested rigidity... These Chinese bearings are not that rigid, no big surprise. My z axis has about .002" deflection at around 40-50 lbs. That is about my deflection "budget" for the whole machine. I spent a lot of time making sure that all the parts of my machine were nice and rigid. Hell I even took into account the rigidity of the ball screws, and the mounts for them, and the shaft couplings. The cheap ass rails wont cut it. I WILL be getting my hands on a nice set of rails eventually.

The Anti backlash ball screws and love joy GS series knock off couplings are working out quite nice, There is less than half a thousandth either way when I push on the assembly with the steppers on holding torque, I think most of it is from the steppers.

Here's a quick video of testing the z axis.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-6XEdNCS-k]Sharp's Cnc z axis test - YouTube[/ame]

[CarveOne]

Glad that you got that issue sorted out.

I'm still using the heck out of my standard step motors, but haven't had any problems with them so far. Have to keep the mechanics lightly lubed and clean off any dust and debris. All of my work since building the last two machines in this forum is shown on the Vectric Aspire or Vcarve Pro forums.

Carry on sir, the rifle stocks look superb.

CarveOne