Hi all,

Peter, maybe I've been confused all of this time but, something like this: https://www.haascnc.com/service/code...value=G02.html. Now, that the external controller can't interpret that is certainly a possibility. I do understand that in the end, it's all small lines. In fact, from where I stand, there are no circles in the universe, only short segments of straight lines.

Hey Ian, no production here. I'm looking to replace a fairly large CNC router I built many years ago and a worn out Bridgeport that's more of a drill than a mill these days. I don't want a 10,000 pounds (4500kg) VMC but neither an aluminum extrusion frame machine from eBay. I do want the most rigidity for the money I can get, hence this thread. Like most of us on the DIY CNC pill, I will probably end up making parts for the machine itself in an endless loop


PS: between the time I started typing this post and when I actually submitted it, I bought a spindle motor! https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...791875146.html It's a smaller 2.2kW instead of the 3.7kW I had in my shopping cart before. It's 30kg instead of the 46kg of the larger unit.

I picked this package for several reasons. First, the factory representative, Donald, was absolutely fantastic to work with. Remember my previous post where I complained about typical Chinese not being precise or forthcoming? Not Donald Chen. First thing he did was send me to his factory website to download the manual and drive software: Spindle catalogs-Hangzhou Bergerda Automation Technology Co., Ltd.. Nice! Then he stayed online while I asked a million and a half questions about the unit. The listed motor is for 380V but they are going to wind me a special version for 220V. Ha! How awesome is that?

The unit itself looks great, with stuff you would expect from a model servo drive, but not necessarily in a spindle. It has encoder output which I can feed back to the controller NC software to read precise spindle position and speed. Tapping is easy if you know where the tool is. ATC is also a breeze when you can command a position and lock the motor there. The drive also has step and direction, optically isolated inputs and a rigid tapping mode built in.

Regards,
JR