[John Gargano]

Fabulous work! may I ask what 3D CAD program you used?

Thank you,
John Gargano
www.garganoart.com

[hesham morsy]

Fabulous work! may I ask what 3D CAD program you used?

Alibre Design Xpress
https://www.alibre.com/

[arie kabaalstra]

Alibre Design Xpress
https://www.alibre.com/

Not exactly, i designed the machine in Solidworks, but the company i work for now, does use Alibre.

i also use Alibre at home, but only to draw some parts that i can put in assemblies at work, i only have the Xpress version, and that version doesn't allow for assemblies with over 10 parts.. but it's just as "Cheap" as Rhino, but Alibre is fully parametric, which rhino isn't..
Alibre is very good value for money!.. it really is..

[arie kabaalstra]

TOday, i fiddled around in the shop with a piece of Aluminium..


we also sell wormgear reductors, and i found a small one that looked perfect for a 4th axis..



so, after some turning on the lathe we CNC-ed a while ago, i took the Nema23 adapter home, and drilled the holes on my Beagle VMC 2814, tapped some threads to mount the stepper and hey presto, my very rare one of a kind compact 4th axis unit..

[Jason3]

Arie, that looks very nice!

Which unit did you use - do you have any spec for the backlash? I have a Sherline rotary table that I fitted a small servo to that I've never used, I wasn't happy that the backlash was small enough.

Will you show us some work done with it?

Many thanks,

Jason

[zephyr9900]

i only have the Xpress version, and that version doesn't allow for assemblies with over 10 parts..

Arie, do you know about the limited-time sale of a full copy of Alibre 11.2 (well, without the sheet-metal module) for US$99? I was a first-100k Xpress user and bought this myself. For me, the important part was getting full Advanced Modeling back (also if you've checked your Xpress lately it is probably down to 5 parts per assembly...) There are 14 days left as of today.

Randy

[arie kabaalstra]

a friend of mine told me about the $99,- version, and i bought it immediatly.

i now have Alibre at home, and at work, saves me a lot of time, if i get an idea in the weekend, i design it, and mail it to "the office"

'bout the wormgear reductor, if you follow the link, you'll end up in our webshop.

i have used the "V30" model, with reduced backlash, reduced in this case, means you can't feel anu, you'd have to use measuring tools to find backlash ( if any )..

i hope to start making "4th-axis work" as soon as the unit is finished.. i still have to machine the spindle to hold the chuck...

[arie kabaalstra]

Yay!.. at last.. my 4th axis is operational, nevermind the wiring, that will be fixed in the near future.

This week, i finally found some time to make me some parts..
On the Fadal we have at the workshop, i millled a attachment plate for the reductor, and on the Optimum Lathe we converted to CNC i turned a Spindle with M14x1 thread to mount the Chuck.



this is what it looks like, still clean..

it has come out really compact, considering i've got myself a really small machine, i purchased a yet even smaller 4 Jaw chuck then the one i had on the previous "Mock-Up" photo's.



and this is my first 4th axis project.. a test really, only to find out if it's working properly, which, you guessed it.. it does..

[hesham morsy]

very nice :wee::wee::banana::banana:

[arie kabaalstra]

Looks like a CNC project is just never finished..

until a couple of weeks ago i ran the machine from "ye olde PC case" that was standing on a stack of crates beside the Beagle..
i was not at all happy with that.. so.. i decide to finally finish the casing of the machine..
so.. off to the local DIY Shop, bought some MDF, Aluminium angle-bar, and some screws, nails, and a jar of PU-Glue..

First: i made a new front panel on the right-hand door of the machine-case

and mounted the screen in it..

Then..

i cut of the lower part of it, to make some room for...

the keyboard.. which can..

be swung into position when working with the machine..

after wich i added a panel at the bottom to finish the panel..


so when i want to operate the machine.. i simply grab the bottom of the keyboard trough the slot on the lower panel, then the keyboard slides down, and it can be swung upwards

saves some room in the shed when i'm not there working with the machine..
the bicycles won't knock off the keyboard, when they're put back in the shed..(after all,i am dutch.. so i have two of them.. a "decent bike" to do shopping on, and a mountainbike for fitness training)

because of this modification, the PC will be fitted in one of the drawers i mounted the ITX motherboard in a Dell desktop PC Chassis, along with the powersupply, USBCNC interfaceboard, and 2 solidstate relays.. PSU for the drivers, and the drivers will be mounted outside of this chassis, in the drawer.

the space between the screen and the keyboard, will be my "Control panel", with start and stop buttons, handwheel, Jog-keys and E-stop.
i will also fit an USB Socket to plug in USB memory sticks with 3D programs.

Further plans are: Designing and building a brand-spanking new GUI for USBCNC with Conversational programming, just like a Heidenhain Control, i've written all kinds of macro's for standard operations such as drilling, pockets, studs, slots, surfaces and patterns..

this application

wich i wrote myself wil be integrated with the new GUI for USBCNC.
USBCNC is also updated in the recent past.. new functions, new commands..
and.. since i also have a fourth axis, i needed to upgrade my programming application as well.. so why not incorporating it in the GUI to control the machine..

i've also been contemplating on making a toolchanger.. it will be an "umbrella-type"job for HSK25E toolholders.
HSK25E are shorter than ISO 10 holders, so i lose less vertical travel.

[The Blight]

Nice and smooth!

[arie kabaalstra]

This is how the controller is build now :



I took an old PC chassis, put a 75V PSU in the "CD-Rom Bay", and used an old CD-Rom chassis to mount my harddrive over the PSU.
the Four stepperdrivers sit on the bottom, mounted in such a way, that if they should need cooling, i can mount a fan in front of them, there is a grid in the front of the case allowing air in..

the PC-Board is a Mini-ITX 1.6Ghz Intel with 1Gb memory, directly beside that, i mounted the USBCNC CPU Board, and underneath that, there's a "Front USB Hub" salvaged from an old PC.
this enabled me to Hook-Up the USBCNC Board with the USB Cable entirely inside the cabinet.



on the back of the frontpanel, there are 2 Solidstate relays, to power the 2 powersockets in the backpanel


I used two pieces of heavy duty powercord to connect those


Last night the machine ran for the first time with this new control, and with a rapid of 3 m/min (approx. 120"/min) i don't mind.. hell i don't.. the machine is just 280 x140 x170 mm work area, that's kinda small so a rapid across the table will take somewhere around only 5 seconds..i'v worked with a lathe that was twice as fast, but more like 4 times as big, so mine is "relatively twice as fast as that lathe )

[RotarySMP]

Nice compact controller solution.

I see in the photos on this page that three different routers have been used as spindles. Would you mind sharing your experiences (advantages/disadvantages) of each please?

[jasminder]

Yay!.. at last.. my 4th axis is operational, nevermind the wiring, that will be fixed in the near future.

This week, i finally found some time to make me some parts..
On the Fadal we have at the workshop, i millled a attachment plate for the reductor, and on the Optimum Lathe we converted to CNC i turned a Spindle with M14x1 thread to mount the Chuck.



this is what it looks like, still clean..

it has come out really compact, considering i've got myself a really small machine, i purchased a yet even smaller 4 Jaw chuck then the one i had on the previous "Mock-Up" photo's.



and this is my first 4th axis project.. a test really, only to find out if it's working properly, which, you guessed it.. it does..

hmmm, nice build again.
Are you planning to cut some steel or alu on this machine? or just derlin?

[arie kabaalstra]

Nice compact controller solution.

I see in the photos on this page that three different routers have been used as spindles. Would you mind sharing your experiences (advantages/disadvantages) of each please?

The First one was a "Cheapo" "Toledo" 560 Watts, it had to do while it lasted, runout was too much, so i had to re-machine it.. and make new collets..

so, that one broke, and i replaced it with te Kress 1050 Watts.
Kress is a quality German brand, and those spindles are quite common here in Europe.
also, DamenCNC, (DamenCnC.com) offers collets in every common size

hmmm, nice build again.
Are you planning to cut some steel or alu on this machine? or just derlin?

I've already Cut Toolsteel on the machine.. i used to work for a relay factory, and one day a part for a die came in, and it wasn't good, a certain radius was too large.. boss was in panic, because the tool needed to be shipped to another plant the next day.. so i told him : "don't you worry, i'll take care of that", and he asked me"i can't see how you're gonna do that, unless you've got a CNC machine in your shed"... wel.. that's exactly what i have.. so.. i'll finish the part at home.. and bring it back tomorrow..

To his surprise.. next morning, part finished to exact specs.. boss happy and proud , to me it was all in a day's work..

also.. i once did a Monster job on it.. a solid billet model of a Boeing 747-400



(i did photoshop this picture.. removed the "twobyfour" on wich the model stood when snapping the picture..)





Milling of the wings and tailplanes



And a support for the toolsetter.. the screw on top has still to be replaced by a steel disc.

and a while ago, i made a Coolingplate for 2 amplifiers for the fuelinjection of my motorbike.. the original coolingplate was sitting in the back of the seat of my motorbike, but it just took up a lot of space..

i made this:

so the amplifiers could be mounted in another place, giving me a whopping 11 liters of luggage compartment in the back of the seat..so i lined the space with a carbon fiber box

here's the coolingplate, mounted just above the injection Computer..

and the Carbonfiber Box
here, the seatcover is mounted, and the aluminium Grill above the cooling plate in the front is also made on the Beagle VMC2814

Furthermore.. since i'm also a keen scalemodeler.. i'm working on a Scale model of the lotus Europa, a nice and nimble sportscar, but.. i don't like the stock wheels.. English sportscars should have Minilites..so i milled those out of RP Foam



just finished milling..


and this is how they look spraypainted...

[Khalid]

Amazing craftmanship.. Your work is innovative and impressive.. Thanks for sharing.. I have to read the thread from the start...

[hesham morsy]

as usual unusual

[arie kabaalstra]

At the moment i'm working on a small modelkit of a Liebherr Crane, in 1:220 Scale.





milling all the parts from 0.5 mm Styrene sheet, and glueing it together..

YouTube - ariekabaalstra's Channel

All G-Code generated with CamBam

[Khalid]

Hi arie,
I tried to PM'd you but your PM box is full.....Recently purchased the ball screws and the linear rails along with a small 4th axis...Any chance if you can share the machine drawing with me?
I will be grateful.

[Aiman]

Hi, Ariel

Im a total newbie and im intend to diy a cnc mil... As i research all over the internet and here, the more i learn the more i dont know... But here what i want... I want to create a cnc capable of milling plastic, acrylic, wood, aluminum, and steel... And the cnc will be primarily used to mill alu n steel(i like shiny object )...

The problem is i dont know where to start!!!

So, ok maybe i'll start by deciding material for my cnc... So i need to know what kind of steel do you use for your cnc... Is mild steel any better(that is the only steel i know)... Im maybe limited by technology and material at my country... And to consider online shopping is by usd is ~3.8x my country currency and for euro even worse 4~7x( dont know the rate) so yeah all thing will become expensive... even 20 usd will become ~RM80 which is the same as i at my country and u at ur country spending 80 euro... (but i still doing this for the sake of pleasure, satisfaction and learning... and also because this is a long term hobby project... so money is moderately matter) Considering your steel maybe not available or hard to get in my country can you list another steels option i can try find?

thanks,

by the way the machine working space, dimension and design are considered later...