[galaxyngc1672]

Affordable 5th Axis CNC on eBay???

I’ve been working on making a 5th axis CNC machine with the intent of making centrifugal compressors for mini turbojet engines. And I just found this on eBay:

4th and 5th Axis CNC Rotary Table for Machining Router | eBay

4th and 5th Axis CNC Rotary Table for Machining Router | eBay

What do you think? Does it look any good? Does anyone know anything about this product?

This is my last 4 axis CNC mill I made. ([ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4siOyXQ5_ng&feature=plcp]cnc mill running - YouTube[/ame]) I wasn’t satisfied with that one, so now I’m working on a 5 axis machine starting with LMS Hi-torque mini mill. I’m hoping this thing from eBay will save me the work of building my own trunnion table. But I don’t know if this product is up to the challenge of doing the work I want to do.

Any comments or thoughts are welcome.

[hive8]

I really like this design on the 5 Axis, its like the new DDM Axis Direct Drive as they have it on DMG Mori Seiki Manufacturing Technologies | DMG Mori Seiki

[WOTDesigns]

did you end up buying one?

[hive8]

No i am actually making my own down the road, i am in full conversion mode . I looked at the design and i am not so much in love anymore...

I like it when the table in one axis has a U shape so the piece stays more centered...

[galaxyngc1672]

No I haven't bought one yet, but I'm still considering it. I'm hoping to see someones review of the product.

[691175002]

The listed specifications are not very useful as they do not even provide units.

The A axis looks suspiciously like a belt drive which is not a particularly good thing if you are cutting metal.
They are using stepper motors so if that table is direct drive the entire unit is garbage.

The pivot point for the axes doesn't really matter, you can always turn it 90 degrees for a B and C axis. You are never going to run out of table travel and software doesn't care where the axes are located.

I have not come across a review but from what I can guess (and the fact that they specify it for routers) I would be very surprised if it can cut metal.

[galaxyngc1672]

Good news I got a reply from someone who bought the unit.
I'll parafrase what he said:


He had not run any programs with it yet.
The quality is surprisingly good for the price.
The aluminum is thick and milled well.
It has steel tubing and high quality bearings for each rotational axis.
It seems sturdy enough to handle most jobs, including small aluminum parts.
He had to take the whole thing apart to redo some bolt holes.
He made the bolts longer so to tap into the steel tubing to prevent the 5th axis from sliding from the motor driving it.
They don't take the time to clean out all the metal shavings, so bearings and all screw holes needed to be cleaned out.

[WOTDesigns]

Interesting. Might work then, but really curious how it world holds up with a 4 jaw chuck in tow milling aluminum.

[KriegKuts]

The question is if the steppers are connected to some sort of harmonic or worm drive or if its just belt.

[dirtdiggler]

I have my eye on that one as well. Looks like a cool design.

I worry that there won't be enough torque and holding power to mill aluminum or hard plastics.

You would definitely have to find a way to cover the steppers and electronics if you're using coolant but that doesn't seems too difficult to figure out.

I'm tempted to buy one but would hate to throw $400.00 away. If you hear any more about the performance please let us know.

[galaxyngc1672]

dirtdiggler: I've got the same reservation. $400 is a bigger bet than i want to gamble with right now.

[galaxyngc1672]

Looks like we've finally got the last bit of info we wanted about this 5th axis system. It has been posted by another seller on ebay and else ware online. They have better pictures and a better description. The tilting axis is pulley driven like we thought (1:8 ratio) and the rotary axis is directly driven by the stepper. This type of system will have no backlash, but also low torque especially in the rotary axis. It's probably good for routing or machining wax for casting (probably a good low cost solution for jewelers looking for 5th axis capability), but probably too light duty for what I want to try. It would probably work if I want to try casting my parts, but I want to avoid that If I can. I've given a try at lapping the worm gear in my rotary table, and that seems to have given me good results as far as eliminating play and backlash, so I'll be trying that first. I'm still interested to hear what someone thinks once they've tried it.

CNC the 4th Axis and 5th Axis Rotary Table for Router Engraving MILL | eBay

[KriegKuts]

It would be great if there was a exploded view or better pictures of the pulley. If there's a way to add a gearbox then we would be in business!

[sharpen047]

Did anyone end up trying to cut aluminum with one of these? im very interested in a 5 axis and dont know if i should buy one of these and put a stronger stepper in it or make one from scratch.

[thatotherguy]

Affordable 5th Axis CNC on eBay???

I’ve been working on making a 5th axis CNC machine with the intent of making centrifugal compressors for mini turbojet engines. And I just found this on eBay:

4th and 5th Axis CNC Rotary Table for Machining Router | eBay

4th and 5th Axis CNC Rotary Table for Machining Router | eBay

What do you think? Does it look any good? Does anyone know anything about this product?

This is my last 4 axis CNC mill I made. ([ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4siOyXQ5_ng&feature=plcp]cnc mill running - YouTube[/ame]) I wasn’t satisfied with that one, so now I’m working on a 5 axis machine starting with LMS Hi-torque mini mill. I’m hoping this thing from eBay will save me the work of building my own trunnion table. But I don’t know if this product is up to the challenge of doing the work I want to do.

Any comments or thoughts are welcome.

If you already have a CNC 3 axis couldn't you just make most the parts for a fourth axis?

Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2

[gd.marsh]

Unless there's been something new that has hit the market recently, I'm led to believe Cam software to run a 5 axis machine will cost considerably more than the hardware involved. Does anyone know of a true 5 axis package that is affordable?

[TiagoSantos]

Can SprutCam do 5 axis, or just 4? Still, it isn't particularly cheap either unless you have a Tormach.

[mcphill]

BobCAD V25 does 4th and 5th axis, and is much cheaper than CAM packages that were available even a year ago.

[MarcusWolschon]

I'm thinking of upgrading to exactly that 4th and 4th axis.
Here's my blog-post about USB-card, CAM software,... to make this happen.
Tales of a modern life: Investigating 5 axis CNC milling

I'm concerned about the lack of chucks to hold the part and about the low torque.
I'm currently upgrading my existing 4th axis to a much larger stepper to counter this torque issue.
(cnczone about my weak 4th axis: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/chines..._4th_axis.html)

[mcphill]

I bought one of these because of this post. It came in last week when I was on vacation, and will be out of town on business this week. Need to wire a controller for the 5th, and then I will be reporting back! I doubt there will be enough holding torque for metals on the 5th with no gear reduction, but I have some ideas and hardware that I can use to build off this platform...