Well I'm extremely new to this type of metal working, so please forgive me (and correct me) when I use the wrong words or am completely wrong! I am an electrical engineer with more of a background in woodworking and engine repair.
That being said, I recently picked up a micro-mark mini mill to do mostly aluminum work. I bought it intending to do the CNC conversion regardless.
I just bought CNC kit #2 with ballscrews for all 3 axis and mounts. I am waiting for that to come in the mail. I was following a build by as he seems to be the only person I could find with the micromark. I've been in touch with him and he has been extremely helpful!
So on to my current question...I need to order my motors, controller and power supply, and I'm not quite sure what the best thing to get is.
I emailed them asking about a custom package using (2) 270oz for the x/y and a 381 oz for the z with a G540 controller.
They suggested the following package:
NEMA23 381oz/in 3.5A 1/4” Dual Shaft Stepper Motor (KL23H2100-35-4B)
$49.00
NEMA23 270oz/in 2.8A 1/4" Dual Shaft Stepper Motor (KL23H276-28-4B)
2x $39 = $78.00
Gecko Diver G540 4 Axis Driver Module Gecko Diver G540 4 Axis Driver Module $234.95
48V/10A Switching CNC Power Supply (KL-480-48) 48V/10A Switching CNC Power Supply (KL-480-48) $109.00
Also on their site is this: [a kit with all 381 oz motors]
Which is a "kit" they have ready to go that includes all 381 oz motors. My question is will these be fast enough on the x-y? I don't have mass production runs planned, but I am going to do significant roughing of block aluminum which will take many passes, so it would be nice if I could bang simple operations out fairly quickly.
So since mhackney said that his knowledge might be a little outdated, he sent me here! I am wondering what the best package is that can get me through the milling I need to accomplish with the smallest amount of money. I guess my budget is around 500 and all the packages seem to be about that anyway, so that just adds to my confusion!
At the moment I don't intend to add a fourth axis, but I would like to have the capability.
Thank you!
Also, what type of clean-up and oiling should I use before I install the ballscrews. I've had the mill a couple months and been doing manual milling, trying to get the hang of it. I am almost certain my gibs are too tight. I need to rip this thing apart and get it fixed up. I didn't do much out of the box because it was a micro-mark, not a harbor freight. Everything from the freight needs the HF treatment, but a selling point on the micro-mark was that it didn't.
*had to delete all links because its my first post