[hacker7]

Planning on building 4x8 router table for wood floor inlays. Probably gonna be cutting some 5/8 hardwood flooring too. Got about $8000 to spend. Need to know the best electronics to use w/o going to servos. Here's what I'm thinking ? :


Pmdx 126 BOB
Pmdx 134 Gecko board
Pmdx heatsink
4 Gecko 203v drives
4 906 Nema 34 stepper motors
R&P from "cncrouterparts"
Keling 1440 watt 72 vdc PS

[DonFrambach]

Have you considered CNCRouterParts prebuilt NEMA 34 system? Here's a link: CNCRouterParts

[hacker7]

Hey Don, yes I have, I just don't know anything about there BreakoutBoard. I was actually looking at buying there nema 34 motors and empty control box.

[enixidfrag]

The kits don't include the electronics, motors, or cable so you can add whichever electronics you like.

[hacker7]

Ok this can't be all the info you guy's got out there. I need some more feedback. I would like to cut 5/8 plywood at 200 ipm if possible. Maybe not with the system I stated earlier? I would rather not got to servo's if possible. Plan on using PC 7518 router too. Ok guys I'm picking your brains. Please chime in. Thanks Richard

[FannBlade]

have you looked at the 48x48 kit from CNC Router Parts? coupled with the nema 34 kit

[ger21]

The 906oz motors from CNC Routerparts shouldn't be run at much more than 48V.
72V is way too high.

I would think those motors should be capable of cutting 5/8" plywood at 40ipm or even faster. You're spindle and tool choice will be the limiting factor.

[freecncplans]

If you want to focus more on building and not so much wiring, I suggest going with the pre wired box. I use a Bosch 1617EVS and cut 3/4" birch ply, pine and oak with it. It is a good setup.

I use the 640 oz for the z axis and 5 start screw.

I run this setup at 2,000 IPM rapids and 150+ IPM cutting reliably. I ran the 23 setup and Gecko 540 for a couple of years. It wouldn't cut 3/4" in a single pass. The Nema 34 does without a problem.

The BOB is 4 axis with a slave for the x. It also has 2 15 amp relays for the router and dust collector. I am going to building another machine and I already plan to be buying another setup from CNCRouterParts.

Sean

[OCNC]

...I use a Bosch 1617EVS and cut 3/4" birch ply, pine and oak with it. It is a good setup.

I use the 640 oz for the z axis and 5 start screw.

I run this setup at 2,000 IPM rapids and 150+ IPM cutting reliably.

Sean

Is the full depth 3/4" cut in oak you describe above a plunge cut or is one side of the cutter path open? Just taking notes for future reference.

Chris

[spoiledbrat]

Hold the phone, batman!

Please don't rule out servos so quickly. They are available for cheap on ebay, and do accept step and direction signals (nicely, and smoothly I might add).

A 400w servo from DMM tech with drive is $380. I am using yaskawa sigma-5s in position mode now, with excellent results. But I have heard great things about DMM, and it might be worth looking into. I bet you can find many posts on this forum if you search.

As long as you use shielded wires (power/servo/encoder/signal cables), the drive will close the loop with the servo. Like a stepper, on steroids, with class. And they sound cooler too.

Also recommend a smoothstepper like controller, that can pulse in the 4mhz range. This will allow you to set resolution to 0.0001, and still fly down the table like a madman. Hey, everyone likes it... admit it.

Wiring / learning curve will be a good bit more with the servos. But the answers are usually on post away. For my first real servo build, it usually boiled down to reading the manual again.

So, the way I see it, I think you should reconsider your purchase. Instead of buying a 1500 kit, spend about 2000 on your servos, power supply, controller card, and servo cables/encoder cables. Would you ever regreat having more power and speed, not to mention the reliability of not losing steps (provided you use shielded signal and power cables!!!)?

Just my two cents. Sorry if it comes across a little harsh. You are about to make a serious investment, and I would want to be pointed in this direction if I were where you are now.

Good luck, and cheers!

Rob

[ahren]

While servos are great, they need to be coupled with a proper mechanical system to make the best use of their capabilities. Servos provide more power at higher RPMs, so you'd ideally want a substantial reduction (8:1, 10:1) in order to see the benefits they provide. If you're considering our Nema 34 rack and pinion drive, the belt reduction on it is much more appropriate for stepper motors, which produce more torque in the lower RPM range. This system really flies with our 960 oz-in motors, which are low inductance to match the 48V supply we use, as Ger mentioned.

Feel free to shoot me an email if you want more information -- it's just my name @cncrouterparts.com.

Best regards,

Ahren
CNCRouterParts

[louieatienza]

If you want to focus more on building and not so much wiring, I suggest going with the pre wired box. I use a Bosch 1617EVS and cut 3/4" birch ply, pine and oak with it. It is a good setup.

I use the 640 oz for the z axis and 5 start screw.

I run this setup at 2,000 IPM rapids and 150+ IPM cutting reliably. I ran the 23 setup and Gecko 540 for a couple of years. It wouldn't cut 3/4" in a single pass. The Nema 34 does without a problem.

The BOB is 4 axis with a slave for the x. It also has 2 15 amp relays for the router and dust collector. I am going to building another machine and I already plan to be buying another setup from CNCRouterParts.

Sean

Are you also using the CNCRP R&P setup? If so those are some pretty impressive speeds. What's your mechanical resolution like, without microstepping?

I also use a 1617EVS (coupled to a SuperPID) and can achieve the same ipm though haven't tried pushing more than 3/8"doc. What tooling are you using?

[hacker7]

Ok this is what I'm talking about !!! Great Feedback!!!!!See I've already built one machine which runs with a Gecko g540 and CNC ROUTER PARTS 380oz/in steppers and belt reduction units. It's 4x4, but just need a bigger machine now, and I really like what PMDX has done with their components so they integrate with Gecko drivers perfectly. Also the "fanless" idea with the big heatsink is also good idea. IF............. I use what I had stated in the beginning, is this a good setup? Other than the power supply being on the big side. And which one should I use? Will this let me cut birch plywood at say 100IPM in one pass using a PC 7518 router? The hardwood flooring that I've been doing is mainly alot of inlays no deeper than 3/8. But when I cut the whole design out I would like to cut it in one pass if possible. Thanks for the valuable info guy's.

Richard

[ger21]

As I said before, your spindle and tool choice will be the limiting factor in how fast you can cut. 100ipm is actually very slow. You're current machine should be capable of 3 times that, if the spindle is up to it.

[hacker7]

Thanks ger21 the machine I have use's a Porter Cable 690 . It will not cut 3/4 birch ply in one pass at 60 ipm. It's just not strong enough. The new machine will use a Porter Cable 7518 3hp.I only use Onsrud bits 1/4, 1/2. Thanks

[ger21]

Does the spindle stall?

A 690 should be able to cut over 100ipm easily. Is this baltic birch plywood, or regular plywood? What specific bit's are you using?

At 60ipm, a 690 spinning at 27,000 rpm would dull the bits very quickly from excessive heat. Changing tool type can make a big difference. You can also try making 3 passes at 300-400ipm, which would still be faster than 1 pass at 60ipm.

[hacker7]

Kinda ,yes it just slows down as if the feed rate is too fast. The bit is a Onsrud 60-005HH - Spiral Chipbreaker, Helix High, Solid Carbide, 3 Cutting Edges. I've replaced the bearings twice in 3yrs. But I do cut alot of 3/4 standard birch plywood. And just in the past yr have been cutting floor inlays.