Here we go again....
I am adhering to the adage that people generally end up building more than one CNC. Once bitten by the bug there is no turning back...
For the last couple years, I have been tinkering with the design of a bent steel and aluminum CNC. This method of construction is something I have become pretty familiar with at my day job. I finally settled on the production model and began ordering parts last month.
Here you can see the overall design of the machine. I am hoping to get everything powder coated once the initial build is complete.
I designed the machine with these options in mind: Mill, Plasma, Laser, Extrude, and Tangential Knife. I wanted to be able to pursue these functions at a later date. There is embedded in the design, allowance for a vacuum table or a water tank.
Once I received the steel, I quickly started assembling and test fitting. I had received a small batch of steel a few months ago so that I knew that the design for my linear motion would work before committing a huge amount of $. I also made a wrench for easy adjustment of the V-groove wheels.
A friend gave me a huge old drafting table. After these pictures, I assembled my work surface so that I wouldn't wear out the knees on my pants. Here you can see that I am waiting on a shipment of 80/20 pieces. I had the cross member for a couple years now. I tapped all of the holes and assembled as much as I could.
Whoo-hoo 80/20! Cut to size with all of the holes tapped.
Picture taken about 15 minutes after getting the 80/20
Footprint is approximately 3'X5'
I am starting to rethink having the G540 in the front. Although it is a nice idea to showcase the $300 part, the logistics of routing the cables back under the table has convinced me to get these parts redone and mount it in the back of this 'saddle bag'
I began shopping for a craigslist computer, as I knew I wanted to leave my other MDF machine intact since the milling area is larger. I also felt it was time to get a flatscreen monitor. I found a great deal on a Dell XPS 400 circa 2006 with a 20” monitor.
I got it home and noticed it was lacking a printer port. Oops. Well not a problem, right? I'll head over to Microcenter and pick one up. Not necessarily the case. If you find yourself in this situation, save yourself the headache I went through and buy a Rosewill RC-304 2 port PCI card. Even though other cards list EPP mode, your computer will automatically select ECP mode. Since the add on card is not part of your motherboard, you cannot control this. This card works and is made to work with the G540! My charge pump is on and everything works flawlessly so far.
PMDX.COM - Products for CNC and motion control applications
Finally, here is a short video showing the linear motion as the table sits now...
I look forward to any comments!!!
:cheers:
Brian Oltrogge
www.grunblau.com