Hi there folks!
Here I was, living quietly in Sweden, doing nothing.... surfin' small electronics forums...
One day out of the blue I decide - I need a CNC plasma.
And so I find this place, read a LOT, learn some too... (not everything got stuck after first read haha) - must say awesome place, very interesting builds some of you got here!
So I began the project with some solidworks designs (took me a month just to learn solidworks... yeah, i'm a bit slow haha ), some more research on different power transmission systems, linear motion systems, controllers, motors, software etcetera, etcetera...
So far I've settled for Gecko540 controller driving Kelling KL23H2100-35-4B 3.5A 381 oz. steppers, some sort of THC (not acquired yet) too
x-axis: dual steppers, sbr rails, belt-in-belt drive with 4:1 reduction
y-axis: rails not decided yet (leaning towards THK stuff), belt-in-belt 4:1
z-axis: maybe THK KR-20 or KR30 actuator... I was looking at some pre-made z-axis assemblies on ebay, there're some really affordable setups there.
So nothing out of ordinary, pretty standard setup.
Have an old chinese HF plasma which, from what i've read here, i probably will have to throw away and buy a decent hypertherm or equivalent
Progress so far:
frame is built out of an aluminum extrusion from some industry hoist (strange shape but it'll do)
I had to build corners out of steel tube and some sheets
mockup, it's going to be big ! Rails are SBR25
some stuff from automation technology
beginning of the gantry
belts and pulleys
Belts are HTD T5 for reduction and Breco T5 for drive
I will glue one belt to the support track and the drive belt will mesh with the stationary glued belt, so no stretching - ever !
fabbing some gantry drive block walls, damn it's a lot of holes to drill
Reduction pulley and drive pulley on an axis...
here I have a small problem. Reduction pulley (the big one) arrived pre-drilled to 8mm, I have piloted and reamed drive pulley to 8mm too, but it still not a press fit. both reduction and drive pulleys on both left and right axles spin freely on the shaft and there are no set screws in either pulleys. I need a way to either fix pulleys to the axle shaft or to each other. I'd rather avoid having to drill and tap pulleys for set screws myself, but I cannot find any other solution except for tig-welding them to each other. And I don't want to do that. any ideas ?
I will probably have x-axis ready and moving in a couple of weeks, waiting for bearings, pillow blocks and some small stuff. Shipping from China to Sweden takes forever