[IN-WondeR]

Once again I venture into a scratch build for a machine. And again I'm going for an all steel build.
I have already done alot on it, and finihsed a machine stand, the majority of the bed is made, and the X linear rails have been trial mounted, (not yet cut to correct length). The machine will be all ballscrews, and liniear rails. I have been lucky to find all my rails at a low low low cost, so this build will be very nice, at an affordable price even.

The machine will have a cutting area of 1200x1500mm, haven't quite decided on the Z axis yet, but I'm thinking of 125-150mm Z clearance.

I have already taken some pictures from the progress so far, so here's a few to wet your appetites.

[ger21]

Machine #3? Are you going to keep this one?

You're not going to cut those rails shorter, are you? Make it longer!

[IN-WondeR]

Actually machine #4, and yes, I plan on keeping this one. Thus the all ballscrew setup this time.

And no, I'm sorry Ger, I'm not making it longer.. The machine is welded, so no extending the machine. Plus I would need to make another machine stand then. Not this time. I would like to be able to use my garage for other things than only the CNC.

[EgyptianCNC]

finally i found somebody using I-beam on his build

could you check mine and tell me what do you think about the rigidity of this , should i support it more or it's good enough like this

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/cnc-wo...m-x-190cm.html

[IN-WondeR]

It's actually not I-beams I'm using. It's HEB beams. They are the same height as they are wide, which makes for excellent placement of ballscrews in the sides.

I'll have a look at yours at a later time, and give you a couple of words at that time.

[IN-WondeR]

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I have been a little preoccupied on other things.

But alot has happened since my last post.

As you can see, I have finished my uprights, the gantry beam itself is finished, and my Y wagon is almost done.
For now, it's a seriously stiff setup, which I'm very happy about.

Enjoy

[EgyptianCNC]

like the way you connect y with x

why you had to add flat steel under the guide rail on the Z and also on the x and you did't do that on the y

did you use dial test indicator to align the guide rail , and did you use Torque wrench to set the bolts to the right torque or how it's being done on the hobby machine

i'm asking because i was reading a guide how to setup the guide rail and i saw this things on it

i attached the pdf for the setup guide

Thank you.

[IN-WondeR]

For now this is just a test setup, nothing has been tightened yet.

The reason for the extra steel on the Z axis, is to make room for the Ballnut.

On the Y axis this is not a problem, as the ballscrew sits on top of the Gantry, so it is not going to take up space on the front of the gantry.
For now, I have not done any measuring of the rails to set them up correctly, this will be done at a later time, preferably when I have painted the machine.

I haven't machined the parts, so I'm just going by eye on this, and will shim the rails accordingly to make sure they lay flat to eachother.

And on the X, there's no flat steel under the rails. They sit directly on the HEB beams.

[EgyptianCNC]

awesome

which gauges you will use

torque wrench

dial indicator

dial test indicator

caliper


and Digital or Dial or normal is better and you will go for good brand like mitutoyo or just any Chinese cheap one

Thank you

[IN-WondeR]

All I have at the moment is a straight edge and a gauge dial on a magnetic base.

I will use the straight edge and the dial to align the first rail to the machine surface, and the dial only to aling the secon rail to the other rail.
I don't have abundent amounts of cash for tools, even though I would love to be able to buy all that I need when I need it.

[EgyptianCNC]

so if i have the money to go for good brand i should go for it , or doesn't worth it

[IN-WondeR]

The right tools is always good to own.
But sometimes you can have too many tools for the job. Most of the time, the simplest tools does the work perfectly...

[Bl@ckrat]

those are some serious rails !!! where did you get them ? i bet they cost a packet !!

what about levels on the beams ? did the beams not flex with just the one side being welded ? i would have thought it would need to be ground or some self leveling epoxy ?
looking really solid !

[IN-WondeR]

The rails were not all that expensive.
The entire rail package for the machine is bought second hand. Total price of around $500.

The beams them selves, are almost dead on straight across the machine, but ofcourse, they are not perfect.
I would have loved to be able to have them surface milled, but the price on that alone will cost me a bundle here in Denmark. So I'm opting to levelling them out with shims instead.
I had thought of trying to do some self levelling something something, but I haven't found the right medium to do so yet. So for now I'm going to stick to my original idea of shimming the rails.

And yes, it's sold, very solid..

[IN-WondeR]

A bit of work done this weekend.
Got my electronics cabinet finished, and test mounted to the machine, prior to painting..
Looks good I think. In the vacant space to the left of the cabinet, a 24L stainless steel canister will be mounted, to house the coolant for my watercooled spindle.

[widgitmaster]

Looking good so far!
I like your SS enclosure!
Widgit

[IN-WondeR]

It's not a SS enclosure...

It's actually ordinary mild steel its made from. Hence the need to paint it.

[IN-WondeR]

More parts arriving.. Today I got the belts and pulleys and the taper lock bushings for them. HTD5 all around, and taper lock bushings all around also... Great quality at an affordable price. Love it.

[IN-WondeR]

A lot has happened since last I posted in this thread.

The machine now has a new color, and the color is white.
Almost the entire machine is assembled now, and I have actually started pulling wires around on the machine.

I'm still a couple of weeks from first movement, but I'm getting there. Just need to find a bit more shielded cable for my spindle, then everything should be ready to go.

Have done a complete kitchen table test of the electronics, and everything works as it should, so I'm almost ready... I'm looking forward to finishing this machine so I can get to cutting soon.

[CarveOne]

That is a very nice looking, and sturdy, machine build.. You will get lots of enjoyment making things with it.