[Bruggles]

Well, I have started my router build. I am making it out of 8020 exrusions, and it will be used to cut mostly aluminum, also some abs will be cut with it. It will be 50x36, with a cutting area of around 28x40, I just want it to cut around a 2x3 foot section of material with bits up to 1", for when I start using a spindle besides the router that I plan on buying. I will have pics posted shortly. I have all of the linear bearings and I ordered the ballscrews. I will put some pics up of my bearings, and what I have started on, some of the parts should be arriving next week (the rest of my 8020 and my ballscrews).

-I want to be able to cut at 100" per minute, what size motors do you think that I need?, I was thinking 640s or 990s with a 400ish motor for the z axis. I am using 5/8" rolled ballscrews with a .2 pitch, with double bearings on both ends.

-I plan on using geckos, but what power supply would be good? Also can you use a seperate power supply for each axis? Are you guys in the US using 220 to power your power supplies, or is 120 sufficient?

-Is mach three the favorite software out there?, or are there others that are affordable and work well?

I have adquired pretty much all of the physical parts, now it is just to the electric stuff. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Bruggles]

Here are some pics of the gantry, the y axis vee bearings and rails, the z axis linear bearings and the x axis thk35 linear bearings. I have am going to use two rails and 4 carriages for the z axis, and 2 rails and 2 carriages for the x axis. I am having a plate made to go on the gantry, so that the rails can bolt up parallel to each other, and the bearings can slide well. The bottom vee bearings have eccentric bushings, so they can be adjusted. There are holes in the 8020 between the two horizontal bars for the ball screw bearing mounts, I hope to get the bearing mounts done in the next couple of weeks, and I hope to get the y axis plate done this week, along with the frame for the x axis.

-Do you think that I should drill a couple of holes in the middle of the x axis bearing rails?

[Bruggles]

What do you think about 4 stacked 300W power supplies for the power? that would give me 15A and 48V. I think that would probably work out, but what do you all think?

[ger21]

What do you think about 4 stacked 300W power supplies for the power? that would give me 15A and 48V. I think that would probably work out, but what do you all think?

Ideally, the power supply should be set up to match the motors. That might work great for 1 motor, but not good for another.

[Bruggles]

you're right, I forgot to mention what motors I was thinking about, I thinking about two of http://www.kelinginc.net/KL34H280_45_4A.pdf
these and one of these
http://www.kelinginc.net/KL23H286-20-08B.pdf
Also what do you all think of these motors? I have quite a bit of experience with the mechanical parts of the machine, it is this electric stuff that I am having a hard time with.

[Bruggles]

alright, here are some more pics. I got my ballscrew assemblies pretty much done, and I have ordered my couplings from mcmaster carr. I still don't have any of the electrical stuff, I am deciding between the 990 and the 640 in oz motors from keling tech. It is only 10 dollars difference, so it would probably be worth it. For the z I am going to use there most powerful nema 23 motor. The x is my long axis, and the x ballscrew is the one shown with the ballnuts. The y axis will have two ballnuts as well, and the z I will preload with some bigger balls.

[Bruggles]

Here are some more pics, mostly of the fram advancements. I will have steel legs on this, because I don't want to order more 8020, and I can get steel easily. The reason I went with the 8020 is because I can get the hole thing much more square than with welded steel. The bearings for the x axis are 35mm thks so they are super strong, but they only have holes on the ends, so I tested them to see how much they flex with me sitting on the gantry, they flex .015 inches in the middle, so it looks like I am going to have to add a few holes to them. It will be a pain, but hopefully I can get it to work.

[Bruggles]

Oh, I plan on using the milwaukee 3.5 horsepower router, so my gantry completly assembled will be kind of heavy. Any recomendations on motors, even if it isn't one of the above ones that I was looking at would be greatly appreciated, and also recomendations on power supplies would be helpfull as well.