[Andrew22]

Here's some shots of my CNC router build so far.

Specs are 50" x 50" working area, 12" Z axis, custom aluminum T slot extrusions, Leadshine easy servos with ballscrews on all axis and SBC linear rail and bearings. My goal is to assemble a highly capable and accurate gantry router that is comparable to more expensive commercial machines at a much lower cost. All of the aluminum components are hard anodized black for extra durability, and also because it looks good. Since this is still a work in progress I'll be posting updates as the build progresses, and it would be great to hear some feedback as well.

[ger21]

That looks pretty sweet. :cheers:

[mike2768]

Here's some shots of my CNC router build so far.

Specs are 50" x 50" working area, 12" Z axis, custom aluminum T slot extrusions, Leadshine easy servos with ballscrews on all axis and SBC linear rail and bearings. My goal is to assemble a highly capable and accurate gantry router that is comparable to more expensive commercial machines at a much lower cost. All of the aluminum components are hard anodized black for extra durability, and also because it looks good. Since this is still a work in progress I'll be posting updates as the build progresses, and it would be great to hear some feedback as well.

Hey man looking good


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[plcamp]

You have a great start, can I ask the manufacture of your aluminium extrusions?

[fretman_2]

Nice! Where did you get your gantry side supports?

[CNCMAN172]

Very nice looking machine, love the black color it just pops with the ballscrews. Great Job.
Russ

[Andrew22]

The extrusions and gantry sides are from Inmotion CNC

[pippin88]

Link? Can't find them on Google.

[daniellyall]

XZero CNC Routers ask george

[Waynee]

Pretty awsome *jealous a bit* !

[Andrew22]

Here's an email for the extrusions [email protected]

[HighDesert]

I've been following the build thread by Mike2768 and see that you are building the same or a similar machine. I say similar because there do seem to be some minor differences in the end piece extrusions. I was also curious about the ball screws, are they 25mm or 20mm? They appear to be a bit smaller than Mike's from the pics you've posted.

Did you receive all parts, including rails, ball screws and electronics from XZero or did you source components separately?

I'm looking forward to seeing the final product offering and specs when they becomes available.

[Andrew22]

I've been following the build thread by Mike2768 and see that you are building the same or a similar machine. I say similar because there do seem to be some minor differences in the end piece extrusions. I was also curious about the ball screws, are they 25mm or 20mm? They appear to be a bit smaller than Mike's from the pics you've posted.

Did you receive all parts, including rails, ball screws and electronics from XZero or did you source components separately?

I'm looking forward to seeing the final product offering and specs when they becomes available.

We are building very similar machines. The extrusions are the same, although I have added a couple extra pieces as well. The ball screws are all 25mm same as Mikes. I've sourced my rails from SBC, and my electronics were ordered from leadshine, motion control board came from CNC drive, and all the other little bits and pieces I'm finding from local suppliers or eBay.

[iforeman]

Hi

Looks like we are going to be building the same machine. I am waiting delivery of most of the mechanical's to Ireland, (the linear components will be here this week). I am also using the controller from CNC Drive. Looks like I will be 'picking your brain as I go forward as you are about a month ahead of me on the build. :cheers:

[HighDesert]

Where are you all getting the extrusions, gantry and Z-Axis components? I can find no place to actually order or purchase these parts.

[jlatta82]

Hi following with much interest as well as mike2768's build. I'm about to assemble the same kit, still waiting for ball screws, motors etc. Hoping you'll post some pictures of wiring when you get to it so we can compare notes. This is the only area I'm a little concerned about. Which stepper driver are you planning on using?

[Andrew22]

I'm in the process of figuring out wiring right now. I'm still waiting to hear back from either Leadshine or CNC drive for some technical advice. Jlatta82, we're in the same boat as far as wiring goes, I wish there was more info with regards to wiring, especially from a novice standpoint. I'm using leadshine easy servo's, which are essentially closed loop steppers along with their ES-DH driver. It's pretty much plug and play from the motor to the driver. Going between the driver and the motion controller is a different story though. For some reason leadshine uses a 44 pin connection even though there are only 8 active pins, so I'm in the process of figuring out an adapter or breakout board that will get everything connected nicely. Some of the lower voltage stepper drivers might be a bit simpler to wire up, and are a lot cheaper too, but the potential for skipped steps was not something I want to worry about.

[Andrew22]

I spent some time fine tuning my linear rails the other day and made sure that the gantry is perfectly parallel to the bed. I took off the Z axis and once I had the gantry rails dialed in and tightened down I also dialed in top edge of the plate. I am hoping this will be a good enough reference surface to use to square my Z axis. Using a straight edge and feeler gauges I did some shimming to make sure the linear rails are completely straight. While the extrusions are made to really tight tolerances, they will never be as straight as a precision ground rail. This is a tedious process of measuring, taking notes, inserting shims, tightening bolts, rechecking straightness, and repeating the whole process until everything sits straight. They're now within .002" over 60" and I don't see much point in going beyond that. I've also added extra brackets on the legs and the back of the gantry so I can bolt on channels for the cable chain.

Attachment 341064

Attachment 341066

[CNCMAN172]

Andrew22,
Totally agree with your method. I did the same thing on my 5' x 5' machine where I used extrusion. They are not perfect and getting it within .002" over 60" is really very good. I like the fact you had a height gauge to check the gantry, wish I had one of those when I did that part, I stacked some 3/4/5 blocks and did the best I could to get mine aligned. Once I had the spindle mounted I took a dial indicator that mounts to the spindle and ran it across the table to check how parallel the surface was the the gantry and then moved the machine all over the table top looking for variation. Once I had that as good as I could get it, then I put in a tram unit in the spindle to ensure it was perpendicular with the table top. Lots and lots of time to get these things right, pretty difficult job. Takes lots of patience. LOL

Russ

[HighDesert]

Looking at the gantry uprights in your first picture of this thread, there appear to be three sets of holes for the X-Axis ball nut carrier. Assuming the ball nut is attached to the center set, what is the purpose of the other two?