Hey everyone,
Jason here, from Cedar Rapids, IA. A couple of years ago, I bought and assembled my first 3D printer out of a kit. I had a blast building and using it, andI learned a lot, too. Now a few weeks ago, I built my first CNC machine (made out of 3D printed parts, 3/4 inch EMT conduit, and an Arduino controller, anda handheld Dremel tool as the spindle. This project was even more fun and it worked surprisingly well, even taking very thin cuts out of aluminum. I think it's safe to say that I've been bit by the bug! So here I am, deciding that I want to make an even BETTER one. I have an old heavy steel desk, about 1500mm by 860mm, and my idea is to permanently build the machine onto that. I plan to use this machine for milling small aluminum parts, and larger wood projects. I don't need insane levels of accuracy, but getting to half a thousandth over a foot distance would be pretty nice. I started with one of those Chinesium 2.2kw water cooled 80mm spindles, with a VFD. I tested it out, and it seems to work fine. My next task is choosing linear parts, motors, and such, That is what brings me here. I've been looking at parts online, and I have found a few things on Amazon that LOOK like a good choice to me.
Here are the steppers I'm looking at..
LINK
Three nema 34 motors, with individual power supplies and DM860a controllers. This looks good to me. I can handle the price, and I THINK they're bit enough. Does anyone think these are too small?
The next thing I'm looking at is rails. I have found plenty of different options to tinker with, but I know little about what is best suited to the task.
Option 1
Here is everything bundled into a kit, which is tempting. The screws are C7, which (judging from what I've found on this site) isn't really that awesome, but It's probably more accurate than I am.. But my gut is telling me not to trust this style of rail, so I've also been looking at rails of a different style..
Option 2
These "feel" better to me, but I really can't explain what makes them better. I think that, by being lower profile, they won't be as likely to "give" when I'm putting who-knows-how-much-force on them. Obviously, I would need to buy individual sets, instead of having a kit.
So if you're still with me, you have probably figured out that I'm setting out for a project that is slightly above my pay-grade, but I figure knowing that is half the battle. I'm asking for thoughts, opinions, constructive criticism, suggestions on what might be a better choice of components. I fully plan to keep this thread updated as I proceed with the build, so you guys can have pictures and such. Maybe it will be a good writeup for someone who comes along.
Jason