[mahia2005]

Hi,
I have bought 2 years ago the above product. I would like to know if somebody wants to share experience with this product.
I am trying to use it for milling wood, plastics, sometimes metal.
It's very accurate and multiuse (it's a robot).
Unfortunately, the software (SPEL from Seiko) is very poor. There is no simulation too. Do you know if there is a way to increase the efficiency when programming this machine?
Thank for any help.
Regards
Mahia2005

[Tom Peters]

I purchased a 1987 model several years ago and used it for a while with Spel then sold it to a friend. I am now going to rebuild the unit for him. At the time I purchased it there were very few options for controllers and drivers. However, since the growth of CNC Routers as a hobby, the amount of equipment for rebuilding these older systems has increased greatly. I am replacing the motors with size 34 stepper motors and controlling them with Mach3 software and Gecko drives. There are also Gecko drive units for DC servo motors and encoders. All of this can be purchased online with a completed box, power supply, drives, motors, cables and software from Camtronics (]http://www.camtronics-cnc.com/) or you can purchase individual parts and assemble and wire yourself. The unit I am working on is 1000mm x, 600mm y, and 100mm z axis. Each has a different ball screw size and will require a different size motor. This robot was originally built for pick and place application and is not very robust in routing that requires much side force. Because the head is out there with very little support, it will not be as accurate for that application. However, after saying that, we will be using it for cutting carpet pieces for art carpet with a 1/16" router bit cutting the back of the carpet. This works well because there is very little side force and extreme accuracy is not required. This machine would also work well with a laser, water jet or plasma cutter. We used several of these units at Delphi Electronics for various applications requiring accuracy for dispensing, pick and place and vision recognition. Good luck with your unit and I will try to keep you informed of our transformation progress.