yeah i can't say i remember it getting really warm on me with the limited stuff I've done with it. but after it got brought up i'm sure i will pay closer attention to if if the weekend ever gets here this week is off to a slow start already.
i think i might switch out these steppers for DMM servo's i have if all goes well with the mold. i will give it a test when the time comes to start working on the final table top in aluminum. that will give me a lot of serious cutting to play around with. if the frame does well i want to do a dual loop feedback with linear encoders if i can figure it out. Linux cnc is how i would like to go with the aid of some Mesa hardware. i might even upgrade the spindle motor with a servo to have control over it in the software. that's not to bad to do with the drive set to analog and using the 0-10V for a signal.
after the molding is done i can fine tune the table top for flatness so i don't have to skim much off the aluminum. i want to keep as much thickness as i can for t slots and a 1" thick top is not going to be cheap so i want to get the most out of it so i have something substantial to clamp to.since i have a milling spindle i can cut things flat with the machine with the reach of the machine. the way things are it would not be to bad since the center area is the high section for the most part. the width of the frame was pretty close but the long axis needs some fine tuning. so needless to say building something this big on a manual Bridgeport machine has been not so easy. the gantry was not to bad but the table has been a pain in the butt.