Hi,
Compiling a BOM for my first CNC build. I've been able to answer most questions via google, but stepper motor mounts eludes me. Are most people machining their own mounts, as there's so much variability in ballscrew dia, mounting location, etc? Or are there some stock motor mounts that work with typical 1605 chinese ballscrews and I'm just not finding them?
Background: It's not that machining is a big problem, as I have access to a mill and a machinist friend, but this is a tool for a side business I'm trying to launch into my main gig, so I'm really focused on minimizing the amount of time futzing and fabricating. I need to make aluminum molds, so 16x20" x-y travels, good accuracy, rigidity for surface finish, and a high-speed spindle because I also need to do some carbon fiber trimming. So that rules out a benchtop vertical mill conversion, and while the Avid Benchtop Pro router probably has enough stiffness and resolution, instead of spending my time checking and re-machining the 80/20 extrusion so the frame is guaranteed square, I'd just as soon spend that time building a simple gantry and bolting rails and ballscrews to a plate, and getting true rigidity and accuracy while I'm at it.
The general plan for the machine is to do a fixed, bolted steel gantry on a granite or iron surface plate, and use the Avid CNC nema 23 kit for electronics and motors. All that stuff is pretty straightforward, but I feel like the motion components is where I'm going to get lost in the weeds and lose days or weeks of evenings and weekends getting things right. I would love to sip this build like a fine wine, but time spent that way is time not doing the actual thing I'm trying to do!
Also, definitely tell me if I'm crazy
Cheers,
Brian