For quite some time I'm planning to build my second machine.
The First machine is made Alu extrusions and is good for wood and light aluminium work.
This machine is serving me really good but it's really not meant for milling anything beyond aluminium.
I see that I could do much more work if I had the option to mill steel and other hard materials. *

So last year I had the idea to make a heavy gantry build milling machine.
After some time and some research I have come to the conclusion that gantry build is really not meant for heavy milling of steel.

I want a VMC that has a fixed not moving table and this is what I came up with. *

My design has shifted over to a Ram style milling machine.
I want heavy multipurpose machine with ATC
Milling table size of 700x1200mmx500mm
Everything will be welded and surfaces for linear ways and ball screws will be milled after.

I have started gathering offers and sources for parts, and this is what i have for now

- welded base construction from 150x100mm tube 10mm wall thickness
- linear ways 30 mm HIWING RGW roller type for XYZ
- ballscrews 2510 TBI ground C3 with OFU/DFU double ballnut for XYZ
- Bearing blocks and motor mounts for ball screws from SKY
- controller SZGH-CNC 1000 MDi-5 (5 axis)
- servomotors from SZGH 1kw with tamagawa 23 bit absolut encoders
- Spindle servo motor SZGH 5.5kw 12000RPM
- Spindle cartridge jsswft / FUKA FKS1203 12000 RPM direct drive
- absolute linear scales on all exes

Now I can't decide what style of x axis should I proceed with.
What is better, lighter and stronger and also easier to make.

For now i have those two options

1. Welded 15mm plates with some holes for weight reductions and additional ribs inside.
2. Welded frame from steel rectangular tubes

I have in mind also a simpler version of number 2.


Attachment 454392

Inspiration is this - dmg DMC v