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IndustryArena Forum > WoodWorking Machines > DIY CNC Router Table Machines > Cast alloy z plates, steel & concrete frame, crazy composite gantry 4 x 8
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  1. #1

    Cast alloy z plates, steel & concrete frame, crazy composite gantry 4 x 8

    Hi all,
    This is something of a reboot project. I started it years ago and life got in the way.
    Here's what I have so far:
    A big steel frame, made from old I beams and 100mm box. The I beams are steel braced and half-filled with glass fibre reinforced concrete.

    2 reasonably levelled (epoxy) rails with shs30 guides (on the big I beams which act as sides) - the X axis has 2 ballscrews with rotating ballnuts.

    A freakish composite gantry (y-axis), made from old stairlift extrusion, steel bars and EG infill. It has epoxy levelled rails like the x, but with shs20 guides. It has a central 20mm pitch ground Hiwin ball screw. (most of this gantry was done long ago, and I actually posted about it in this thread: https://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy-c...derations.html

    The carrier plate for the z axis. I have just recently cast this in aluminium alloy. My games with that can be seen in this vid.
    https://youtu.be/Jh4MVzn61dg

    I don't see many diy folks melting and casting aluminium for their CNC projects, so I thought that may be of interest.

    I have 400w AC servos & drives that I think I am close to getting grips with - I have them moving anyway.

    I made some big blunders with the 2 x ballscrew - which are detailed in these 3 short vids here:
    https://youtu.be/HF-OtLCGphg?list=PL...bvZxeouH5TyNrZ

    Whats left:
    The remains of the z axis: the motor mount, the spindle career box/maybe casting

    Mounting, aligning and tweaking the new 20mm pitch x ballscrews. To do this I need to make re-work some new HTD pulleys to fit the rotating nut design and do a few other bits on the lathe.

    The enclosure for the electronics

    Learning how to use it! tests, etc etc.

    The purpose of this post is to: a, share some of this madness with the potentially interested,
    and b, get some feedback on the steps going forward. What obvious tasks am I missing? Do you have any feedback/thoughts for the spindle carrier plate/box, that will make things easier (problems described at the end of the first video)?

    Ok that's enough for one post. Thanks for reading guys
    Bongodrummer - www.FloweringElbow.org

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    15362

    Re: Cast alloy z plates, steel & concrete frame, crazy composite gantry 4 x 8

    Quote Originally Posted by Bongodrummer View Post
    Hi all,
    This is something of a reboot project. I started it years ago and life got in the way.
    Here's what I have so far:
    A big steel frame, made from old I beams and 100mm box. The I beams are steel braced and half-filled with glass fibre reinforced concrete.

    2 reasonably levelled (epoxy) rails with shs30 guides (on the big I beams which act as sides) - the X axis has 2 ballscrews with rotating ballnuts.

    A freakish composite gantry (y-axis), made from old stairlift extrusion, steel bars and EG infill. It has epoxy levelled rails like the x, but with shs20 guides. It has a central 20mm pitch ground Hiwin ball screw. (most of this gantry was done long ago, and I actually posted about it in this thread: https://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy-c...derations.html

    The carrier plate for the z axis. I have just recently cast this in aluminium alloy. My games with that can be seen in this vid.
    https://youtu.be/Jh4MVzn61dg

    I don't see many diy folks melting and casting aluminium for their CNC projects, so I thought that may be of interest.

    I have 400w AC servos & drives that I think I am close to getting grips with - I have them moving anyway.

    I made some big blunders with the 2 x ballscrew - which are detailed in these 3 short vids here:
    https://youtu.be/HF-OtLCGphg?list=PL...bvZxeouH5TyNrZ

    Whats left:
    The remains of the z axis: the motor mount, the spindle career box/maybe casting

    Mounting, aligning and tweaking the new 20mm pitch x ballscrews. To do this I need to make re-work some new HTD pulleys to fit the rotating nut design and do a few other bits on the lathe.

    The enclosure for the electronics

    Learning how to use it! tests, etc etc.

    The purpose of this post is to: a, share some of this madness with the potentially interested,
    and b, get some feedback on the steps going forward. What obvious tasks am I missing? Do you have any feedback/thoughts for the spindle carrier plate/box, that will make things easier (problems described at the end of the first video)?

    Ok that's enough for one post. Thanks for reading guys
    Good to see more progress
    Mactec54

  3. #3

    Re: Cast alloy z plates, steel & concrete frame, crazy composite gantry 4 x 8

    Hey Mactec, thanks It's obviously not as continuous as I would like, but there it is. Gotta try and keep the ball rolling now :cheers:
    Bongodrummer - www.FloweringElbow.org

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