I am looking to build a Epoxy Granit CNC and looking to add a 25KW spindle with Coolant Through
Wondering if this is too ambitions, and any spindle recommendations.
I am looking to build a Epoxy Granit CNC and looking to add a 25KW spindle with Coolant Through
Wondering if this is too ambitions, and any spindle recommendations.
Hi Wes - No not too ambitious. Takes a long time to plan & build such a machine. 25kW is a big machine. Do you have a commercial example of what your trying to do as a reference? Search for EG mills in the forum there are several. Spend the time to read especially look for the pain points eg post machining of bearing lands. Consider UHPC vs epoxy much cheaper material and just as good. Good Luck on your journey Peter
If it's for home use then it may not be practical to power a 25kw motor.
You'd need to check out how many amps it needs from a 3ph power supply and then adjust up for 1ph. A 40a 3ph motor might draw around 70a from a 1ph source.
I've not seen anything larger than a 60a 240v breaker for a domestic main box. I wouldn't go higher than 10kw on a home 1ph circuit.
If it's for a shop with 3ph power with 100a+ circuits then your limitation is in your ability to build something capable of supporting such a heavy and powerful motor. Only you know your skill-set.
Also, there is a huge difference in the strength you'd need for a 25kw 24,000rpm motor and a 25kw 2000rpm motor. The latter would be 12 times more powerful and many times heavier.
Torque and weight matters more than hp for machine strength requirements.
If you understand what's needed and have the ability to power it + the cash and skill to do it right, it's not too ambitious. If you don't, well...
Given that you can buy large VMCs for scrap prices, the question that comes to mind is: Why would you build a machine that size? If I wanted a machine sized for a 25kW spindle, I would just buy one and rebuild it, at least the hard work is already done and the expensive hardware bits are already in place. The electronics are cheap part.
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA
Totally agree. In fact i have a matsuura 1000 V DC twin spindle that you can have for hauling it off. careful what you ask for, this machine weighs 15,000 lbs.
The spindle, ballscrews, and servos would cost a ton, not even looking at the cost of building a casting this size.
I am in central MN. Cost of hauling is about $3. mile, loading it would be far more.
just mention this as an option. look for one near you.
here's another one:
Two Spade Machinery LLC - 1983 Matsuura MC-1000V-DC
This will not be economical viable as many others point out... i'm scratch-building a 7,5kW and it will probably cost half what i'm spending to buy twice as good used machine ;-) There can be other reasons for building one(like for me), but just know that economics won't be the driving factor...
"economical" depends what you're comparing it to.
You can cast an epoxy granite machine base and fit rails, ballscrews, motors and spindles etc for significantly less than buying even a small Haas brand new (or even a Tormach).
My epoxy granite build cost way less than a comparable used VMC + retro-fit and a tiny fraction of a new one.
The trade-off is time and effort - especially if it's a first build. There is a learning curve which can be easily long enough to offset any financial benefit in lost business from not being able to work immediately.
I personally wouldn't go the diy route for a business machine (making metal parts to resell). I also wouldn't put a 25kw motor on a hobby machine.
If you don't need the extra torque then excess power can become a nuisance. That's what I found anyway. A lot of excess noise and power usage (and broken tools) for no benefit if you over-spec a spindle.
What would the machine be used for?