Having just bought a plasma cutter, I am now looking at building a CNC table for it.
I have been looking at several sites and have started on the basic mechanics of the table.
My plans so far are (see attached sketches)-
Table frame will be contructed using 2"x 2" steel box section(or what size is available locally), and will be large enough to be able cut an 8' x 4' sheet. It will also be mounted on castors to allow easy moving.
For the X-axis, I was planning on using a similar design to the torchmate machine. This would involve having a T-Shaped carriage mounted on bearings, running on CRS (1/2" x 4"), welded on top of a double height of 2" x 2" that makes up the table frame. The carriage would have 8 bearings on the T-side, 4 at either with 2 at either end, running on top off the CRS to support the carrier, and 2 at either end, running along the side of the CRS to guide the carriage along the X-axis. There would also be 2 bearings located at the opposite side of the carriage running on CRS to support the carriage.
Power would be transmitted via a gear rack mounted on the inside of the double box section on each side of the table, with pinions mounted on each end of a drive shaft.
This is as far as I have got. I am open to any suggestions regarding my ideas.
My next problem is the Y-axis. I did consider using linear slides, however, now that I've priced them, I'm looking for other ideas.
What would be the best material to make the carriage from. I know that aluminium would be lighter, but I would prefer steel, due to cost + availabilty. Would using steel make much difference performance or cost of suitable motors?
Any suggestions would be gratefully received.
Moray.