Dear CNC router experts:
I am working on the design of a very small CNC router for wax in jewelry applications.
It is a fixed gantry, moving table machine and it must have a 4th axis to
allow carving wax for rings.
However, since the machine is so small, it is not practical to mount the
rotary axis (A) on the table.
So, my question is: Am I right in assuming that, for an XYZA machine,
where A is a rotary axis ("barbecue spit") parallel to X (the gantry), I really
don't need movement in the Y axis (the table) when using the rotary axis? -
provided, of course, that the A axis is perfectly aligned under the spindle.
I think this is true and, if so, the design will be much simpler and rigid. Also,
I would only need 3 stepper drives: one for Z, another for X and the 3rd
would be "shared" by Y and A.
Nelson