Hi all. I have been a lurker on these forums for a while (great information but theres so much i get lost here for hours!), but this will be my first tech post. I have been interested in building a large CNC router, but I figured I would start small with my first machine like you guys tend to recommend. I am building this for a senior project. [shameless plug] If you know anyone looking to get rid of any building supplies I will happy accept them to help me stay under budget. [/shameless plug :wave:]
The plan for this machine is somewhere around a 12" x 12" cutting area, and fairly accurate. I will be looking to build this machine out of whatever cheap (but good) parts I can get a hold of. I have access to some machine shop equipment and a Cincinnati CNC machine at my college. So that will be helping me get stuff cheap.
This is a very preliminary design and I dont have the drive system worked out 100%, but I plan on ball-screws for the drives. I am looking for tips, experiences, and suggestions based on what you see here. I am more of an electrical engineer, but dabble in the mechanical side of things every once in a while. Theres a good chance there are some serious design flaws, and Ive looked at it so much I cant see them So let me know what you think! Thanks!
[edit]
frame = extruded 8020.net aluminum
green arms = milled aluminum
table = tslot table milled from aluminum plate