CNC machine - not looking for advice

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mrdrifter

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#2063309 27-Jul-2018 08:42

Oh, that's a nice build!

The Nema34's are really strong, that's what my unit is running and I'm yet to have an issue. Feed speed can also be ramped up quite a bit if the machine is strong enough. I'm just in the process of creating and enclosure for mine so that I can run coolant.

reven

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#2063319 27-Jul-2018 09:11

how much do these go for? I kinda want one, but kinda think it would be like my 3d printer and not used enough to justify the expense. and i have other tools to buy (dewalt thickneser, domino, jointer, kinda want a plunge saw...)

Talkiet

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#2063323 27-Jul-2018 09:19

reven:

how much do these go for? I kinda want one, but kinda think it would be like my 3d printer and not used enough to justify the expense. and i have other tools to buy (dewalt thickneser, domino, jointer, kinda want a plunge saw...)

Massively variable. I paid $3k for this which I think was an incredible bargain. I don't think I could buy the parts and raw materials for that little. The small machine I have as well also cost me about $3k. The difference is the small machine was plug and play - it was all setup and just works. The big machine required a bit of finesse to get running (nothing too hard - but it wasn't ready to go).

I have some quite specific needs for this so I don't think I could recommend it over some more general purpose tools for most people - but it's way way up there with the coolest things I have bought :-)

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

reven

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#2063328 27-Jul-2018 09:27

yeah $3k... would rather spend that on a pantorouter... hopefully they come down in price, 3d printers certainly have....

mdf

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#2063334 27-Jul-2018 09:32

<turns green with envy> @Talkiet That looks _very_ nice.

@reven - you've been reading my wish list! I'm currently lusting after a european style joint planer and thicknesser. Many pennies will need to be saved first, but I'm self-justifying on the basis it's not _that_ much more than the DeWalt spiral headed thicknesser. Plunge saws are great - especially for breaking down big stock that is too awkward to manage myself on the bench saw. I've never actually used it to plunge, just on the rails for fast straight cuts.

reven

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#2063338 27-Jul-2018 09:38

Ive only started woodworking about 4 months ago, so building up my tools.

Been through 3 table saws (tooline one i took back within an hour, had a makita mlt100 for a couple of months, now upgraded to a 50" harvey one from woodworkinghq).

had a toolshed thicknesser, and it broke after a few uses, so took that back. hence me wanting the dewalt one. I havent had much luck with toolshed tools, belt sander broke within 10minutes, then replacement belt broke a few uses after that (they fixed the issue, their support is great, tools not so much), and my router table also broke, they fixed that within a couple of days.

I use the kreg ripcut where possible to rip down sheets, but thats got a max cut of 600mm, but its very accurate. and i use a straight edge if i really need to rip a full sheet in half. light stuff I can put on the tablesaw in fullsheets (6mm mdf for example).

I mostly make cabinets, heaps of garage cabinets (to organize all my tools now), and doing a built in wardrobe atm. practicing for when I redo the kitchen. Need a thicknesser for furniture, using pallet wood for the tops of furniture and painting the base white. pallet wood tops can come out really really nice and are free :)

PS sorry for being so OT

afe66

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#2063341 27-Jul-2018 09:50

I'm a Clickspring follower/patreon on YouTube.

Currently rebuilding garage which will include workshop then I'm going to dive into the deep rabbit hole that is clock making...

Equinox IT

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chevrolux

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#2063440 27-Jul-2018 10:53

Is that a power supply in the black cabinet underneath? Or a bad-ass PC?

Talkiet

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#2063469 27-Jul-2018 11:28

Two 70V DC PSUs, one 36V DC PSU, DIN breakers and switches, motion controller card, Variable Frequency Drive for the spindle, and breakout board for all the motors, limit switches etc etc etc.

The PC to the left is the control PC but I will replace that shortly as well with something a little smaller and newer.

Cheers - N

[edit: Oh, and the stepper motor drivers!]

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

elpenguino

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#2063879 27-Jul-2018 23:12

Have been following the thread with interest (and envy !).

What's the base of your new machine?

And what's in the enclosure at the base of the machine?

Most of the posters in this thread are just like chimpanzees on MDMA, full of feelings of bonhomie, joy, and optimism. Fred99 8/4/21

Talkiet

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#2063881 27-Jul-2018 23:27

elpenguino:

Have been following the thread with interest (and envy !).

What's the base of your new machine?

And what's in the enclosure at the base of the machine?

The new machine is completely bespoke... It was bought as an incomplete project a while ago and finished off by a gent and used (lightly) in a commercial environment before he decided to spend $$$$$$ on a real machine ( https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/M8433 + auto tool changer and upgraded spindle)...

There's a photo of the control box in the gallery below. In there there's a VFD (controls spindle), 3 stepper drivers,3 PSUs, the motion control board and a DIN rail with a switch... I have ordered a new motion control board (a UC300ETH + UB1 breakout board) as the motion control and software is definitely a weak point at the moment - the SW is no longer supported and wasn't great to begin with.

I'm also going to redo all the cabling to keep the signal and AC wiring separate, and I may remote mount the VFD as it generates a lot of (electrical) noise.

The spindle is watercooled and the pump/reservoir sits on the bottom shelf as well.

In fact, I have just bought a bunch of shielded cable, bootlace crimps, crimp tool, new NPN NC prox sensors, USB-> RS485 adaptor and a set of low profile jaws (vice) off TM. I am about to go and choose connectors so I can make the control box easily detachable... Gotta love Aliexpress!

https://www.nzsnaps.com/Other/NewCNC

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

mrdrifter

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#2064831 30-Jul-2018 10:14

I look forward to seeing the output once you're running 100%.

$3K is a bargain! And yes the electronics such as PSU's and Drivers take up quite a bit of space.

I just had a coolant catch tray fabricated out of Stainless and have been constructing an enclosure for mine so that I can run with flood coolant. I've been offline for a few months waiting for the enclosure parts to arrive. My whole machine needs to fit in the single Car garage along with the car and everything else :-(

One of the other things I keep finding is having other tools available for cutting down stock material etc.. I've recently acquired some Polyoxymethylene plastic (Acetal/Delrin) to try milling in addition to 6061 aluminium.

Talkiet

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#2064832 30-Jul-2018 10:17

I've milled Acetal before... It's _beautiful_... However if you're thinning a part down a lot then the part will likely bend due to iinternal stresses. I am looking into how to anneal it to flatten again.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Talkiet

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#2064836 30-Jul-2018 10:19

I need a 900x900 stainless shower tray to flood enable my setup... Should be $25 when I can find one...

Cheers N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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