this topic has sprouted from another thread. i figured it woul dbe best in its own. to catch up on the details, you can look here:
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...t=88319&page=7

this is where we are at:


the principle of this thread is to create 2 different sized completely public domain machine designs. the result if all goes well is a set of castings for each machine, which one will be able to buy raw, squared, or finish machined from one or more companies. alternatively, enterprising individuals could make their own patterns and have them cast on their own.

potential buyers are diy hobbiests, and machine retrofitters and retailer who can supply turnkey machines or hardware kits and accessories.

the specifications have been derived mostly from my personal needs, but basically the 2 machines cover 2 distinct markets.

machine 1 is 14" x 6" travel and under 200lbs, and covers the range from the SX1 up to the SX3 and similar machines.

machine 2 is 24" x 8" travel, 500+ lbs, and covers the market from the KX3 up to the tormach Pcnc.

in both cases, the specification calls for no single piece to weigh more than 100lbs - movable by 1 person, so right off the bat we are ruling out completely very heavy machine design and likely epoxy granite as a solution. the intent is to compensate for lack of mass with smart design. the design is also meant to be viable as one off casting efforts. design elements that require mass production for price breaks are not going to be considered. likewise, "ebay deal" pricing strategies are not to be taken into account estimating turnkey and kit costs.

anyone who is interested in this idea, please speak up with comments, criticisms, suggestion, and honest opinions on pricing. its one thing to say "yes id buy it for $X" and actually writing the queque. anyone with expertise in casting iron, stress relieving, and milling would be most welcome in this thread.

i am not intent on selling the castings myself, or running the company that sells them or turnkey systems. what i personally want is a machine that works for me. if i can get a few sets of finished castings of each design, in exchange for my design effort and pattern building, i will consider the project a success. a bigger success would be several other companies jumping on a standardized cnc dedicated benchtop frame - much like the market is with the sieg manual machines.

and the disclaimer:

please do NOT lose sight of the intended goal of thse machines. they are NOT going to be 1000+ lbs linear railed do all cat40 spindle 10hp beasts. please do NOT bring up politics in this thread. if you have a vested interest in another mill maker and feel threatened by this thread, dont spam it with BS, go read something else instead.

thats all for now, ill post detailed specifictions as they are now in a bit.