[yellow68gto]

Ok I see it now.. I like it.
I will soon with some drawing. I am spending a lot of time developing new products for my diesel adapters. Taking a lot of time but trying to expand

[pippin88]

I know I said this earlier, but I'll say it again. The gantry pad arrangement looks more complex and less rigid than just welding up a base that is all on one plane (i.e. don't have the table rail tubes sitting on top of the cross tubes).

If you make the base structure all one plane, then the gantry uprights are shorter and the whole thing is more rigid.

Are you going to have it stress relieved and ground?

[l3viathan]

I know I said this earlier, but I'll say it again. The gantry pad arrangement looks more complex and less rigid than just welding up a base that is all on one plane (i.e. don't have the table rail tubes sitting on top of the cross tubes).

If you make the base structure all one plane, then the gantry uprights are shorter and the whole thing is more rigid.

Are you going to have it stress relieved and ground?

It likely is less rigid than a single plane base, but it also is fewer pieces, and much less welding. I know the design is a compromise, but given the tools, machines and level of experience I have, I think it is my best bet. I also plan to fill it with oiled sand, which would be much more difficult if the tubes weren't single lengths. I would be interested in seeing a sketch of what you had in mind for the base though. If it is less complex, it might be feasible for me...When I picture it, I see a mess of cuts and more opportunities for the base to be skewed/warped.

I do have a place that will stress relieve it, but so far, none of the grinding places I've contacted are willing to give me a quote. I do have a quote from a place that can mill the mounting surfaces, so that may be my only option.

[wizard]

Hopefully, I'm not spamming too many posts on this thread today, but I just put the z-axis assembly on the rest of the machine. I think the design is looking pretty good so far.

I don't think it is possible to spam your own thread. More so we love to see your posts.

I really like the looks of this machine but I'm not too sure about the utility of the cover around the slide assemblies. My fear is that it would limit access and make maintenance difficult.

[l3viathan]

I really like the looks of this machine but I'm not too sure about the utility of the cover around the slide assemblies. My fear is that it would limit access and make maintenance difficult.

Heh, you caught me. I added it mostly for looks, as it doesn't do much if anything structurally/functionally (I also cringed at the fun it would be to remove 18 screws every time I needed access). I spent so much time looking at the Datron machine, that I thought I'd throw their cover on as well! I suppose it might keep the odd stray chip out, but I likely won't use it.

If down the road, I find that a cover would benefit me in any way, I might put one on with a hinge and quick release.

[Zekyx]

Love your z axis design, don't mind if I copy it in my design? 😊

One question, in your exploded view, is it really necessary to have that first (left) plate? The one that mounts x axis blocks. Can they be mounted on the second plate? Pros and cons, or I'm missing something obvious. I'm looking to have the z axis as close to x rails as possible.



Thanks for posting, I'm enjoying this so far!

[l3viathan]

Love your z axis design, don't mind if I copy it in my design? ��

One question, in your exploded view, is it really necessary to have that first (left) plate? The one that mounts x axis blocks. Can they be mounted on the second plate? Pros and cons, or I'm missing something obvious. I'm looking to have the z axis as close to x rails as possible.



Thanks for posting, I'm enjoying this so far!

Copy all you want, I can send you the solidworks parts/assembly if you like. The gantry carriage could possibly be eliminated, but I put it there for a few reasons. One is that I needed the extra space to allow room for the ballnut mount on the gantry.

You could forego the gantry plate and gain needed clearance by:

1. spacing the gantry rails further from the gantry surface.
2. use suitably thicker plate to allow room for pocketing both sides.
3. use smaller ballnuts/ballnut mounts so clearance isn't an issue.


As I mentioned earlier, I used the Datron M8Cube as a model for this, and they also have a gantry carriage plate, although I believe that is to offset the linear bearing mounts so that the linear rails can be shielded, not for clearance issues.

[Zekyx]

Thank you for explanation, I understand now.

[l3viathan]

Made the drive to another scrap yard this morning, and came back with a 31" x 57" .5" steel plate. It's in real good shape, and was 45 cents a pound, so I can't complain too much.

I plan to cut it up (plasma) to make all the various plates I need to weld onto the tube frame.



I was shooting for .375" plate, but it was a good deal, and I don't think it will make much difference, except for the fact that it's about as heavy as I can move by hand without killing myself. I think the older I get the heavier 250lbs weighs.

Unfortunately, they didn't have any aluminum plate in the size I wanted, as it's gone almost as fast as it comes in.

[l3viathan]

While being down and out with the flu for the past week, I had plenty of time to think through the machining required to make my Z axis design, and I decided to make some design changes. Nothing too significant, I plan to keep the general design, but I'm trying to make it easier to build. I've removed more than a few unnecessary counter-bores, rounded off some 3 place dimensions that didn't require precision, and reduced the number of cuts needed. I started looking at the parallel tolerances of the bellows coupler I had planned to use, and I got to thinking that I could forego that and the EK12 mount altogether, and use a FK12 mount in the top plate, and run belt drive to the stepper mounted behind the Z plate. It might not be quite as rugged of a solution, but I'm thinking it would allow for easier, and perhaps more accurate alignment?

The way I originally had the Z screw mounted probably would probably have lasted forever, so I'm a bit hesitant about changing it. Would I be introducing backlash where there was none before, and how long do these belts realistically perform?

[l3viathan]

I've finally gotten time to pick up my steel order, and i'm glad I did (instead of delivery). I asked for an extra inch on each length, and a cut tolerance of +1/2 -0, so that i'd have plenty extra to square the ends, but instead I got nearly final sizes, +1/16 -0, with questionable cut squareness. One piece was actually quite a bit short, so I had them cut me a new one. I knew better...I should have just added an inch or more to each piece, and gave them nothing but those numbers. Oh well, won't make that mistake again. It was $490 and 372lbs for what's in the pic below. I had a piece of the 4 x 4 x .25 x 72L; which with the plate brings me to over 500 lbs. This thing is surprisingly light so far. The oiled sand should weigh it down a bit though.



I'm still working out the X/Y ballscrew and motor mounts, but this much of the design is fairly nailed down at this point.



I'm working on getting a bigger manual mill moved into my shop, which will need a good cleaning, and oiling. I'll need to get a DRO on it too, as it will no doubt make this project go a bit easier.

[l3viathan]

All of the plates in the exploded view below are aluminum tooling plate, but I was thinking I could get a bit more stiffness out of this design by replacing the side plates with steel. I'm estimating the long sides are about 3.3lbs each, and steel would bring that to 9.5lbs each. I'd probably need to do something to minimize galvanic corrosion on dissimilar metals, though I'm not sure if i'd get by with a thin gasket material or if zinc plating is the way to go. I should probably just do some FEA to get an idea if the change to steel on some parts adds any significant increase in stiffness, but I figured I'd look for some experienced input.



edit: I ran some simple FEA using the gantry carriage plate as fixed, and a 100lbf load against the top of the Z plate. With aluminum sides, deflection was 0.00054in. and steel 0.00033in. Not sure if the extra 12.4lbs is worth a couple tenths difference? There is an obvious cost difference, although zinc plating would eat that up. I haven't calculated total Z-axis weight yet, but i'd wager the weight difference isn't going to have significant impact.

[richardmg9]

What size rails are you using?

[l3viathan]

What size rails are you using?

THK 15mm on the Z axis, and THK 20mm on the X and Y.

[l3viathan]

Not sure if anyone is still following this thread as the build has been progressing fairly slow.

I've been cleaning out my shop (weather permitting), so I can move in a Van Normal 1R3 mill, Norton 6x18 surface grinder, and a heavy-duty rolling work table. Once I get the machinery moved, I can start working on the CNC. The shop is 25' x 36' (900sq ft.), although some of that space is taken already. Here are two panoramic shots from opposite corners; a few days ago there was barely enough free space to cross the room!

[TTalma]

I'm still following it.

And much jealousy on the shop. My shop is 20'x22' - 440sq ft. That's all the town would allow (turned my 2 garage into a 4 car garage 1/2 shop, 1/2 garage). Although since I built it I got to put in radiant floor heat, under slab dust collection and power.

[l3viathan]

My shop is 20'x22' - 440sq ft. That's all the town would allow (turned my 2 garage into a 4 car garage 1/2 shop, 1/2 garage). Although since I built it I got to put in radiant floor heat, under slab dust collection and power.

I'd love to have radiant floor heat, so jealous here too! This is the downstairs of my garage, so I have another level above with the same square footage, but no heat, and very little insulation on either. It's a bit chilly in the winter. In the bottom picture, you'll notice I have a natural gas radiant heater (still in the box) which needs to get hooked up, to make the space bearable when it gets colder. I'm trying my best to have the CNC build done by the end of summer, but the next couple weeks will be just doing maintenance on the new (to me) machines, and waiting on a DRO to arrive from China.

[l3viathan]

Just got the mill and grinder moved in, they look ugly, but I think they are mechanically sound. With some serious cleaning, the mill should be able to get to work soon. The grinder I think will get a more comprehensive tear-down and rebuild.



I'll try to keep my own thread on topic, and not get too far into these machines, but I figured it might be useful to know what i'm using to make parts for the actual build! Is it of more interest to just see the highlights and final result of the build, or is following along with the minutiae more appealing?

[louieatienza]

Ground parts... on a DIY router build? Nice...

[l3viathan]

Ground parts... on a DIY router build? Nice...

It was sheer luck that I happened upon that grinder, but i'll find some use for it. Having said that, most of the parts of the build that will fit in the work envelope, are going to be aluminum, and won't stick to the mag chuck. I did mention a few posts ago, that I was thinking about making the side plates for the Z out of steel. I could make additional Z-axis parts out of steel, if I'm strategic about weight. The original design was heavily informed by what my capabilities were, but those have since expanded