[orezzero]

Hi. Me and my brother are totally new to building CNC machines but I'm a professional welder and metal fabricator

We are going to try building a mill for hard wood (Mahogany, maple etc.) and aluminum. We are going for a good size mill (4´x5´) and all the framework will be stainless steel (I work in a stainless steel shop)

We got the basics of the frame. But we need a bit of help figuring out the electronics. There are a lot of kits out there with steppers and driver boards but I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what would be the ideal kit for a project like this. I don't think speed will be an issue.

And is it better to use belts or threaded axles for all the axes (X,Y,Z)

Thanks and hopefully you can see the progress as we get started soon

[randyf1965]

Speed might not be much of an issue on a small router but 4'x5' at 30 ipm will take a LONG time mov from one end to the other.

Like alot of people here and I am sure more will tell you.. Gecko drives, more voltage and current than the others means speed and power.

[LZ1TWB]

Hello,
Belt-driven machines are intended for high-speed machining of soft material and long axes. I don't thing it would be suitable for machining aluminum, ballscrews are always the best solution.

Stepper drives and motors are basically cheaper and work nice for the average user, but I will prefer servo-driven system as it is more professional. There are many places where whole cnc controls are sold - breakout boards, drives, motors, relay boards, etc. I don't know if it is right to write names here.

Todor

[orezzero]

we are going to go with the 3-axis kit from PROBOTIX. and now we are just fine tuning the designe of the steel frame