[vacpress]

Well.

I finally have a machine that can do work.

Stats: (hehe)

22x14x6" travel (yes... 6 z, though the cutter eats up quite a bit depending on operation. still running basic keling 4030 kit. want to upgrade to 36v power supply... 1.75hp porter cable spindle. my idle mind is trying to imagine an affordable tool changer idea.. its a tough one.

thk ground ballscrew on long axis, ebay'd linear rails on all axis. 15ipm on z, 140ipm on long axis, 50ipm on short axis, soon to be 70ish when i put in this 5tpi nook ballscrew from mcMaster.. To my horror, the balls all fell out even though I thought i was being very careful - anyone know how to fix this?! can it be fixed?

And now, the pictures.

[bp092]

nice setup! I like the enclosure, any info on your controller and that control box you have mounted?

[wcarrothers1]

Only chainger that is really afortiable I guess would be the craftsman / compucarve / carvewrite type holders. Known as quickrout at sears anyway. I finally got my hands on an actual portercable quickrout collet holder. Seems to work well on my 4x8' how ever you still have to manually put them in and out of the spindle. I don't see a way of ever automating that process.. but it makes it so you can have common tool heights (or at least known tool heights in refference to eachother) accross all the tools for a given job.
Which I think is at least half the reason to do it that way.

Little more run out, I'm not sure I"m 100% happy with the way the 1/4" holders work (set screws) but if you locktite them in the are ok I suppose.

I don't think sears really stocks the actual portercable adapter any more so you might have to actually call carvewrite for one as they don't have it on their web site how ever emailing them they said to calll and they indicated they might be able to help.

I need to pick up some more adapters and a backup holder so sooner or later I'll have to call (got my first one through ebay but the portercable ones are not for sale often there.

b.

[walter]

Nice carving!

[vacpress]

wcarrothers

thanks for that idea.. so these snap in? it would be possible to put shoulders on them, and have he robot snap them in and out of holders? i saw a video of an mdf machine with a toolchanger of sorts on here.. it was snap-on colletts like these, and a rack of cutters.. it looked great for light duty work...

hmm.. might purchase a set of these...

[vacpress]

wcarrothers

thanks for that idea.. so these snap in? it would be possible to put shoulders on them, and have he robot snap them in and out of holders? i saw a video of an mdf machine with a toolchanger of sorts on here.. it was snap-on colletts like these, and a rack of cutters.. it looked great for light duty work...

hmm.. might purchase a set of these...

[vacpress]

oh.. the control box is simple... e-stop, normally closed, a power LED off the main PSU, a spindle-active indicator, and an 'emergency condition' light that dosent work yet.. there is also a 3-position power switch that is an enable at this time for all 3 axis drivers and spindle relay power. looking into a MCU to do serial comm with mach... Probably gonna use an old BasicX development board ive got.. Just turn it into a 'PLC' of sorts... Apparently it will be 'easy' to use mach with rs232.. i sure know going back to vb6 after 2 years of .net will be like returning to a moving van after driving a poorly designed hybrid.

this machine can cut aluminum plate more accurately than i can with normal shop tools.. finally.. the next design is in progress. it will require $400 more of aluminu though, so it should be a few weeks before that is done..

ciao,
robert