i will be starting to build a cnc gantry mill some time this summer. right now i am finishing up a retrofit on a 40 x 20 Mitek cnc mill. i have picked up a new job that requires 26 inches by 50 inch travels and i don't have room for a bed mill or machining center. (not enough ceiling height) i plan on building the frame from steel tubing, using linear guideways, ball screws and ac servos. i already have 2 knee mills retrofitted with Mach 3 software and rutex drives. one is a Bridgeport V2E3 and the other a Hurco KMB1. For the z axis, i plan on using the head off of a bridgeport cnc knee mill with a VFD drive. this should allow around 5000 rpm on the high side. the material to be machined is 7050 aluminum. i am planning for travels of 75 inches by 52 inches with 5 inches in z from the bridgeport head. this allows me to stagger the parts and run 3 in one setup.
is anyone else running aluminum on their gantry mill? i am looking for feedback and suggestions before i get started because experience is the best teacher.
how about the new hardware from Ajax that works with Mach3? i also would like to try the ac servos from Mach Motion because of the plug and play simplicity.
thanks
keith