Hi there guys, it's been a long time since my last post. Three years ago I built a Midi Router from Widgitmaster and I've been using it with great success since then.
Despite the midi being a great machine I'm in need of an even smaller machine that I could use at my office and I'm trying to plan one based on the Othermill. It's gonna have similar dimensions, just a bit wider, and will use the same principle.
I only want to cut soft plastics (styrene) and wax with the machine. No metal or wood cutting.
Now, I've been sourcing some parts and materials and would like to have opinions from the experts before I start planing and cutting the materials.
Like the Othermill I will use PE500 (HDPE) with 10 mm, since I will use the same cubic design I think it will be strong enough.
For the motors I plan to use Nema 17 with lead screws like these ones: Pololu - New NEMA 17 stepper motor with optional integrated lead screw
They say the precision can reach 0,04 mm which is good enough for me.
As for the electronics I was thinking about the TinyG from Synthetos wich connects to the PC through USB since I don't have PC's with parallel ports available. Also this seems a suitable solution for a smaller machine and seems adequate to control the nema 17 motors.
Keeping in mind that I'm looking for a bit of precision and I only need to cut soft plastics and wax what do you guys think of this mechanical/electronic combo?