My First CNC, own design, buidling in progress


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  1. #1
    Member arie kabaalstra's Avatar
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    Default My First CNC, own design, buidling in progress

    Hi all,

    another member of a dutch scalemodeling Forum gave me this link, and now i got here, i might as well share my designs with you.

    last summer i got a PC and 3 stepper motors, to fit to a 3-axis milling machine, but i have one problem.. i'm a professional tool maker, and i want the quality that i have at work ( Bridgeport VMC800 ) so i designed a 3 ( 4th axis will be mounted on the table ) machine.

    Workspace will be 280 x 140 x 165 millimeters ( yup i'm from holland.. i dont work with inches.. too many numbers behind the comma )

    Maybe showing my design will rule out any design flaws i overlooked.. though building is already in progress..

    i also managed to get hold of a steel cabinet 100 Cm's high, and 70 x 50 Cm's top surface.. the milling machine wil be bolted on top, and i'm planning om making a casing/shield with plexiglass windows and a TFT screen in the door(s)

    Spec's sofar:
    Motor 600W router, 7000-30000 RPM's 6 mm collet ( smaller collets wil be made in the near future)
    stepper motors from Vexta, 2.5 A, 2.2 Ohms Nema 23
    Rexroth Ballrail guides and Ball spindles.
    Machine frame is made out of construction steel 15mm thick in most places except the X-axis guide bed which is 30x40 mm's 596 mm's long.
    Fourth axis will be built in a Unit which can be bolted on the table ( design hasn't been made yet, i'm still searching for small 4 jaw independent Chucks.

    Progress sofar: machineframe is finished, al parts are ground flat only the Z-axis milling head is still to be made, if that's finished, the rails wil be bolted on.

    Similar Threads:


  2. #2
    Registered balsaman's Avatar
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    What is it you will cut with it?

    What drivers will you use?

    Eric

    I wish it wouldn't crash.


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    Member arie kabaalstra's Avatar
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    I bought drivers from www.stappenmotor.nl located in Holland.. 49.50 Euro's per axis, which basically means 200,- for 4 axes.

    the machine will be tough enough to machine steel, Bronze, PU, Resin, Foam, Brass, silver, and maybe even hardened steel.

    i'm building it to machine things like this:


    scale is 1:24, but i want to make more parts for scale modeling purposes.

    the PC is already "hooked-up" with the drivers, and some motors for testing.
    Currently the motors operate on 12V, but the drivers are able to use a current up to 30 Volts, so i'm also searching for a 30 V DC Powersupply.

    Bit of luck today.. i now actually have the steel cabinet, so i can start to take measurements to build the casing.

    Last edited by arie kabaalstra; 01-13-2007 at 06:39 AM.


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    Registered balsaman's Avatar
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    Cool.

    The spindle rpm might be a little high for machining steel...but you know that since you are a tool maker.

    Let's see picturs of the build!

    Eric

    I wish it wouldn't crash.


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    Member arie kabaalstra's Avatar
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    with a spindle speed of 7000 Rpm you'll get a 130m/min cuttingspeed with a 6 mm end mill, with this speed i'd be able to even machine Tool steel, and hardened steel with a solid carbide tool.
    30000 Rpm will provide a cuttingspeed of about 50 m/min to a 0.5mm end mill, will do.. a 2 mm end mill will run 188 m/min wich is perfect for machining steel. ( data based on Solid carbide tools) .

    Ok.. enough Tech-talk for now... Here are some pictures..



    Machine frame sofar, the mill head is still to be made, the guides must also be bolted on



    Yahooo !! Sparks!!.. flatgrinding the Z-motorsupport and the Z-spindlebearing support



    suport plates mounted in place, note: the Bearing support, in the bottom of the collumn is machined to size by now..
    Z-motor also mounted, to see if all would fit.. yup it fits like a glove..\

    Enjoy the pictures!



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    Lookin' good!



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    Gold Member jerber's Avatar
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    Wow, looks great.
    Great pictures too.

    ____________________________________
    Jeroen


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    Congratulations! Finally a precision small DIY mill with full support of the X axis.

    Hope it works as good as it looks like it will.

    It would be interesting to me to know what one would charge to build a machine like that.
    (i.e. make a living at it - pricewise)

    Good luck,
    Pres



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    Member arie kabaalstra's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pres View Post
    Congratulations! Finally a precision small DIY mill with full support of the X axis.

    Hope it works as good as it looks like it will.

    It would be interesting to me to know what one would charge to build a machine like that.
    (i.e. make a living at it - pricewise)

    Good luck,
    Pres

    wat it will cost?.. if i'd have to make a living from building these, i'd be bankrupt in a few weeks... considering i constructed the entire machine, and i'm also building it, and it has taken me a full week to design the thing, and a lot of hours grinding, milling, drilling and so on..precision comes at a price..


    the Full X-axis support is needed to get the accuracy i want.. the 596 mm long supoprt beams are ground flat within 0.01 ( and that's before the X-axis Guides have been mounted )

    Yesterday i did another very important Job for this machine, i made 36 of these:


    T-Nuts 12X12X9 mm with M5 Thread to clamp future workpieces



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    ow my god! now that's nice! looks even better then a X3!

    goed bezig gast! Blijven posten zou ik zeggen



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    Member arie kabaalstra's Avatar
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    Basically, all i did was take a good look at what i have at work, a Bridgeport VMC 800, and a VMC 610XP, the 800 has the long travel the 610 is equipped with ball rail guides..mix these two together, and what you get is what i designed.. ( japanese engineering, see what's around, and mixing the best features )

    X3?.. if the X3 is the "Sieg X3 mill" then i'd say.. "That's not a CNC mill, that's a conventional machine with a retrofit, still a drill press with cross slides, and the x-axisguide is just too short.. " But it's an affordable machine, which mine isn't by definition.. if i'd have to build them commercially, boy would it cost'ya

    Since i'm a toolmaker by profession, construction steel is available at low cost, so are the machines.
    The guides will be ordered shortly, we're building other machines for out R&D dept. at the moment, and those machines also have a couple of ballscrews , so mine will be ordered at the same time to get a discount..


    This is the table, i milled some pockets in the tableframe, to reduce weight, since this part wil run the highest feeds ( 2500mm/min )

    i'm considering to sell plans of this machine, though i'm not sure the design is "buildable" for others, since a lot of grinding is needed to straighten parts after milling..



  12. #12

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    Arie,
    I'm impressed so far, it's nice to see that others have an eye for detail!
    I like your initial design, as its all steel!
    Eric



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    Registered GaryCorlew's Avatar
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    That is a fantastic looking machine!!, I will be watching this thead



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    Member arie kabaalstra's Avatar
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    Today, i did some more "fiddling" with my Mini VMC:


    A detailshot of the Y-axisguide recesses, ground level with the topsurface, the runnerblocks will sit here.( it's upside down on the picture), when all is mounted it's level within 0.01 mm
    Also, on the rear beam, the Y-axis nut clamp.


    also, some milling done today, the ribs for the mill-head, always a challenge to mill things like this.. but the angle precision of the 90 degree angle is well within tolerances less than 0.002 degrees off.


    also some sawing going on in the workshop, the rectangular plates are still to be machined, but this will happen in a certain "procedure" which i have followed with all the other parts.. First cleaning the steel, Deburring, grinding!.. then , and only then, after grinding it's machined to size, and contours are milled, and holes drilled and tapped..

    the picture gives an idea what it is going to look like, there will be a hole in the bottom plate to fit the motor.


    and this is what it should look like if put together ( sorry no guides yet.. boss is on a holiday )



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    Wow! Very nice
    Good work

    how much for plan?



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    Member arie kabaalstra's Avatar
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    How much?.. i don't know yet.. i also think i have to "symplify the design a bit, since i designed it to build it for me only, and being a toolmaker i have a fully equipped workshop at my disposal...

    how many people would have a workshop with CNC lathe's, CNC milling machines, a Wire-erosion machine (needed for my design of the Milling motor attachement ), and a table grinder with over 600 mm's of travel?

    especially the tablegrinder has proved Priceless with the fabrication of the X-axis guide beams, since milling out the recesses for the y-axis runnerblocks caused them to warp, and i grind everything back to shape.

    so i'd better think up something that's easier to build ( less recesses, less warp, though a slightly less compact design.. )



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    Registered higgrobot's Avatar
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    It's too pretty, I just want to get my scribe out and put a little scratch on it somewhere



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    I am a machinist and programer, I also have all the machine above at my disposal, but im not a very good designer,it would be a very nice project.



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    Wow - that is beautiful!



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    Member arie kabaalstra's Avatar
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    Ok, that'll just make it easier..

    i'll have to "redo" my drawings anyway, because i didn't specify any tolerances, or reference planes, which isn't a problem for me, since i designed the lot, but if i'm going to publish my designs, i want em to be Fool Proof..

    Furthermore: the design is based upon Bosch-Rexroth Components, but there is also THK and SKF Ballrail systems.

    I used Bosch-Rexroth, because they have a rail with blind holes , so no dirt can build up in the bolt-holes ( THK has the same distance between bolt holes so those can also be used, but a bellows must be fitted )

    Give me some time, i will also be designing some clamping devices, i'm not sure what those are called in English, but i mean those "Thingies" rectangular shape, with a slotted hole, and a threaded hole, to bolt down parts on the machinetable ( what are those called? )



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My First CNC, own design, buidling in progress

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