Official Luthiers Forum!

So I have made the plunge into the CNC realm. This hopefully will be a sane project. I have aquired Probotix Monster 3 axis kit for the steppers and electonics. Below is a pic of the base so far. It is not mounted to the standoffs yet. I spent Friday at my friends machine shop, starting on my carriages for the linear motion parts. I'm getting a crash course in CNC at his shop. Using a Hurco and other various mills.


The Base Frame


My steppers and boards, they are 400oz/in unipolar motors


Mike

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Looking Good!!

Best of luck on your build, and keep those pics coming....frame looks quite rigid, and so do the stepper motors.

How many volts is your power supply?

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-CyborgCNC
http://www.cncguitar.com
https://www.facebook.com/CncGuitar

Thanks Cyborgcnc,

Yep the frame is very solid. Maybe I went a little overboard? I don't want any flex. I'm using a 24v power supply for now. Depending on what the speeds are, I may opt to go to 42v. Will see what happens

Mike

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Remember....

Steppers are "current" driven devices....it is not unlikely to run a stepper at 10-20x it's rated voltage....and the higher the voltage, the more efficient the power transfer...Do not run them much higher, since they will get hot....

So, you might want to opt for the 48V power supply at some time. Watch out for the current however, and make sure you run them at their "rated" current value, and this will depend if they are series or parallel connected, especially if they have 8 wires....

Let us know if you need any help with the wiring and such...

GREAT START!

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-CyborgCNC
http://www.cncguitar.com
https://www.facebook.com/CncGuitar

Gotcha on that. Thanks. The guys at probotix are very helpful with all of this. The support I have been getting from them is way above what I expected. So yes I'll watch it closely. I figure If I upgrade the PS I'll most likely add an opto isolater at the same time for external things, like dust collection and such as well.

Thanks again,
Mike

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Hi,

Trust me, if you have the skills to build a beautiful looking instrument (like the one in your signature) you have the skills to build a CNC machine!

You just have too take the plunge!

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-CyborgCNC
http://www.cncguitar.com
https://www.facebook.com/CncGuitar

I agree with cyborgcncs statement Chris. You have the talent, it's just taking the plunge. There are many that will help as well.

Mike

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Hey Chris, I'd recommend getting up to par with CAD first. Rhino is a great package for this type of work..

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

Oh Oh....you said the "mac" word....

When it comes to CAD/CAM there is almost NO presence in the Apple world....

You can get a VERY cheap PC on Ebay, that will be more than adequate for the job though!



Trust me, once you get bitten by the CNC bug, there will be no going back!

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-CyborgCNC
http://www.cncguitar.com
https://www.facebook.com/CncGuitar

Hi Chris,

You can also get a student version of Madcam (cam plugin for Rhino) for dirt cheap too! Take advantage while you can.

In fact, it would be worth you purchasing a cheap laptop or pc with windows just for this.

I have a question about your avatar guitar. Where is the build thread. I know I have seen it somewhere, but for the life of me I can find it.

Mike

I have a K2 KG3925...let me know if you have any questions. I'm down near Annapolis...so if you'd like to come out and see it and talk shop, I'd be happy to help you with any questions you might have.

Trev

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

Another item to consider, is that you will need a "controller" machine to control the CNC router (like running mach3 for example).

Doing this on a laptop, or an "emulated" windows session, is not a good idea, since there are some pretty strict timing requirements when pulsing the stepper motors....so obviously, you need to consider the cost of this as well...again, a "cheap" ebay machine will do a fine job at this, like an older Dell for example...

my 2 cents....

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-CyborgCNC
http://www.cncguitar.com
https://www.facebook.com/CncGuitar

For running the machine, a dedicated machine is easy to get. It doesn't require much power; anything sold in a store now (no matter how cheap) is overpowered for the task.

So far as doing CAD/CAM work on an Intel Mac, just dual boot (boot camp). I eventually canned MacOS altogether, but back when I was giving it a chance I tried Parallels. It was OK, but there is a definite performance loss that'll really annoy you if you're dealing with a complex model or doing toolpaths.

On the other hand, I tend to spend a lot more time in CAD/CAM software than a hobbyist will, so it might be worth the performance hit to you to stay within your preferred OS at all times.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

I have a dedicated controller machine. I figured if I was shelling out thousands for a CNC, it made sense to shell out a few hundred for a dedicated controller (I have a generic dell desktop). When you buy the K2, you send them the controller PC and they do a complete setup. When they ship it all back to you, you can be up and running really quickly..

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http://www.PeakeGuitars.com

Chris when you get back in the states, if you really want to build a CNC router, I'm sure I have a few extra PC's that will work for the controller PC, all you have to do is pay the shipping. That's not with the monitor though.

Mike

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

So, I've been under the weather a few days, (week). I did manage ,finally this late afternoon, with the help of my nephew to get the X axis in place. (squared.parallel/perpendicular and calibrated), including the uprights for the gantry, minus the x axis leadscrew. Started yesterday on this. I decided to get all of the axis together and then add the movement hardware. Pictures coming as soon as I can get then, soon. Being sick sux, it slows down the process.
MK

_________________
I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Here's a a shot of the X Axis mounts and slides.



mk

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

I managed to get my x axis together and running today. WOOOHOOO. Yep actually ran some rapids and some code. I wish I had a camcorder so I could show it off.
Was not what I expected though. The 1/2" lead screw has too much flex for 48" .
Will look at upgrading it as soon as possible. I could only get my rapids up to 325IPM before problems from resonance and flex.

Oh well I'm still happy.

will post some pics soon.

MK

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

So, I'm not happy with these lead screws I have. They will not allow me to get the rapids I really want. I would love to go with ball screws but. expense comes into play. I'm looking at some 5 start screws, 3/4" for the Z and Y and 1" for the X. anyone see problems with this idea?

Mike

_________________
I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Y axis up and running



Making some progress here, even with the Rash I have. dang this allergy crap.

MK

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

Hi Mike,

Looking good!

One question I have for you, is that the y-axis seems to be quite high above the table, any reason for that? Are you planning on cutting some very thick material?

Reason why I say this, is because the higher you make this, the less stiffness you will get, since if the gantry sides are tall, they will flex....

Just curious....

Keep up the good work!!!

PS: Hope you are not allergic to wood or Aluminum!

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-CyborgCNC
http://www.cncguitar.com
https://www.facebook.com/CncGuitar

Thanks Cyborgcnc,

I agree that at this time it is a tad high. I will be adjusting it this weekend. I do plan on cutting some material that will be 4'' to 6" (small corbels and such). I will also have a 1 1/2" bed on the frame as well. So at present it is set for about an actual 10" of Z travel. Most likely, I will end up with it set for about 7.5"

Thanks again for the help.
Mike

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

I lowered the Y axis by 3.5 inches before moving on to the X axis. So, the x axis is now in place with the router mounted. Just some cable management and MDF bed to make and all should be up and running. Have tested movement so I know that all works. I'm sure now the fun begins in all of the fine tuning.



MK

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I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.

WOW!! It looks like you got a lot of work done....looking good!

That porter cable trim-router is one tough little tool! On my first CNC router, I was running that thing 3-4 hours straight, and it never gave up.....still working well.

I bet you can't wait to start making chips!

Congrats!

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-CyborgCNC
http://www.cncguitar.com
https://www.facebook.com/CncGuitar

Thanks Cyborgcnc.

as far as chips. I have made some. WOW this is so cool.

Still some fine tuning to do but man this is great.

Thanks again.

Mike

_________________
I'm outside looking in, just farther from the window than most.