Tassie Build Steel & Aluminium

[Lucky Phil]

I have sent and received a couple of pm’s with Kym A and after looking at pictures of his machine and a couple of others I thought it was about time to post something on here as everyone seems so eager to help others and point people in the right direction.
I have been talking about building a CNC router, for quite afew years now and thought if I didn’t start making it now it would probably never happen!
My plan is to build a machine that is capable of cutting and routing most materials including aluminium. Not having seen any CNC routers in action other than large commercial ones, so I have no plans as such rather just a lot of thoughts that I hope will come together to make something worthwhile.
I want to have a cutting area of 1220w x 900d with open ends so I can route full size sheets (2440x1220) and have 200mm of Z axis travel, with full clearance under the gantry so I can put higher pieces under the cutting tool and also with the possibility of making a rotating axis later on. The gantry will have one ball screw to drive the spindle across it (X axis) but the gantry itself will have one on each side(Y axis), I would really like to use servos to drive it but probably only afford to run steppers, I am thinking of Gecko drives either way.
I have a PP-BOB2-V1 breakout board from Tiny Controls and a 2.2kw water cooled spindle with a Huanyang Inverter. To keep the spindle cool I have a 12vdc 400 litre per hour pump & refrigeration condenser and I will fabricate a reservoir of about ten litres.
I’m not sure whether to use Mach3 or Linux CNC to drive the router as yet. I have been told that Cam Bam is a good program to use to design some parts in but also create g-code files.
These are the first pictures of the Z axis I have made, front & rear plates are 12mm aluminium with a 20x20mm spacer on the rails, I am using 20mm Hywin rails & wide flange blocks and a 16mm ball screw.
Most of the dimensions are still in my head, although I am drawing most of the parts up as I go so I can check for clearance and to make drilling templates.
I am trying to use aluminium where possible but it is hard to find large profiles with thick wall sections here in Tassie unless one of the local ship builders has used some.
The next big purchase will be my gantry rails & ball screw which I plan on using 20mm rails & a 25mm ball screw as the weight is creeping up and the length of the ball screw will be about 1500mm.
I have looked at the router built by Ch4iS and think his design is good, I like the idea of having the channels along the side with the rails on one edge and the bed mounted on the other, there seems to be a big topic on whether to use levelling epoxy or not, but if I use some 200-250x100mm channel on the sides of my router, I will be able to have them machined square & parallel, I will also be able to have the 200mm clearance that I want after the bed is mounted.
I will probably weld in ends to the channel sections then send them out to a workshop with a large mill to machine both sides perfectly parallel to each other.
I have seen a link to an aluminium supplier in Melbourne that has 40x160mm t slot sections that I would like to use as my main bed, and then have a sacrificial MDF sheet on that, and will be able to mount a vacuum table & vacuum pucks to that easily when needed.

Anyway if I haven’t bored you all senseless let me know your thoughts, while I am saving up for the next instalment I am playing with the settings in the VFD and Mach3, I have got the spindle to start and stop using Mach3 and my PP-BOB-V1 but can’t change the speed yet. I have had the spindle ramping up and down using an externally mounted pot so the settings in the VFD should be right.
Here are a few photos to start with.

[snowyskiesau]

Welcome to the forum from another Tasmanian.

I'll be watching this build with interest.

[pippin88]

I use LinuxCNC and find it works great. Much more stable and bug free for me than Mach3.

Consider Leadshine digital drivers. Gecko drives (apart from the new GM230) are a generation or two old technology wise. Digital drivers result in much quieter steppers without the annoying hiss and resonance / loudness at low speeds. Some (Am882 and EM series) even have stall detection (doesn't need any extra sensor or wiring). You can buy leadshine drives on Aliexpress for about 60USD shipped.

I've just got a bunch in to use with a Mesa 7i43 and 7i76 for high speed hardware step generation.



I like the side plates, I've done the exact same thing on my Z axis. Improves stiffness vastly.

[Lucky Phil]

Apologies to everyone concerned if my posts aren't in the right format, I will pick it up.

Thanks snowyskiesau, I have family inlaw down your way, maybe I might be able to call in when I'm visiting them sometime to check out your machine.

Hi pippin88, I think it was the Gecko G201X that I thought might be the one but the Leadshine ones look very good, I still don't know what size motors I am going to use yet. The plates on the sides of the Z axis are to help with rigidity and also try to keep some rubbish off the slides, I have holes on the side to get to the grease nipples but I will probably take them off when greasing so I can clean up any excess grease.

My X axis rails & ballscrew have just arrived so I have ordered some steel to start making the gantry. It will be 1500mm long so I can get a full width sheet (1220) under it if needed. While I have been waiting for the rails I started working on the cooling system. I have a temperature controller with the probe mounted on the spindle mount and will switch over to a second one on the coolant reservoir that will start & stop the fans as necessary.

If anyone has a configuration file for LinuxCNC that will work with my spindle & breakout board that I can play with, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Lucky Phil]

Just picked up the steel for my X axis gantry, or should I say struggled moving it. It weighs in at 49.4kg as pictured, might only be a slow machine but wont bend or flex with any luck.
After looking at the picture I realised is doesn't show what it is very well, 200x100x4 RHS 1500 long, 100x50x6 channel 1500 long and a couple of bits of 10mm plate to cap the ends.

[pippin88]

It'll be fine. My gantry is 200x200x6mm 1600mm long and driven by two steppers. It'll move at over 20m/min and I haven't pushed it at all yet (still doing limit switches etc).

[Lucky Phil]

Here is the next picture of my progress, I have changed the piece of channel that I was going to cut into the 200x100 RHS for a piece of 150x150 UB. I have had the sides machined down so it has an overall size of 150x98, it will now fit inside the 200x100 RHS. I plan on plug welding it on the back side and stitch welding it on the front, so when welded i'll be able to cut the front out and it will look like a capital C from the end. The flanges are 50mm on one side and 32mm on the other, I will be able to have it in either way around depending on how much clearance I need for the ballscrew drive nut & mounts. I will mark and drill the plug weld holes and stitch weld slots then get it bead blasted before welding.
The next process after that will be surface grinding or milling the front face, squaring the ends, drilling the holes for the rails and ballscrew mounts and painting.

[Lucky Phil]

I was going to post some pictures before now but didn't get time so I am now putting before and after ones up.

I have inserted the H beam into the RHS section, plug welded it and trimmed the front out. I am going to add a few stitch welds along the front then weld in the ends, I will then have the front face machined flat and the ends squared up ready or mounting the rails & ball screw.

I am having trouble uploading pictures so I'm not sure wether they are in the right place or order, I will try to arrange them later.

I have just weighed the gantry as it is in last picture it is 55kg as it sits.

[pippin88]

Phil,

Glad to see progress happening.

Are you going to get the beam stress relieved?

[Lucky Phil]

Phil,

Glad to see progress happening.

Are you going to get the beam stress relieved?

Hi pippin88,
I'm glad to see that someone is watching what I'm doing. To be honest I didn't even think of stress relieving it, the "H" beam inside the RHS was machined straight and the RHS was straight to start with so I was hoping it would stay that way. When I plug welded the holes I started on the front side in the middle working my way to each end at the same time much the same as you would tensioning the head down on a motor, then I did the same on the back. There is twice as many plug welds on the front allowing for the removal of the centre strip of metal. I took it into the machine shop this morning to get them to face off the front, they put their straight edge on it, and it only has about .035" warp across the entire length. I have asked them to set it up so here is minimal material taken off, their machine runs flood coolant so it shouldn't even get warm while machining.
After that long winded speal I should have said "no" but I hope it doesn't need I because its too late now.
Philip

[pippin88]

Phil,

Sounds like it will be ok.

I'm making progress on my machine, and I've come across a few bits I'd like better... Alignment is out 0.2mm here and there - then I remember that it's a wood working machine, and as best I can measure its 0.2mm out over 200mm - it should be right.

Cheers,
Nick

[Lucky Phil]

Phil,

Sounds like it will be ok.

I'm making progress on my machine, and I've come across a few bits I'd like better... Alignment is out 0.2mm here and there - then I remember that it's a wood working machine, and as best I can measure its 0.2mm out over 200mm - it should be right.

Cheers,
Nick

Hi Nick

I would love to see some more pictures of your machine.

I picked up my gantry beam from the engineering shop today, they only needed to take 0.6 off across the rail surfaces to get it straight & aligned which was better than I thought it was going to be.

I will now line up the components, drill and tap all the holes & get some paint on it & then assemble it over the next couple of weeks.

I's time to start planning the next bits, angle sections to mount the beam onto, channel sections for the "Y" rails.

Saving up for the next linear rails & ballscrews might take a while.

[Lucky Phil]

Hi all, I have just finished drilling & tapping the mounting holes for the rails & ballscrew & put some primer on it to protect it while deciding on a colour to paint it.
Can someone suggest what type/ model & part number of limit/home switches I should use, I thought it best to mount my brackets for switches, cable chain & coolant pips before I put he top coat on.

I have made a couple of legs out of an old fence post (in background of pic) to use as a temporary support for the gantry until the next level down is done.

[simonmags]

Watching with interest, that looks like a very serious setup. Do you have dedicated space for it in the shed or do you hope to be able to dissasemble and pack it away at times?

[Lucky Phil]

Watching with interest, that looks like a very serious setup. Do you have dedicated space for it in the shed or do you hope to be able to dissasemble and pack it away at times?

I have cleaned up a section in the background of the picture where the pine paneling is, the legs will hold the gantry until the rest is built.
I have just ordered the Y axis rails & ball screws but have ordered longer ones than I first planned on so my area is going to be a bit cramped, if & when I want to machine a full sheet (2400x1200) I will have to move my freezer.
The router won't be built to be dismantled other than be able to remove the gantry & bed, it will have wheels on it that I can drop down with the help of an hydraulic jack or something so I can move it.
Early next week I will buy the steel to make the ends of the gantry and the rail & bed supports for the Y axis and that will determine the final footprint and bed size.