Hey everyone!
I am in the thick of building and shipping out the fruits of my last CNC project, the JogIt! CNC pendant. (If you want to see more about that project you can check out the Kickstarter page here: Jog It! Open source controller pendant for EMC2 and Mach3! by Jerome miles ? Kickstarter)
I thought I would share a little bit about my new project I am going to be building in February, and I need lots of input!
My goal is to design and build a small desktop CNC Mill that is:
1. Super affordable (around $800 ready to run)
2. Structure made entirely from metal
3. Can use either Mach3, Linux CNC, or arduino CNC as the control software
4. Include a plug and play fourth axis as an option
5. Be able to cut non ferrous metals, wood, PCB's, Plastics etc.
6. Large cuting area for the size, right now X=8", Y=4" and Z=5"
6. Open source and great looking! All the CAD files, BOM, PCB layouts, etc would be put onto the internet free for all to use.
Here is where I am at in the design phase so far, still kind of rough but it gives you an idea.
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Linear motion is going to be provided by some custom made Nema17 stepper motors I designed. I am having six samples made in China right now that should be here next week! These motors are the heart and soul of the project because they simplify the whole machine a great deal.
They have an 8mm diameter, 2mm pitch precision lead screw as the output shaft. This makes it so there is no need to use a shaft coupler and secondary bearings to secure the lead screw to the machine! I took special care to put heavier duty bearings in the motor and design an adjustment system in that allows you to adjust out the linear backlash to esentally nothing (and keep it there over time).
Two piece, spring loaded brass antibacklash nuts will also be standard equipment on the leadscrews. This combined with the custom motors should provide a very accurate machine that requires little maintanence!
The linear ways will be case hardened, ground and polished 16mm diameter rods. These will be tapped and threaded on the ends to allow a 1/4-20 bolt to secure them to the frame pieces.
Linear bearings will be bronze bushing press fit into the frame pieces.
The frame pieces will be CNC machined and anodized Aluminum (or maybe a higher end model that uses powder coated steel?)
Elecronics will be a custom 4 axis break out board. It will have Opto Isolaters for the parrelel port, two relays for Aux controls, and four sockets where standard Pololu Stepper motors can plug in to control each axis. This custom board and a power supply with be encased in some kind of sexy looking box, ready to plug into a computer and a 110v outlet.
The spindle is really up in the air at this point, but would likely be a drilled and tapped hole that you could screw a Dremel Style rotary tool into.
This is where I need you help! I would like to make this a machine people people will want, is great looking, fun to use and will last a long time.
What are everyones thoughts on the design so far?
What would be a better cutting table; two T Slots, or a Grid like in the pictures with drilled and tapped holes spaced 1" appart?
Is a Dremel for a spindle ok? At an $800 price point that would probably be the only option. I have thought about doing a custom brushless spindle with a belt reduction and speed control (both manual and through G-code commands) but that would probably cost a few hundred dollars more.
Is a 4th axis something people would even want on a machine this size? Could make some pretty awsome pinewood derby cars with it! It would be an option, because I know not everyone would want it...
Would people want an enclosure option? With a pump for coolant?
The goal is to build two prototype machines in February, and Launch a new Kickstarter campaign in march offering these for about $800 each after I put a few hundred hours on each machine running it 24/7 to test the durability.
Please post your thoughts, opinions, wishlists for a machine this size, thanks!
I am in the thick of building and shipping out the fruits of my last CNC project, the JogIt! CNC pendant. (If you want to see more about that project you can check out the Kickstarter page here: Jog It! Open source controller pendant for EMC2 and Mach3! by Jerome miles ? Kickstarter)
I thought I would share a little bit about my new project I am going to be building in February, and I need lots of input!
My goal is to design and build a small desktop CNC Mill that is:
1. Super affordable (around $800 ready to run)
2. Structure made entirely from metal
3. Can use either Mach3, Linux CNC, or arduino CNC as the control software
4. Include a plug and play fourth axis as an option
5. Be able to cut non ferrous metals, wood, PCB's, Plastics etc.
6. Large cuting area for the size, right now X=8", Y=4" and Z=5"
6. Open source and great looking! All the CAD files, BOM, PCB layouts, etc would be put onto the internet free for all to use.
Here is where I am at in the design phase so far, still kind of rough but it gives you an idea.
Linear motion is going to be provided by some custom made Nema17 stepper motors I designed. I am having six samples made in China right now that should be here next week! These motors are the heart and soul of the project because they simplify the whole machine a great deal.
They have an 8mm diameter, 2mm pitch precision lead screw as the output shaft. This makes it so there is no need to use a shaft coupler and secondary bearings to secure the lead screw to the machine! I took special care to put heavier duty bearings in the motor and design an adjustment system in that allows you to adjust out the linear backlash to esentally nothing (and keep it there over time).
Two piece, spring loaded brass antibacklash nuts will also be standard equipment on the leadscrews. This combined with the custom motors should provide a very accurate machine that requires little maintanence!
The linear ways will be case hardened, ground and polished 16mm diameter rods. These will be tapped and threaded on the ends to allow a 1/4-20 bolt to secure them to the frame pieces.
Linear bearings will be bronze bushing press fit into the frame pieces.
The frame pieces will be CNC machined and anodized Aluminum (or maybe a higher end model that uses powder coated steel?)
Elecronics will be a custom 4 axis break out board. It will have Opto Isolaters for the parrelel port, two relays for Aux controls, and four sockets where standard Pololu Stepper motors can plug in to control each axis. This custom board and a power supply with be encased in some kind of sexy looking box, ready to plug into a computer and a 110v outlet.
The spindle is really up in the air at this point, but would likely be a drilled and tapped hole that you could screw a Dremel Style rotary tool into.
This is where I need you help! I would like to make this a machine people people will want, is great looking, fun to use and will last a long time.
What are everyones thoughts on the design so far?
What would be a better cutting table; two T Slots, or a Grid like in the pictures with drilled and tapped holes spaced 1" appart?
Is a Dremel for a spindle ok? At an $800 price point that would probably be the only option. I have thought about doing a custom brushless spindle with a belt reduction and speed control (both manual and through G-code commands) but that would probably cost a few hundred dollars more.
Is a 4th axis something people would even want on a machine this size? Could make some pretty awsome pinewood derby cars with it! It would be an option, because I know not everyone would want it...
Would people want an enclosure option? With a pump for coolant?
The goal is to build two prototype machines in February, and Launch a new Kickstarter campaign in march offering these for about $800 each after I put a few hundred hours on each machine running it 24/7 to test the durability.
Please post your thoughts, opinions, wishlists for a machine this size, thanks!