This is my first post here, so go easy on me ;)
I've been wanting to get a (hobby) CNC mill for while and have been keeping an eye on the market for about a year now, reading and learning while trying to decide what machine to buy. The CNC 3040 or 6040 seemed great at first (and within my price range) but I was put off by the multitude of problems people were having with the controllers, the cabling, and the underpowered spindle. However, most of this now seems to have been resolved with the new controller, VFD and spindle that ships with the YooCNC versions of these platforms, and as luck would have it I also happen to have the funds to make a purchase.
I'm still trying to decide between the 3040 and 6040 models - with the 3040 (£650 shipped) being exactly half the total cost of the 6040 (£1300 shipped) - an annoyingly tempting price difference :( I'm also worried that the 6040 is going to be too large a machine for my already somewhat crowded workshop, with a footprint close to 1m3.
The primary uses I see for a CNC are circuit board making, front panel engraving, making small parts and spares as well as mounting elements for various tinkering and repairs that I'm always up to - all of which should comfortably fit on the 3040's smaller table. On the other hand I also want to use the machine to experiment with engraving photos and other "art" type work (2.5D engraving, sign making, paper cutting etc) and since I already have a couple of A2 inkjets, and an A0 plotter, I'm spoilt with being able to work LARGE - I fear that for artistic use the 3040 will simply feel too small. Anyway, this is a decision I have to make for myself (I'm strongly leaning towards the 6040 btw), and it's not the reason I'm posting here - though if you have anything to add on the subject I'd be interested in your opinion.
Once I do get a CNC mill, one of the first projects I'd like to use it for is to build a 3D printer - the order seems to make sense to me as you should be able to make most of the structural components for a 3D printer on a CNC mill (from perspex or aluminium), whereas the reverse would be impossible. I know that many feel that the true genius of a 3D printer is its potential ability to "self replicate" - and I can see the beauty of this argument - but I'm more interested in practical use. If a 3D printer is to have any value to me it has to be able to produce reasonably high resolution output (100 microns or better), and be fairly reliable. That pretty much excludes anything I could design and build myself from scratch, so I've looked around for kits, plans and cut/part lists for proven designs.
Although I've found a couple of very promising design candidates (the "Ditto" and the "Ultimaker" for example), I've stumbled upon a bit of a snag: all the cut lists I've found are intended to be run on a laser cutter and contain many radii(?) which aren't possible to replicate on a CNC mill, particularly for the "T-slot" style fixing system of the main body panels which seems to be so popular.
TL,DR:
Does anybody know of a set of plans, with parts and cut lists, for a 3D printer that is suitable for making with a CNC mill, and which has the potential to reach 100 micron resolution? If not, do you have any suggestions for where I could go to find more information on the subject?
Any input appreciated!
I've been wanting to get a (hobby) CNC mill for while and have been keeping an eye on the market for about a year now, reading and learning while trying to decide what machine to buy. The CNC 3040 or 6040 seemed great at first (and within my price range) but I was put off by the multitude of problems people were having with the controllers, the cabling, and the underpowered spindle. However, most of this now seems to have been resolved with the new controller, VFD and spindle that ships with the YooCNC versions of these platforms, and as luck would have it I also happen to have the funds to make a purchase.
I'm still trying to decide between the 3040 and 6040 models - with the 3040 (£650 shipped) being exactly half the total cost of the 6040 (£1300 shipped) - an annoyingly tempting price difference :( I'm also worried that the 6040 is going to be too large a machine for my already somewhat crowded workshop, with a footprint close to 1m3.
The primary uses I see for a CNC are circuit board making, front panel engraving, making small parts and spares as well as mounting elements for various tinkering and repairs that I'm always up to - all of which should comfortably fit on the 3040's smaller table. On the other hand I also want to use the machine to experiment with engraving photos and other "art" type work (2.5D engraving, sign making, paper cutting etc) and since I already have a couple of A2 inkjets, and an A0 plotter, I'm spoilt with being able to work LARGE - I fear that for artistic use the 3040 will simply feel too small. Anyway, this is a decision I have to make for myself (I'm strongly leaning towards the 6040 btw), and it's not the reason I'm posting here - though if you have anything to add on the subject I'd be interested in your opinion.
Once I do get a CNC mill, one of the first projects I'd like to use it for is to build a 3D printer - the order seems to make sense to me as you should be able to make most of the structural components for a 3D printer on a CNC mill (from perspex or aluminium), whereas the reverse would be impossible. I know that many feel that the true genius of a 3D printer is its potential ability to "self replicate" - and I can see the beauty of this argument - but I'm more interested in practical use. If a 3D printer is to have any value to me it has to be able to produce reasonably high resolution output (100 microns or better), and be fairly reliable. That pretty much excludes anything I could design and build myself from scratch, so I've looked around for kits, plans and cut/part lists for proven designs.
Although I've found a couple of very promising design candidates (the "Ditto" and the "Ultimaker" for example), I've stumbled upon a bit of a snag: all the cut lists I've found are intended to be run on a laser cutter and contain many radii(?) which aren't possible to replicate on a CNC mill, particularly for the "T-slot" style fixing system of the main body panels which seems to be so popular.
TL,DR:
Does anybody know of a set of plans, with parts and cut lists, for a 3D printer that is suitable for making with a CNC mill, and which has the potential to reach 100 micron resolution? If not, do you have any suggestions for where I could go to find more information on the subject?
Any input appreciated!