The linear rails, bearing blocks, lead screw, coupler, and stepper bracket were from aliexpress iirc. The flat alloy plates started as blank and I created the layouts. The sides I cut to shape on the cnc.
Hey Ben, awesome stuff! Do you find the 2.2kW spindle is powerfuly enough for aluminium? Any experience with a 1.5kW spindle? That's what I'm looking at getting and it would be great to hear your thoughts. Cheers, mate!
really anything 800w+ will work 2.2kw is very overkill for desktop aluminum just go with 1.5kw and get some nice bits however if you want to mess with other harder metals thats where 2.2kw really comes in handy
Sorry for the delay. I would guess that the 1.5 might be ok. I don't really have enough experience to say with any certainty. I have cut a PC back panel using just a 400w but it wasn't a great experience. That was very thin and soft alloy at steps of 0.1mm. I have found that the type of alloy you are using can make a big difference. 6061 is noticeably harder on a cnc. I tend to be conservative using small step downs.
It seems you have to have just the right selection of terms, either "accordion way cover cnc" or "sheild cnc machine cloth" depending on which online import/auction site you are searching.
The first search term works on ebay and AliE but the results are hideous in price and the second term is more inline with reality and inexpensive. Thank you.
Interesting video thanks. I had to chuckle at the modesty plate which was supposedly keeping the swarf away from the leadscrew... all it was really doing was hiding the swarf and making it impossible to clean! Replace it with a couple of rods and a clip-on cover.
Great upgrade! Being able to tuck the rotary axis under the gantry is brilliant. Love to see someone produce a kit like your mod w/ 100 mm additional height in side plates, Z rails and Z lead screw. I'd make the swap in a heartbeat.
Ben, the next step would be to switch the linear rods on the X axis to supported rails, as with your Z axis’s mods, you added some extra weight on the already weak and unsupported X rails. In my opinion, the spindle is hanging too much out , and not that well supported, so you may have to rethink the shape of the alu plates that holds the X axis as well
the entire gantry needs a redesign like you hinted at.. linear rails (20mm flat) and all longer hardware.. maybe a 25mm thick backplate for the linear rails.
Can't see what benefits you get from this while not upgrading Rod Rails to Supported, and Spindle hangning whit so much additional weight You just look to know what you do, but you have no clue what you are doing, and using gloves? wtf common dude....
Felix Dudley designed it and cut it. Some parts had to be done or prepared with jigsaw as they didn’t easily fit into the cnc. I notice you can get some z axis kits, the downside is finding the length you want and configuration. As I mention elsewhere, making the rails longer than the lead screw would have been a good idea but I only thought of it after. All the kits I’ve seen match the rails and screw length.
z-axis rails are 300mm and lead screw is 300mm. If I was doing it again I would get 400mm rails. The rails can be longer than the ballscrew to get the most out of what the ballscrew can offer.
