DIY CNC Router(13/09/2010)

The project kicked off and to date I have done the design on CAD and completed the frame, X/Y axes support shafts and sliders. All looking well so far. Cant wait to get them stepper motors mounted!!!!

 DIY CNC Router(18/01/2010)

Much has happened since! I got hold of my stepper motors and control cards from PROBOTIX - great service and value for money. The pics show the control cards and power supply.

Ok I had a problem with driving the axes - the motors juuuuust turned the threaded rods! Damn! have to engineer out the friction. So then i decided to up the torque by a geared system. And how fine they came out!!!

  

so I cheated and used vesconite-it was faster to machine as I am ancious to get going with the foam cutting of my linear bearings. Yes I will use these to engineer out the friction from my system. But I had to now build a PWM (pulse width controlled) foam cutter - I will post more on this under a new project.

This is the bearing design i researched and got from buildyouridea.com. Ingenius (CHEAP) way and I will now make use of the HOTPOT to cast those bearings.

I used MAch3 to run my machine and got a final foam result (after hours of frustration...ummm.... steep leraning curve) as shown.....Sweeeet!

The next step will be to glue on the sprue lines and dip these in rhinolite just as buildyouridea.com did.

Update 04/10/2010

This weekend was fruitful! With more research on getting more heat out of the 'HOTPOT' (used forced air supply). 

Sprue lines glued on and dipped in rhinolite (10 bucks a kilo -not bad but can get it cheaper elsewhere..). I had the 'dippings' dry for a week and prepared them in my drum 'flask'. Normal playsand wil form my casting medium.

   

My expectations were not much...... it was my first try on LF casting!!! But to my astonishment.... I couldnt believe the degree of sensitivity - even the little round foam balls can be seen in the casting...

 

 My second attempt wasnt good.... I believe I did not generate enough head to cause the ali to reach the full length of the casting....