cnc conversion

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Julian

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Hi All,

I have converted my Seig X1 mill to complete cnc running on Mach 3. All drives are steppers with oldham links and home-built lead-screw systems with virtually no backlash. They are not ballscrews but have a slight tolerance. My accuracy is out by three steps per shaft rotation but I am microstepping at 1600 steps per rev so not too shabby. Did an electronics project last week and needed to mark and drill the lid of the ali box so decided to let cnc do it while I did something else. Thought you might like a couple of pics:-

Machining.
DSCF0301.jpg


Finished after two passes one with 5mm cutter and one with engraving bit.
DSCF0306.jpg


Regards

Julian.

 
Nice work!

Julian, tell us about the eccentric clamps on your tooling plate. They look handy.

Cheers,

BW
 
that looks great , I am doing the same convertion but it is stalled because the amount of play I am getting its all in the screws the ends are OK as I have ballraced and used thrust bearings and there is no play there it is all in the nut dept, have you any pictures of your conversion or info.
thanks

Peter
 
Hi All, Thanks for comments.
The clamps are some I made as a starting point to then refine and make more. So far they have done the job well so have not yet been refined. I have made a handle to use when fitting to tighten them to grip the work. On heavy cuts they sometimes allow the work to lift slightly so need to be used with other clamps but generally hold very well. When I have time I will detail their making and use and take some more pics. The table has a steel plate on it as can be seen in the photo. The holes were drilled by the mill after cnc conversion and then threaded. All clamping then uses them. The plate is held on with countersunk bolts into the original tee nuts. The face was machined once fitted with a fly-cutter under cnc control so it is true to the cutters.

The screws I made use M12 threaded rod machined to tale the oldhan couplings. The 'nuts' are made from some hard plastic. There are two on each with strong springs batween to eliminate almost all the backlash. Again more detail and pics when time.

Julian.
 
Ok thanks for that

Peter
 
Julian was this your X-Y table at Harrogate, If so what do you use it with and how successful was it I have a ARC Micro mill and was thinking of trying to cnc it for etching brass parts

Peter

table1 (1140 x 855).jpg
 
Hi

I made the control box. John Stephenson did the stepper conversion on the X-Y table. I was going to do it but he had already started. I have suggested to Ketan that we convert the Z of a micro mill and match it with this table for a small cnc machine to show alonside the KH3. Be like "Big brother, little brother". I am just finishing off the article to go on the Arc website for the building of the controler. Probably a couple of weeks.

To convert the Z of the micro mill does I gather present a few problems but apparantly they are not massive. They just need more work than other mills.

Regards

Julian.
 

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