CNC Mill Build Thread (Video and parts pics)

[scr8p]

Ironic that you need a mill to build a mill. Which begs to ask....how did they build the first mill

ya got me. i'm still trying to figure out how many licks it takes to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop. the world may never know......



looking good jake.

[REMJ666]

Ironic that you need a mill to build a mill. Which begs to ask....how did they build the first mill

ya got me. i'm still trying to figure out how many licks it takes to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop. the world may never know......



looking good jake.

I was gonna chime in with the " Which came first the chicken or the egg "

[Seabass]

I got my way oil in and found the time to get in the shop to continue the build. I am still waiting on a few other parts to complete the actual mill itself so hopefully this week the machine will be done. The controller is still in infant stages of being built and when I start the wiring, I will be sure to post the pics of the steps I take. I plan on drawing schematics of the wiring to help trouble shoot the machine in the future as well.

As I mentioned earlier, I was not happy with the height of the z axis (up and down). I attached some pics to show what I was talking about. I inserted an 1/8 inch end mill in the spindle and mocked up a part in the vise. I have about a 1 1/2 inch before the end mill reaches the part. If I want to use a larger end mill, the distance will decrease. Some of the parts I want to machine will require plunging into the part which will require the end mill to stick further out of the spindle. The parts I ordered will extend the z axis up to 4 inches so I will have plenty of room to do what I need.

[Seabass]

Got the remaining parts needed to complete the mill. Started working on the mill and made good progress until it came time to mount the stepper motor couplers. No screws came with any of the parts for the stepper motor mount. Not a problem but you would think the custom stepper motor mounts would come with the $0.10 screws needed to install the parts...

After a run to the local fastener shop tomorrow, I should have the machine ready for wiring.

The z axis riser worked perfect and gave me the room I was looking for.

Jake

[Seabass]

Tonight was the first night I decided to start wiring the power supply. Since I am not getting much of a response from the guy who was willing to help wire the controller up, I decided to get on the net and do some searching for general tips on wiring these boxes. After an hour or so, I got what I needed figured out. Ran into problems with wiring my on/off switch and after throwing some sparks and tripping a circuit breaker, I was back in business. I have power to the power supply and I have a lighted rocker switch in place. Next task will be converting power to 5V to run my breakout board, wiring in a fan to keep things cool, and wiring in an emergency power button.

More parts on order...

[Seabass]

So finally made some progress on the controller. After the first test of figuring out where everything went I was able to get the power supply wired up. I have a 115V inlet which is routed through a 125V fan, on/off switch and an emergency power button. That will go into the 48V power supply to power the stepper motor drives which are not pictured yet. I am still waiting on a 5V power supply which will power one side of the breakout board as seen in the pictures. The many smaller wires are my stepper motor connections which will be wired into the stepper motor drives.

The big question I have right now is there is a 115V input to power the other side of the breakout board but it is not marked where the load wire goes and the neutral wire goes. I would really hate to fry the breakout board since it would be a huge set back in the build. Time to do more research.

The red rocker is the power button which will turn everything on, the green rocker is for my coolant system which I am still waiting on the parts to finish. I could have wired the coolant through the breakout board which would allow me to add lines of g-code to turn coolant on/off automatically but since I am learning as I go, I figured I would stay relatively simple for the first go around. I may end up changing this down the road. The back of the box has my stepper motor 4 pin connecters and the AC inlet. I still need to cut the holes for the parallel cable and another AC inlet/outlet.

The machine is finished and waiting for the controller to be finished.

Jake

[scr8p]

all these components are just itching to mill a tub for me.

[Seabass]

Jason, you are correct. After I test the machine making cuts, a CF chassis will be the first thing to go under the knife so to speak.

Success, I was able to power up the breakout board and tested all the various terminals. I also learned the breakout board actually has its own 5V power supply. Stupid me did not know this so the 5V power supply I ordered is a waste.

Next up, wire in the stepper motor drives and stepper motors. I actually might be able to actually plug the machine into the controller tomorrow and start setting the parameters for the software VS TPI screws so the computer knows how far it is moving the table.

Jake

[jwscab]

Jake, what is the make and model of that breakout board? I assume this has a parallel or serial or usb connection on it to control the stepper motors?

[Seabass]

Joe,

The breakout board is a Bob Campell Sound Logic board. A ribbon parallel cable will connec the PC to the breakout board. Going with this setup I did not need to have the extra 5 volt power source to power the breakout board since it is combined. This gives me the ability to add a 4th axis down the road if I desire.

Hopefully tonight I can get the stepper drives wired up and set the machine parameters on the PC.

Jake

[Charlie don't surf]

all these components are just itching to mill a tub for me.

And about 25# of aluminum for me, and 15# of delrin, and.................


All after Jake finishes his 91' Stealth Car though!!!!

[slotcarrod]

Yea Jake! Where's my Stealth Car?

[Charlie don't surf]

2400 something commercenter Dr!

[Seabass]

Yes guys, the Stealth car will move into overdrive as soon as I get going.

Update!

Got the controller completely wired up except for the coolant, still waiting on parts. Powered everything up and started Mach 3 software. Worked through several of the setup menus but still have a ways to go. I am able to jog the table and was able to run a test program. As I was working through the setup, the y axis stopped working. The stepper motor was still turning but the table was not moving .

I removed the stepper motor and found the coupler between the motor and the lead screw snapped in half, WTH? I sent an email to the manufacturer to see if I can get it replaced. I could understand the coupler snapping if the machine crashed but I only moved the table in a two inch square in the middle of the travel. There is no way the coupler should have given out like it did.

No more setting up the machine until I can get the y axis fixed.

This will give me an opportunity to finish the coolant system and start building the enclosure.

[Seabass]

Well the manufacturer still has yet to provide me an answer for the broken coupler

Decided to say screw it, and I turned a new one on the lathe. I am actually prefer my coupler over the Sherline one since it is a solid design vs one that proved a bit of give. The way I see it, if I crash the machine, I can always fix the machine. I would be pissed if I was running a part and the coupler gave out in the middle of the part. Would make things almost impossible to get lined up again since the offsets and machine home would almost impossible to match after taking the machine apart. The machine is below and ready to be mounted to the cabinet.

Still waiting on one last part for the coolant system.

I started building the cabinet to hold the machine, controller, coolant system, and computer. I am not a carpenter but the lower half of the cabinet is solid. I still need to put the panels on the sides to hide all the bracing. The top will consist of a 29 x 23 plastic pan 4 inches tall to catch the coolant. I will put a drain in the pan and route the coolant back to the reservoir (bucket). The machine will mount above the pan allowing the coolant to run into the pan.

I will also pick up some plexi glass to make some sides to catch the coolant from spraying all over the place as the endmill is turning.