Mike_89 Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 I've been doing a bit of research on building my own CNC machine. I have concluded my findings and know what to build. Just wondering if any members have had any dealings with CAM software / G-Code or even building a similar project? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybp Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 yea I've built several and a cnc lathe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybp Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 you can see it on page 15 of my build thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_89 Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 (edited) This looks impressive. I am wanting to mill aluminium and need some advice, as I am led to believe that feed rates and spindle speed is critical to cutting aluminium without destroying the machine due to vibrations. Edited May 24, 2015 by Mike_89 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybp Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 i do mill aluminium on mine but i have to make lots of passes removing a small amount of material what sort of design of machine are you looking at ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_89 Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 I am initially looking at building a desktop style 3-axis machine using extruded aluminium or something will provide some rigidity. The idea at the minute is to build a simple (yet sturdy) machine which can then help me build a more complex machine were I can machine my own parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybp Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 I am initially looking at building a desktop style 3-axis machine using extruded aluminium or something will provide some rigidity. The idea at the minute is to build a simple (yet sturdy) machine which can then help me build a more complex machine were I can machine my own parts. thats the way i did it my first 2 were actually made from mdf mines 60mm extruded aluminium with solid 10mm end plates and 20mm rails and linear bearings which would be fine for aluminium if it didn;t have a 600 x450 work area Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_89 Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 Were did you purchase the materials? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybp Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 some came from these people http://www.worldofcnc.com/ some from ebay it does pay to shop around as some of the prices vary wildly if you're going to be machining harder materials fully supported rails will be better than rails like mine just supported at the ends also what software/hardware are you going to use ? i've had lots of trouble with intel based systems but none with amd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugg90 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I'm a toolmaker so only have experience with industriaL machines, what are you planning to machine. IF I was going to build my own I would probably try retrofitting a manual mill as it will be far more versatile and much stronger than anything you could build yourself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybp Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I'm a toolmaker so only have experience with industriaL machines, what are you planning to machine. IF I was going to build my own I would probably try retrofitting a manual mill as it will be far more versatile and much stronger than anything you could build yourself. retro fitting a manual mill would have been my preference but don't have the space Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugg90 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 I'm a toolmaker so only have experience with industriaL machines, what are you planning to machine. IF I was going to build my own I would probably try retrofitting a manual mill as it will be far more versatile and much stronger than anything you could build yourself. retro fitting a manual mill would have been my preference but don't have the space Yeh I no space can be an issue but there are several machines aimed at hobby machinists which are quite compact Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_89 Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 some came from these people http://www.worldofcnc.com/ some from ebay it does pay to shop around as some of the prices vary wildly if you're going to be machining harder materials fully supported rails will be better than rails like mine just supported at the ends also what software/hardware are you going to use ? i've had lots of trouble with intel based systems but none with amd SOFTWARE CAM -> BobCam or similiar Mach3 / Mach4 OS -> Windows 7 64-bit HARDWARE 5-axis CNC Breakout board opto isolation for the parallel port Stepper Motor Drivers w/Stepper Motors Deciding between Directly coupled motors or pulley system with different ratios (still researching this at present. Not sure if it will increase the overall accuracy of the machine). Linear Slide Rails (Flat Type) Fixed to structure Decided to go with a 5-axis machine I think as it will add a little extra work onto the end mill Before I purchase anything I will be designing the machine on CAD. I'm a toolmaker so only have experience with industriaL machines, what are you planning to machine. IF I was going to build my own I would probably try retrofitting a manual mill as it will be far more versatile and much stronger than anything you could build yourself. I am looking at milling various materials to make my own parts etc.... I imagine the limits are relatively endless as you can continuously improve the machine. The other benefit to this is to learn something new, as a systems engineer I find a lot of things interesting and like to understand how things work. So I thought why not do something that would be useful. It will also help me with other future projects as I can make parts if required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugg90 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 some came from these people http://www.worldofcnc.com/ some from ebay it does pay to shop around as some of the prices vary wildly if you're going to be machining harder materials fully supported rails will be better than rails like mine just supported at the ends also what software/hardware are you going to use ? i've had lots of trouble with intel based systems but none with amd SOFTWARE CAM -> BobCam or similiar Mach3 / Mach4 OS -> Windows 7 64-bit HARDWARE 5-axis CNC Breakout board opto isolation for the parallel port Stepper Motor Drivers w/Stepper Motors Deciding between Directly coupled motors or pulley system with different ratios (still researching this at present. Not sure if it will increase the overall accuracy of the machine). Linear Slide Rails (Flat Type) Fixed to structure Decided to go with a 5-axis machine I think as it will add a little extra work onto the end mill Before I purchase anything I will be designing the machine on CAD. I'm a toolmaker so only have experience with industriaL machines, what are you planning to machine. IF I was going to build my own I would probably try retrofitting a manual mill as it will be far more versatile and much stronger than anything you could build yourself. I am looking at milling various materials to make my own parts etc.... I imagine the limits are relatively endless as you can continuously improve the machine. The other benefit to this is to learn something new, as a systems engineer I find a lot of things interesting and like to understand how things work. So I thought why not do something that would be useful. It will also help me with other future projects as I can make parts if required. Well fair play to you sounds like an interesting project I would like to see what you come up with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugg90 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 some came from these people http://www.worldofcnc.com/ some from ebay it does pay to shop around as some of the prices vary wildly if you're going to be machining harder materials fully supported rails will be better than rails like mine just supported at the ends also what software/hardware are you going to use ? i've had lots of trouble with intel based systems but none with amd SOFTWARE CAM -> BobCam or similiar Mach3 / Mach4 OS -> Windows 7 64-bit HARDWARE 5-axis CNC Breakout board opto isolation for the parallel port Stepper Motor Drivers w/Stepper Motors Deciding between Directly coupled motors or pulley system with different ratios (still researching this at present. Not sure if it will increase the overall accuracy of the machine). Linear Slide Rails (Flat Type) Fixed to structure Decided to go with a 5-axis machine I think as it will add a little extra work onto the end mill Before I purchase anything I will be designing the machine on CAD. I'm a toolmaker so only have experience with industriaL machines, what are you planning to machine. IF I was going to build my own I would probably try retrofitting a manual mill as it will be far more versatile and much stronger than anything you could build yourself. I am looking at milling various materials to make my own parts etc.... I imagine the limits are relatively endless as you can continuously improve the machine. The other benefit to this is to learn something new, as a systems engineer I find a lot of things interesting and like to understand how things work. So I thought why not do something that would be useful. It will also help me with other future projects as I can make parts if required. Well fair play to you sounds like an interesting project I would like to see what you come up with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugg90 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 some came from these people http://www.worldofcnc.com/ some from ebay it does pay to shop around as some of the prices vary wildly if you're going to be machining harder materials fully supported rails will be better than rails like mine just supported at the ends also what software/hardware are you going to use ? i've had lots of trouble with intel based systems but none with amd SOFTWARE CAM -> BobCam or similiar Mach3 / Mach4 OS -> Windows 7 64-bit HARDWARE 5-axis CNC Breakout board opto isolation for the parallel port Stepper Motor Drivers w/Stepper Motors Deciding between Directly coupled motors or pulley system with different ratios (still researching this at present. Not sure if it will increase the overall accuracy of the machine). Linear Slide Rails (Flat Type) Fixed to structure Decided to go with a 5-axis machine I think as it will add a little extra work onto the end mill Before I purchase anything I will be designing the machine on CAD. I'm a toolmaker so only have experience with industriaL machines, what are you planning to machine. IF I was going to build my own I would probably try retrofitting a manual mill as it will be far more versatile and much stronger than anything you could build yourself. I am looking at milling various materials to make my own parts etc.... I imagine the limits are relatively endless as you can continuously improve the machine. The other benefit to this is to learn something new, as a systems engineer I find a lot of things interesting and like to understand how things work. So I thought why not do something that would be useful. It will also help me with other future projects as I can make parts if required. Well fair play to you sounds like an interesting project I would like to see what you come up with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugg90 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 some came from these people http://www.worldofcnc.com/ some from ebay it does pay to shop around as some of the prices vary wildly if you're going to be machining harder materials fully supported rails will be better than rails like mine just supported at the ends also what software/hardware are you going to use ? i've had lots of trouble with intel based systems but none with amd SOFTWARE CAM -> BobCam or similiar Mach3 / Mach4 OS -> Windows 7 64-bit HARDWARE 5-axis CNC Breakout board opto isolation for the parallel port Stepper Motor Drivers w/Stepper Motors Deciding between Directly coupled motors or pulley system with different ratios (still researching this at present. Not sure if it will increase the overall accuracy of the machine). Linear Slide Rails (Flat Type) Fixed to structure Decided to go with a 5-axis machine I think as it will add a little extra work onto the end mill Before I purchase anything I will be designing the machine on CAD. I'm a toolmaker so only have experience with industriaL machines, what are you planning to machine. IF I was going to build my own I would probably try retrofitting a manual mill as it will be far more versatile and much stronger than anything you could build yourself. I am looking at milling various materials to make my own parts etc.... I imagine the limits are relatively endless as you can continuously improve the machine. The other benefit to this is to learn something new, as a systems engineer I find a lot of things interesting and like to understand how things work. So I thought why not do something that would be useful. It will also help me with other future projects as I can make parts if required. Well fair play to you sounds like an interesting project I would like to see what you come up with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugg90 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 some came from these people http://www.worldofcnc.com/ some from ebay it does pay to shop around as some of the prices vary wildly if you're going to be machining harder materials fully supported rails will be better than rails like mine just supported at the ends also what software/hardware are you going to use ? i've had lots of trouble with intel based systems but none with amd SOFTWARE CAM -> BobCam or similiar Mach3 / Mach4 OS -> Windows 7 64-bit HARDWARE 5-axis CNC Breakout board opto isolation for the parallel port Stepper Motor Drivers w/Stepper Motors Deciding between Directly coupled motors or pulley system with different ratios (still researching this at present. Not sure if it will increase the overall accuracy of the machine). Linear Slide Rails (Flat Type) Fixed to structure Decided to go with a 5-axis machine I think as it will add a little extra work onto the end mill Before I purchase anything I will be designing the machine on CAD. I'm a toolmaker so only have experience with industriaL machines, what are you planning to machine. IF I was going to build my own I would probably try retrofitting a manual mill as it will be far more versatile and much stronger than anything you could build yourself. I am looking at milling various materials to make my own parts etc.... I imagine the limits are relatively endless as you can continuously improve the machine. The other benefit to this is to learn something new, as a systems engineer I find a lot of things interesting and like to understand how things work. So I thought why not do something that would be useful. It will also help me with other future projects as I can make parts if required. Well fair play to you sounds like an interesting project I would like to see what you come up with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 x5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugg90 Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Lol I dno wot happened with that my fone went nuts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GT4 Zed Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Do it Mike, i can see lots of custom projects in our future😄😄😄😄! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_89 Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 Do it Mike, i can see lots of custom projects in our futureí ½í¸„í ½í¸„í ½í¸„í ½í¸„! Going to get the supercharger on first and get the design done then build it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun350z Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 (edited) I recently finished making my own diy cnc! Open builds ox cnc is a really good strong diy cnc, mines made of various alu profiles and 10mm aluminium for the gantrys only had it a few months but it's been working pretty hard last few weekends cutting a mates university project! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited May 15, 2016 by shaun350z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted May 15, 2016 Share Posted May 15, 2016 I have a denford TriacPC just about to rebuild the cabinet and convert to mach 3 on it. also recently sold a denford Nova Cam to husky on here which would have been the size you would have been looking at. have a look around as you may be able to find an old school CNC and convert it quicker than self building. and then build your bigger machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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