Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link

[simpson36]

Hi everyone,

After much study and work and help from this forum and other resources, I have my servo powered 4th axis up and running. It does everything I wanted it to do.

In the current arrangement, the mill spindle stays active and still functions as normal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KNit__LJE4

For now, some interesting programming is needed along with a custom macro to do the thread passes, but in time, I think Mach3 will have features to make this much better.

I don't plan to make aluminum bolts from round stock. The part just demonstrates the various functions I wanted to get working.

[derekbpcnc]

Hi everyone,

After much study and work and help from this forum and other resources, I have my servo powered 4th axis up and running. It does everything I wanted it to do.

I the current arrangement, the mill spindle stays active and still functions as normal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KNit__LJE4

For no, some interesting programming is needed along with a custom machro to to the htread passes, but in time, I think Mach3 will have features to make this much better.

I don't plan to make aluminum bolts from round stock. The part just demonstrates the various functions I wanted to get working.

Excellent demo, congrats on such a great achievement.

ATB

Derek

[Chip]

Hi, Simpson36

Very Nice job you've done, Show us more if you get time.

Chip

[budman68]

Beautiful work, my friend, thanks for sharing.

Dave

[vmax549]

NICE JOB,  Just a note on the indexer head . If you plan to use it much machine the housing for seals or orings and fill the cavity with oil to lube the shaft and housing. We used those for a few projects and that helps keep them going without much wear.

(;-) TP

[simpson36]

Thanks for the compliments.

Vmax,

It's an el-cheapo indexer. So far I have machined the ends only for needle thrust bearings so that I can run with zero clearance. There is no internal cavity, as the spindle just rides in the cast iron bore with a few thou clearance. There really isn't enough meat to cut the ends for seals or for ball or tapered roller bearings. This iteration was just for development purposes . . . i.e. "get 'er done" and have something to work with.

I started with a 640oz-in stepper, went to a 900+ stepper, then to a NEMA23 Servo and now to the final NEMA34 Servo. The new 1,800 line encoder for it arrived yesterday (new model from US Digital)

So, now turning back to the mechanics of it, the only parts coming forward from what you see will be the motor mount and the big timing pulley. The next step in the project is to take a better quality 5C spindle from a Phase II brand indexer (sitting in my garage)

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INPDFF?PMPAGE=453&PMITEM=240-3226


. . . . and mount it on sealed ABC3 grade deep groove ball bearings in a new head made from a solid block of metal (I haven't decided on the material). For the level of this project, those bearings are a reasonable compromise. I used them on the original X2 spindle and they have done very well. SKF calls their version 'Precision Plus' . they run in the $50 per bearing range.


 




bearings

[coolfox]

Great little machine, well Dun 

Can you please tell, how you controll the spindle I mean as an axis or as spindle in mash ?
If it is  controlled as an axis do you have an issue with number of steps then milling?
If it is as a spindle how you controll an indexing motion?
Kind regards
Ilia

[HimyKabibble]

That is very cool!  And just think how much money you can save by making all your own bolts from now on!  :-)

Regards,
Ray L.

[simpson36]

Himy,

That's exactly my devious plan. I'm SICK of spending over $1 for a friggin' bolt at the hardware store. I only need to make about 23,000 bolts and I'm breaking EVEN, baby!!!

CoolFox,

As shown in the video, it was acting stricly running as the A axis with all rotations pre calculated, and what you see is the max speed severely limited by the Gecko340.

Later, I learned how to do some 'semi - documented' tricks in Mach that improved the process:

With appreciation for all those who helped me figure it out, let me say it is a pretty slick process. Only thing left to work out is the screwy feed rates. XYZ and A are from different planets in that regard.

Primarily I had to write some VB macros:

One handles the switching the A axis and the spindle using Mache's Swapaxis function.

Another swaps back and the re-homes the A axis  (the secret that makes everything work) . . .  and zeros the machine and DRO.

Another takes arguments and caclulates threading moves and passes the variables back to mach for use in a gcode program.

Friggin thing is REALLY fun to play with     I just ordered a Viper servo drive that will double the speed to the full 4,000 RPM

[coolfox]

Simpson36,
Thanks for reply I was asking as I'm in process of upgrading my second lathe Smart&Brown L-model  to CNC and wanted to add some active tools with extra Z axis.
I'm jeweller by trade and specialise in making of full eternity rings there turning and milling/drilling process all day (this is my web album http://www.pixum.co.uk/slide/3540283 in case you interested :-) on the moment I turn blanks on the lathe and then transfer them on 4axis cnc mill (made my self using THK KR slides and Mitsubishi melservo drives motors) for milling/drilling this take time and alighntment not allways perfect.
In regards of spindle homing after axis swap Great idea as I have on bough lathes (The other lathe I have Schaublin 102) servo drives 2.2 kW Servostar CD series with Gold line motors  and incremental rotary encoders have K output impulses witch acquire once per revolution! I'm going to try this.
Is it necessary to zeros the machine and DRO after swap home axis? Can you use fixture offset for milling operations?