Machsupport Forum

Mach Discussion => General Mach Discussion => Topic started by: HimyKabibble on December 09, 2009, 02:55:56 PM

Title: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: HimyKabibble on December 09, 2009, 02:55:56 PM: I *finally* got off my lazy butt and built a quill drive for my BP clone, after doing X, Y and the knee about 18 months ago. It uses the same servo motor as the other three axes, driving through a 2:1 GT2 belt drive turning a 20mm diameter, 5mm pitch ballscrew. Before doing any tuning of the servo (and it's WAY off right now), it's already capable of over 200 IPM, and showing WELL under 0.0005" backlash.

Videos here: http://tinyurl.com/yazgvnv

Regards,
Ray
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: docltf on December 09, 2009, 03:47:59 PM: you got it looking good Ray
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: RICH on December 09, 2009, 04:13:46 PM: Ray,
Looks like it's a winner. I have thought about doing similar to my Atlas but also want to use it manualy.
At least you had some meat to attach to as the Atlas head is rather small.
LOL,
RICH
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: Hood on December 09, 2009, 05:05:23 PM: Looks good Ray

Better take that handle off before it clunks you in the head, then again might knock some sense into you so maybe best leave it ;D

Hood
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: HimyKabibble on December 09, 2009, 05:39:51 PM: Quote from: Hood on December 09, 2009, 05:05:23 PM
Looks good Ray

Better take that handle off before it clunks you in the head, then again might knock some sense into you so maybe best leave it ;D

Hood

Hood,

If the handle ever hit my head, all it would do is break the handle.... :-)

Regards,
Ray L.
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: Hood on December 09, 2009, 05:40:55 PM: lol
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: JHChoppers on December 09, 2009, 05:41:12 PM: Looks great ! What type of Servo Drivers are you using ?

Thanks,
JH
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: HimyKabibble on December 09, 2009, 05:47:55 PM: Quote from: JHChoppers on December 09, 2009, 05:41:12 PM
Looks great ! What type of Servo Drivers are you using ?

Thanks,
JH

Servo motor is the HomeShopCNC.com 850 oz-in, with 500-line encoder. Driver is a new Gecko G320 (G380X).

Regards,
Ray L.
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: thosj on December 11, 2009, 08:47:58 AM: Cool, Ray. Looks like you rolled your own instead of using the "future commercially available quill drive" you talked about one time, or an Elrod.

Now, I'm looking forward to your solution for using the knee for tool length comp and the quill for most machining. Maybe with Mach3 v4 at the same time!! Then I'll do mine!
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: HimyKabibble on December 11, 2009, 11:12:08 AM: Quote from: thosj on December 11, 2009, 08:47:58 AM
Cool, Ray. Looks like you rolled your own instead of using the "future commercially available quill drive" you talked about one time, or an Elrod.

Now, I'm looking forward to your solution for using the knee for tool length comp and the quill for most machining. Maybe with Mach3 v4 at the same time!! Then I'll do mine!

I've got the commercial one sitting on my work table. I had my own almost complete by the time it showed up, so never got it on the machine.

The tool length comp is pretty easy. It's not possible to do as I want with Mach3 v3, but Brian and I will make sure v4 allows it to be done properly. In the meantime, I will create M-macros to take the place of G43 and G49, so I can get it going. This will be very easy, and functionally just fine. I should have it going sometime in the next week.

Regards,
Ray L.
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: thosj on December 11, 2009, 01:06:10 PM: Quote from: HimyKabibble on December 11, 2009, 11:12:08 AM
\I've got the commercial one sitting on my work table. I had my own almost complete by the time it showed up, so never got it on the machine.

So......what ARE you going to do with the commercial one?
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: HimyKabibble on December 11, 2009, 01:51:26 PM: Quote from: thosj on December 11, 2009, 01:06:10 PM
Quote from: HimyKabibble on December 11, 2009, 11:12:08 AM
\I've got the commercial one sitting on my work table. I had my own almost complete by the time it showed up, so never got it on the machine.

So......what ARE you going to do with the commercial one?

Good question.... Probably sell it. I like mine better.

Regards,
Ray L.
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: HimyKabibble on December 13, 2009, 01:24:52 AM: I got the oddball bolts I needed to put the top of the mill back together, so I have a working mill again! I'll be doing the first test cuts with the new quill drive tomorrow. I did some probing tests today, and it seemed to work flawlessly, getting +/-0.0001" repeatability!

Regards,
Ray L.
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: simpson36 on December 16, 2009, 11:19:32 AM: Nice job, Ray. Much better than powering the rack and pinion drive which I have seen many tmes.

I'm noticing the seals on the ballscrew. What ball screw did you use?
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: HimyKabibble on December 16, 2009, 12:01:01 PM: Quote from: simpson36 on December 16, 2009, 11:19:32 AM
Nice job, Ray. Much better than powering the rack and pinion drive which I have seen many tmes.

I'm noticing the seals on the ballscrew. What ball screw did you use?

Steve,

The screw is a 30mm, 5mm pitch from homeshopcnc.com. It's *very* nice. Smooth, quiet, zero backlash. I'm seeing well under 0.001" total backlash at the tool, and virtually all of that comes from flexing of the quill itself.

Regards,
Ray L.
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: Graham Waterworth on December 16, 2009, 12:05:14 PM: Nice looking conversion, I guess the hardest part will be making a nice looking cover. Clear Poly Carb so you can see it working maybe.

Graham
Title: Re: It's Alive!! It's Alive!!! (Insert Maniacal Laughter Here...)
Post by: HimyKabibble on December 16, 2009, 12:21:08 PM: Quote from: Graham Waterworth on December 16, 2009, 12:05:14 PM
Nice looking conversion, I guess the hardest part will be making a nice looking cover. Clear Poly Carb so you can see it working maybe.

Graham

Graham,

Yup, it'll be either plastic (Plexi/Lexan) or just sheet metal. Each has it's good points and bad points. I'm kinda leaning towards 1/8" Plexi, since I'm already setup to do Plexi vacuum forming.

Regards,
Ray L.