Guest
Show Posts
1
Mach4 General Discussion / Re: New people welcome !! Come in here and introduce your self!
« on: October 07, 2008, 11:10:59 AM »
Hi, I have been around for a couple of years but usually follow the Yahoo Mach 2/3/4 forum.
I live in Odessa, Ontario and am currently using Mach3 on a machine I built to cut tubing. I have yet to CNC a 9 x 20 Standard Modern lathe and a Grizzly G-1007 Mill/Drill.
The machine I built uses a Nema 23 stepper to rotate the headstock and tailstock spindles, and one for the X axis tool slide that does the cutting. The headstock is solid to the frame and the tailstock slides, driven by a pneumatic cylinder. Headstock and Tailstock collets are opened by pneumatic cylinders and forced closed by belleville washers. The pneumatics are driven by Mach3 outputs through a home built relay board.
The material cut is 1/2" x 3/8" phenolic tubing. It is cut to 5/8" long with a 1/32" radius on each end, the radius generated by the cutter shape.
The machine operates as follows: The first g-code sequence in Mach3 causes the X axis cutter is advanced to the cut positionand the headstock collet to open. Then I load a 54" long tube through the headstock until it butts against the side of the cutoff tool. The next g-code sequence causes collet to close, the spindles to rotate and the X axis to finish the cut and then retract. Then the Tailstock collet opens and the tailstock moves toward the headstock, the tailstock collet closes and the headstock collet opens. The tailstock then retracts, pulling the tube through the headstock 5/8" plus the width of the cutoff tool. The headstock collet closes and the spindles rotate, the X axis cutter advances to make the cut, rounding both pieces to a 1/32" radius and then the cycle repeats another 84 times until the tube is completely cut. It has been operating for about 9 months now and works great!
I am presently building another machine, this one to machine and internally thread the 3/8" dia aluminum rod that goes into the tubing. It will use a Wood's VFD to drive the spindle, Nema 23 steppers on the Z and X axis (A Grizzly XY table cut down, with ball screws installed), and 5 pneumatic cylinders when complete. I have the Royal style pneumatic collet closer built and tested (I use a 3C collet with it) as well as the headstock and Grizzly table. I am presently wiring the control cabinet, using Gecko G203V drives and a Campbell breakout board. I plan to drive the 5 pneumatic solenoids from the 3 outputs plus the step and direction signal of the A motor output using 3 - 12 VDC and 2 - 5 VDC omron relays on a home built board. I hope to have it cutting aluminum this winter.
I am sure I am boring you with these ramblings, so enough for now, please leave me attached to this forum.
Cheers from Odessa, the home of the Babcock Mill, http://www.basketryexpress.ca/html/babcock_baskets.html
Ross
I live in Odessa, Ontario and am currently using Mach3 on a machine I built to cut tubing. I have yet to CNC a 9 x 20 Standard Modern lathe and a Grizzly G-1007 Mill/Drill.
The machine I built uses a Nema 23 stepper to rotate the headstock and tailstock spindles, and one for the X axis tool slide that does the cutting. The headstock is solid to the frame and the tailstock slides, driven by a pneumatic cylinder. Headstock and Tailstock collets are opened by pneumatic cylinders and forced closed by belleville washers. The pneumatics are driven by Mach3 outputs through a home built relay board.
The material cut is 1/2" x 3/8" phenolic tubing. It is cut to 5/8" long with a 1/32" radius on each end, the radius generated by the cutter shape.
The machine operates as follows: The first g-code sequence in Mach3 causes the X axis cutter is advanced to the cut positionand the headstock collet to open. Then I load a 54" long tube through the headstock until it butts against the side of the cutoff tool. The next g-code sequence causes collet to close, the spindles to rotate and the X axis to finish the cut and then retract. Then the Tailstock collet opens and the tailstock moves toward the headstock, the tailstock collet closes and the headstock collet opens. The tailstock then retracts, pulling the tube through the headstock 5/8" plus the width of the cutoff tool. The headstock collet closes and the spindles rotate, the X axis cutter advances to make the cut, rounding both pieces to a 1/32" radius and then the cycle repeats another 84 times until the tube is completely cut. It has been operating for about 9 months now and works great!
I am presently building another machine, this one to machine and internally thread the 3/8" dia aluminum rod that goes into the tubing. It will use a Wood's VFD to drive the spindle, Nema 23 steppers on the Z and X axis (A Grizzly XY table cut down, with ball screws installed), and 5 pneumatic cylinders when complete. I have the Royal style pneumatic collet closer built and tested (I use a 3C collet with it) as well as the headstock and Grizzly table. I am presently wiring the control cabinet, using Gecko G203V drives and a Campbell breakout board. I plan to drive the 5 pneumatic solenoids from the 3 outputs plus the step and direction signal of the A motor output using 3 - 12 VDC and 2 - 5 VDC omron relays on a home built board. I hope to have it cutting aluminum this winter.
I am sure I am boring you with these ramblings, so enough for now, please leave me attached to this forum.
Cheers from Odessa, the home of the Babcock Mill, http://www.basketryexpress.ca/html/babcock_baskets.html
Ross