Guest
Show Posts
1
Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) / Re: Success! Mini Machining Center under Mach3 control - Video link
« on: June 15, 2011, 05:03:27 PM »
Wow!
This was a fantastic thread! I have been looking for someone doing what you are doing for a long time now. And finally I found your clips on YouTube. From there I managed to find this thread by googling your nick.
It’s a long time since you last posed, so I’m assuming you have other things to attend to like most others. But like many others I hope you haven’t abandoned this project, and will return with an update and an even better setup!
You are able to do what most people, me included, are not so good at. Get things done and put to life. I must say your design really looks good, and you do know what it takes to get things to do what you want them to.
Anyway, I have an idea that your design could benefit from. I intend to do this when I make an attempt at building my own turning 4th axis as well.
It’s a design used on commercial lathes, so it’s a proven design. It’s also easy enough to get the parts needed.
The idea is to have an automatic gear changer. In your present design you have to loosen the motor and middle shaft assembly to change over the belt to change gear. What you could do is implement the design shown on Kirk Wallace’s page http://www.wallacecompany.com/cnc_lathe/HNC/about his Hardinge lathe conversion. He describes and show pictures of this design on his lathe. He then goes on to explain that the clutches should be easily obtained from car A/C units. As he mention the size on A/C clutches are sufficient for his sized lathe which is bigger than yours. But at the same time they aren’t so bit that it should be a problem. At least to me as my mill is somewhat bigger and I intend to put a 3-5 KW motor on my turning axis.
I hope you read this and take it in to consideration soon. I think it could be a great improvement on the design.
Then there is the encoder. I would like to get an absolute encoder on there with enough resolution to make it usable as a full 4th axis. And that require more resolution than the encoders you have on there now. The use of absolute encoders was founded in the idea that you don’t need to read them more often than the servo thread is run. And the resolution needed demands so high that turning at full speed would require MHz bandwidth if an incremental encoder was used.
I started a thread about wanting to build your design over at practicalmachinist. But they seemed most focused on telling me why not to do it, to get a millturn unit or farming the work out. That wasn’t my idea, and I tried to get them to understand that I’m doing it for the fun of it. But nobody seemed to think there is a point in doing this on a hobby basis.
That might also be why I haven’t found anyone at all except your attempt at doing this. I don’t se the big problem in doing it, and you have even proven there is none. Except for having to do all kind of hacking on Mach to get it to drive the whole thing that is. That is why I’m so glad I found your design and proof that it is in deed possible to do. And it works GREAT!
BTW, I REALLY like the clips where you show how to use a mill for shaping work. I hadn’t thought about doing things that way. But you have shown me that it’s both doable and works great! Thanks! Now I know it might be possible to do that hex bottom hole I need.
This was a fantastic thread! I have been looking for someone doing what you are doing for a long time now. And finally I found your clips on YouTube. From there I managed to find this thread by googling your nick.
It’s a long time since you last posed, so I’m assuming you have other things to attend to like most others. But like many others I hope you haven’t abandoned this project, and will return with an update and an even better setup!
You are able to do what most people, me included, are not so good at. Get things done and put to life. I must say your design really looks good, and you do know what it takes to get things to do what you want them to.
Anyway, I have an idea that your design could benefit from. I intend to do this when I make an attempt at building my own turning 4th axis as well.
It’s a design used on commercial lathes, so it’s a proven design. It’s also easy enough to get the parts needed.
The idea is to have an automatic gear changer. In your present design you have to loosen the motor and middle shaft assembly to change over the belt to change gear. What you could do is implement the design shown on Kirk Wallace’s page http://www.wallacecompany.com/cnc_lathe/HNC/about his Hardinge lathe conversion. He describes and show pictures of this design on his lathe. He then goes on to explain that the clutches should be easily obtained from car A/C units. As he mention the size on A/C clutches are sufficient for his sized lathe which is bigger than yours. But at the same time they aren’t so bit that it should be a problem. At least to me as my mill is somewhat bigger and I intend to put a 3-5 KW motor on my turning axis.
I hope you read this and take it in to consideration soon. I think it could be a great improvement on the design.
Then there is the encoder. I would like to get an absolute encoder on there with enough resolution to make it usable as a full 4th axis. And that require more resolution than the encoders you have on there now. The use of absolute encoders was founded in the idea that you don’t need to read them more often than the servo thread is run. And the resolution needed demands so high that turning at full speed would require MHz bandwidth if an incremental encoder was used.
I started a thread about wanting to build your design over at practicalmachinist. But they seemed most focused on telling me why not to do it, to get a millturn unit or farming the work out. That wasn’t my idea, and I tried to get them to understand that I’m doing it for the fun of it. But nobody seemed to think there is a point in doing this on a hobby basis.
That might also be why I haven’t found anyone at all except your attempt at doing this. I don’t se the big problem in doing it, and you have even proven there is none. Except for having to do all kind of hacking on Mach to get it to drive the whole thing that is. That is why I’m so glad I found your design and proof that it is in deed possible to do. And it works GREAT!
BTW, I REALLY like the clips where you show how to use a mill for shaping work. I hadn’t thought about doing things that way. But you have shown me that it’s both doable and works great! Thanks! Now I know it might be possible to do that hex bottom hole I need.