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Author Topic: Suggestions for Commissioning My Router  (Read 1643 times)

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Suggestions for Commissioning My Router
« on: April 21, 2014, 12:17:03 AM »
I've nearly finished my CNC router  ;D  It's a moving table design using NEMA23 steppers, Teknomotor spindle, an Australian made PROMiCA IC3A controller set to 1/8 micro-stepping and Mach3 software.  I'm very happy with how it turned out.

The NEMA23 motors are 1.8 degrees per step.  With 8 micro-steps per full motor step, a 2:1 gear reduction to 5mm pitch X & Y lead screws then I have 640 micro-steps per mm of travel.  There is no reduction on the Z axis so its 320 micro-steps per mm of travel.

Is there any recommendations for commissioning?  So far I've tried three things:

1.  I've plotted out a relatively simple geometric pattern (circle, rectangle, square) on paper.  With the plot on my router table and a USB micrscope fixed to the spindle case I've written basic G-Code to chase the plotted path.  It worked well enough, but I think the plotter introduces a slight scaling to distort the plotted size.  I'd only rate this strategy as 7 out of 10.

2.  I've laid a scale rule on the table and used it compare linear moves requested in simple G-Code.  This worked very well.  I'd rate this 10 out of 10 but it only assesses one axis movement at a time.

3.  I've run the "road runner" G-Code file that comes with Mach3.  The image shown by the USB microscope never comes back to the (0,0) centre pop mark - it's sometimes off by around 0.25mm but once it was off by around 1mm.

Cutting a template out of MDF is the next thing on my list, I'm interested to know what others have chosen to do. 
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Ian B