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I definitely understand your concerns, unfortunately my wood shop, steel shop, and mechanics shop are all in one. Really the only thing that the gantry would give me is CNC control, since I can't freehand to save my life. The good news is I already have the plasma cutter and compressor setup and functioning just fine on their own.
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You really need to finalize the gantry weight and acceleration plus I/Os to properly select the electronics.Ģ1incher, great info thank you for all that. I am guessing nema 34 will be marginal for a 5 ft gantry CNC router and small for a big plasma table. Calculate your gantry weight and acceleration needs to size your motors. I have been looking at the Masso CNC controllers lately and have been thinking about trying one for my next machine. I used servos on both the machines I built for constant feedback and no lost steps along with 1 inch industrial timing belts that are very quiet. I say focus on the design requirements for one process to start out and learn from. My CNC router is slow and very clean with dust collection. Also you need quite a bit of power to run a large compressor and plasma machine along with a bed that can support the weight of the steel. Also torch height control is needed for proper cuts larger then a couple inches. The residue is very dirty and abrasive plus the grounding configuration is very critical. My plasma table can run up to 800 inches a minute for thinner materials and only needs 10 inches a minute for thicker stock. Plasma needs high travel speeds with very high acceleration on corners for good cuts where a router moves much slower but needs high rigidity with lower acceleration for proper operation. I say don't bother trying to mix plasma and a router on the same table. One of these days I need to find that darn soldering iron that has been eluding my for 7 years. I am stepping way out of my comfort zone. I say epic because I can do all the mechanical stuff with my eyes closed. My plan for both machines was interchangeable tool plates so I could run a router, plasma cutter, laser, vinyl cutter, or anything else that involves wild hairs and the time of dayĭoes anyone have any suggestions for CNC forums? or any help they could offer for my design and build of this epic project. This machine will probably be built into a breakdown table so it can be stored as a workbench. My Current design is using linear bearings, rack and pinion drives, with nema 34 stepper motors.
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I was hoping to keep the machine small and light so it could be stored hanging from the ceiling of the shop. I realized pretty quick the nema 17 was not the right choice. My first CNC I built used conduit and skate board bearings for linear travel also used a GT2 belt drive with nema 17 stepper motors. The primary plan is to surface large slabs using the CNC and not have to hand route each one. I am currently in the design phase of a 5x12 table. I have been spoiled by the family oriented forestry forum and have become a forum snob! Does anyone have any good recommendations for a build it yourself CNC forum? or maybe know a bunch and can help me with some things? so that one is getting repurposed into a carving machine / vinyl cutter / laser cutter for my wife. I already slapped together a 5x10 CNC table that I am not all that crazy about. So I have started playing around with different CNC stuff.