re:?
?30 days of no posts even hello will drop you out.
John, are you sure about that? I have had a long stretch of no post in all of the forums I subscribe to and have not been dropped out of any of them.
Of course in thinking about it I was dropped out of a Facebook group, without any warning or mention. But none of the GroupIO groups.
So just to make sure I do not get dropped I am posting this :-) Ralph
Sorry to disagree with? the last various past posts, and may I be pertinent to say they are excuses not to start a project and finish with it.
Call it perfection, or call it 's all your call. Just excuses to me,?
I am sure a lot of? hobbyists read HSM or DM which are under the very excellent control of G Bullis,? but it is a always a question of
when to get out of the old rockin chair as the great Louis Armstring sang and do something constructive,or heaven forbid even be creative,
Then move?on and start on to another project. it could be a simple fix such as grandads repair to a grass cutter (beware of any dangers)?
or get into a serious construction of a model for example a 5 year build of a steam engine, or simply tinkering (Tamara) l just love it.
Tamara you are a breath of feminie fresh air. Thaniks.
It really does not matter what you do? providing you are having fun with your hobbies. But enjoy.what you do, or else it can become a chore,?
Maybe you have not set the correct goals to achieve, either by inability or self confidence, or you are under a certain amont of peer pressure?
or family commitments etc.Who cares but just enjoy what you do, but after a a few hours amongst your tools, walk away and say YES YES, done it.move on,
I started this forum 3 years ago,and it has been succesful with many members supporting the digital technology, and of course we will always get the
?percentage of armchair (the US call them aptly named LazyBoy) engineers.but this forum will not accept BS? and I always? learn more each day.
Any current members who feel this is not for them, please just drop out. It saves me the drudgery of going through 260
members and deleting. 30 days of no posts even hello will drop you out.
Comments, of course appreciated,
John Lindo
Owner.
.
?
--
John
--
Clausing 8520, Craftsman 12x36 Lathe, 4x12 mini lathe, 14" Delta drill press, 40 watt laser, Consew brushless DC motors and a non working 3D printer
|
Sorry to disagree with? the last various past posts, and may I be pertinent to say they are excuses not to start a project and finish with it.
Call it perfection, or call it procrastination.it's all your call. Just excuses to me,?
I am sure a lot of? hobbyists read HSM or DM which are under the very excellent control of G Bullis,? but it is a always a question of
when to get out of the old rockin chair as the great Louis Armstring sang and do something constructive,or heaven forbid even be creative,
Then move?on and start on to another project. it could be a simple fix such as grandads repair to a grass cutter (beware of any dangers)?
or get into a serious construction of a model for example a 5 year build of a steam engine, or simply tinkering (Tamara) l just love it.
Tamara you are a breath of feminie fresh air. Thaniks.
It really does not matter what you do? providing you are having fun with your hobbies. But enjoy.what you do, or else it can become a chore,?
Maybe you have not set the correct goals to achieve, either by inability or self confidence, or you are under a certain amont of peer pressure?
or family commitments etc.Who cares but just enjoy what you do, but after a a few hours amongst your tools, walk away and say YES YES, done it.move on,
I started this forum 3 years ago,and it has been succesful with many members supporting the digital technology, and of course we will always get the
?percentage of armchair (the US call them aptly named LazyBoy) engineers.but this forum will not accept BS? and I always? learn more each day.
Any current members who feel this is not for them, please just drop out. It saves me the drudgery of going through 260
members and deleting. 30 days of no posts even hello will drop you out.
Comments, of course appreciated,
John Lindo
Owner.
.
?
--
John
|
Hi, George, I also have a long list of items that I plan to do, but they get finished only slowly due to a combination of my perfectionism and procrastination. I have to find some young bucks with strong backs that I can supervise for moving the mill into my basement, which does not have an outside entrance. But first I have to reorganize things to get it to fit into the shop; same problem challenge as you have! -- Regards, Charlie New Jersey, USA
SATTINGER’S LAW: It works better if you plug it in.
EDWARD'S LAW: It works even better if you turn it on.
|
Hi Charlie,?
The reason it took me so little time was that I left the internal gears alone. I moved the speed selection lever to a midpoint which disengages them. The acrylic guard I received is milky style and not see-through. It has a tiny rectangular hole in the front to view the belt. The mill has become so quiet now.?
Prasad
|
Prasad, Congratulations! I can't do ANYTHING in 30 minutes. I didn't realize that the installation was so simple. When I did the belt drive modification to my Real Bull mill, I got a kit from the UK. The belt guard is also a flimsy, thin piece of acrylic that has been heated and bent. I didn't replace it, figuring I would do so when it broke, but I have had this mod in place for probably 8 years and have never had to replace it. One thing I like about the acrylic guard is that I can see the belt. I know that you have mad 3D printing skills, but are able to see the belt with your design? -- Regards, Charlie New Jersey, USA
SATTINGER’S LAW: It works better if you plug it in.
EDWARD'S LAW: It works even better if you turn it on.
|
One other thing I would add to Jerry's suggestions.? Stay away from dedicated full CNC hardware solutions.? Once in you are 'in'.? Setting up a separate break out board with individual drivers allows you to make incremental changes rather than scrap an entire board because one driver fails.? It also allows you the choice to switch to other control systems. ? That's why I chose the MESA 7i92H instead of one of the MESA Ethernet c/w terminal strips etc.? If you decide to change from LinuxCNC to something else it's a more expensive operation to scrap things;? essentially you are starting over. ? With the PMDX-126 (way too expensive nowadays IMHO) you can use the Parallel port from a PC running either Windows or Linux for MACH or LCNC or some other CNC software. ?Or plug in an Ethernet Smooth Stepper or the MESA 7i92H for MACH or LCNC.? But you can also get a far east BoB for under $10.? ? In all cases your wiring for motors, switches fans, power supplies stays the same.? Only the source of the parallel port cable changes.? The BoB in the attached photo, with 12V-24V applied even supplies 0V-10V for Spindle Speed control. John ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jerry Trantow
Sent: July-20-21 6:23 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [digitalhobbyist] Small householder CNC Mill? Tamra,? Sounds like you are ok with the CAD portion of the CAD/CAM puzzle.? I mentioned in a previous message not to let the Linux part of LinuxCNC get in the way. Once setup, you can treat?it as a g-code processor and not worry about Linux. The cost is free, so it's always good starting point. If you have a hackerspace nearby, there is probably someone versed in linuxCNC.? I run my router, lathe, mill with linuxCNC. I used machineKit/LinuxCNC to run my 3d printer for a short while before rolling back?to Marlin firmware. I have Tormach PathPilot that I intend to try on my lathe. I'm planning to convert a friend's plasma cutter to LinuxCNC this fall/winter and I can run a laser diode on my router. ? There is documentation available and good support(but not organized very well) via? and good but often outdated info on the wiki. ?
I think this is a reasonable cost.? There are CNC kits to convert other (desktop) mills to CNC.
The advantage of saving money and stepping in? to an existing machine is there wasn't a struggle, but you also don't understand the who/what/where/why/when/how.
It is the programming that stops me, not the hardware.? If you give me a good set of plans I can assemble, but I haven't been able to get over the last step of using the software I? WANT TO use for my equipment.
I want my CNG Router, CNC lathe, and CNC mill to work wtih one operating system, even if it is Mach 3, and at this point I would spend the money on Mach 4 and pay the fees for tech support.
I don't know your experience with using a CNC router, Laser, Mill, Lathe, etc, etc,... there is control software and design software.? The design part is easier for me then the control part.
Caution:? Tinkering is a symptom of this process, and once you manage to use the machine in one, you are likely to keep looking for additional tools to accumulate... you may spend less just buying what you want
at the beginning.... and spend less time tinkering...
I could never move a bridgeport mill - but that seems like the ultimate cool tool... I just need a friend with one locally!??
Tamra
|
Tamra,? Sounds like you are ok with the CAD portion of the CAD/CAM puzzle.?
I mentioned in a previous message not to let the Linux part of LinuxCNC get in the way. Once setup, you can treat?it as a g-code processor and not worry about Linux. The cost is free, so it's always good starting point. If you have a hackerspace nearby, there is probably someone versed in linuxCNC.?
I run my router, lathe, mill with linuxCNC. I used machineKit/LinuxCNC to run my 3d printer for a short while before rolling back?to Marlin firmware. I have Tormach PathPilot that I intend to try on my lathe. I'm planning to convert a friend's plasma cutter to LinuxCNC this fall/winter and I can run a laser diode on my router. There is documentation available and good support(but not organized very well) via? and good but often outdated info on the wiki.
I think this is a reasonable cost.? There are CNC kits to convert other (desktop) mills to CNC.
The advantage of saving money and stepping in? to an existing machine is there wasn't a struggle, but you also don't understand the who/what/where/why/when/how.
It is the programming that stops me, not the hardware.? If you give me a good set of plans I can assemble, but I haven't been able to get over the last step of using the software I? WANT TO use for my equipment.
I want my CNG Router, CNC lathe, and CNC mill to work wtih one operating system, even if it is Mach 3, and at this point I would spend the money on Mach 4 and pay the fees for tech support.
I don't know your experience with using a CNC router, Laser, Mill, Lathe, etc, etc,... there is control software and design software.? The design part is easier for me then the control part.
Caution:? Tinkering is a symptom of this process, and once you manage to use the machine in one, you are likely to keep looking for additional tools to accumulate... you may spend less just buying what you want
at the beginning.... and spend less time tinkering...
I could never move a bridgeport mill - but that seems like the ultimate cool tool... I just need a friend with one locally!??
Tamra
|
Hello Bill and Tamra and all other forum members.
Many thanks for posting and all interesting to read different points of view reference the CNC fors and againsts.
If I can refer you all back to a post and photos I posted March 21 then this may put my own personal prospective on CNC milling.
A simple profile milling operation of 2 halves of a lathe steady, simple by CNC standards but a very difficult job if you were to approach
this project if by using manual mill techniques.
Yes it was some challenge to convert my Weiss mill to full on 4 axis milling, but well worth the effort on the front end to achieve?
the results at the end of the project.
Personally i feel that any type of mill be it a proffesional Bridgeport or a simple mini bench mill can be convertetd to CNC, it?is just?
a matter of where?s there is a will then there is always a way.
I was inspired by Richard UK Sieg type mill CNC conversion, a brilliant concept and well thought out.
His approach to the Sieg Z axis CNC drive was first class, and I am sure he would assist in answering any forum member questions.
A quick add up of cash I needed to convert my mill was about $600, approximate as follows a DDCNC controler ,? $150,? a MPG $50 ,?
4 stepper motors and 4 drivers. 3 power supply boxes $250? and miscelaneous bits and pieces making up the remainder.
Naturally I already had a Weiss manual mini mill with a fixed column and X Y Z axis screws.?
My initial intention to convert my mill was not based on CNC but to take the drudgery of winding back and forth the X axis when manual milling,
so by fitting a power feed to end of the X table, this at least was a start. Then I power fed the Z axis, manually winding the head upwards was always
a struggle for me, me being short and the handwheel at the top of the mill and winding up the full weight of the head.
This all done, it was a simple case of mounting another stepper to the Y axis, buying a CNC controller and took it from there.
I like to use Tamra?s phrase "tinkering" and it?s what us hobbyists do, so yes after 5 months of tinkering I did manage to do the full conversion.
Naturally it is necessary to understand CNC machining techniques, CAD/CAM , gcode language, but as we say here Poco Poco ( bit at a time)?
and there is good amount of information available from the internet and of course this forum which luckily we have some very good engineers on board.
Please note, wherever possible in posts, use the hashtags, if not a relevant one available then ask me or the moderators and we will sort it out.
This avoids posts going into the abyss, and keeps things tidy.
Many thanks
--
John Lindo
|
Taig and Sherline both make CNC-capable mills, but they're a great deal smaller than even the SIEG mini-mills. The HF mini-mill and its clones weigh about 125lbs. The Sherline, IIRC, is about 25, and the Taig is a bit smaller.?
Doesn't mean you couldn't do fine work on them, but they are smaller and lighter so they can only do so much in the way of removing metal at one pass.. It is sort of like comparing the mini-mills to a real benchtop mill in the 500lb range. And those are tiny compared to a Bridgeport.?
Last I? looked was some time ago, prices on the Taig & Sherline probably won't be anywhere near what I remember, and I wasn't looking at CNC machines, either.?
So depends on your bank AND what you feel the need to do.
HTH!
Bill in OKC?
William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion,
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance
accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders,
give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new
problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight
efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
LAZARUS LONG (Robert A. Heinlein)
On Monday, July 19, 2021, 10:23:57 PM CDT, Tamra <tamrabrogdon@...> wrote:
I think this is a reasonable cost.? There are CNC kits to convert other (desktop) mills to CNC.
The advantage of saving money and stepping in? to an existing machine is there wasn't a struggle, but you also don't understand the who/what/where/why/when/how.
It is the programming that stops me, not the hardware.? If you give me a good set of plans I can assemble, but I haven't been able to get over the last step of using the software I? WANT TO use for my equipment.
I want my CNG Router, CNC lathe, and CNC mill to work wtih one operating system, even if it is Mach 3, and at this point I would spend the money on Mach 4 and pay the fees for tech support.
I don't know your experience with using a CNC router, Laser, Mill, Lathe, etc, etc,... there is control software and design software.? The design part is easier for me then the control part.
Caution:? Tinkering is a symptom of this process, and once you manage to use the machine in one, you are likely to keep looking for additional tools to accumulate... you may spend less just buying what you want
at the beginning.... and spend less time tinkering...
I could never move a bridgeport mill - but that seems like the ultimate cool tool... I just need a friend with one locally!??
Tamra
|
I think this is a reasonable cost.? There are CNC kits to convert other (desktop) mills to CNC.
The advantage of saving money and stepping in? to an existing machine is there wasn't a struggle, but you also don't understand the who/what/where/why/when/how.
It is the programming that stops me, not the hardware.? If you give me a good set of plans I can assemble, but I haven't been able to get over the last step of using the software I? WANT TO use for my equipment.
I want my CNG Router, CNC lathe, and CNC mill to work wtih one operating system, even if it is Mach 3, and at this point I would spend the money on Mach 4 and pay the fees for tech support.
I don't know your experience with using a CNC router, Laser, Mill, Lathe, etc, etc,... there is control software and design software.? The design part is easier for me then the control part.
Caution:? Tinkering is a symptom of this process, and once you manage to use the machine in one, you are likely to keep looking for additional tools to accumulate... you may spend less just buying what you want
at the beginning.... and spend less time tinkering...
I could never move a bridgeport mill - but that seems like the ultimate cool tool... I just need a friend with one locally!??
Tamra
|
Kinda depends on which bank you're talking about, doesn't it? ;)
https://www.minitech.com/msrp-price-list-2021.html#/ These folks want $12.5K for the base machine, without spindle or controller. And other $2500 for the most basic controller.
https://tormach.com/machines/mills/pcnc-440.html#landing_packages This appears to be about the same size as the one in the link above, and the base model, more or less ready to run, is under $6K, with their premium version under $16K
https://littlemachineshop.com/products/search.php?tabName=Products&term=CNC+mill LMS has machines and CNC conversion kit and plans. You could build a CNC Mini-Mill for well under $5K, DIY.
Honestly, all of those are too much form MY bank! :)
LMS sells CNC plans for the mini-mill and mini-lathe, and you could get a set of each for under $125
I've got a very used mini-mill I picked up for $350 about a year ago. I think I still have a couple of computer hulks sitting here, but I'm not all that interested, yet, in CNC. I want to fix the mill, and make it work to the best of it's capability, and use it manually for the things I want. And I keep scheming on how to fit something as capable as a Bridgeport in my shop. Probably not going to work until I can find a larger workshop for much less than is reasonable with today's real estate market.
Bill in OKC
William R. Meyers, MSgt, USAF(Ret.)
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion,
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance
accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders,
give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new
problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight
efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
LAZARUS LONG (Robert A. Heinlein)
On Monday, July 19, 2021, 12:13:17 PM CDT, Michael Gilmet <mgilmet@...> wrote:
Are there any decent CNC capable mini-mills that won't break the bank?? I'm pretty sure I'm not willing to spend the time learning how to convert a standard mill, some of you guys have really amazed me with your conversions.
Thanks,
Michael
|
Are there any decent CNC capable mini-mills that won't break the bank?? I'm pretty sure I'm not willing to spend the time learning how to convert a standard mill, some of you guys have really amazed me with your conversions.
Thanks,
Michael
|
You are correct about being busy Charlie. I haven't done much of anything workshop related in quite some time. I had good intentions of rebuilding my printer per John's plans in DM but it's still sitting in pieces in my office. I'm an optimist though and am convinced that I might actually be able to finish up all the odds and ends that have kept me from the shop in time for some shop projects this fall and winter. We'll see...
I'll be looking forward to seeing more about your CNC conversion. I've long had an urge to pick up a similar mill and convert it. The majority of my mill work this last year has been manual stuff and I'd like to hang onto at least one of my manual mills, provided I can figure out how to stuff it all in the shop.??
--
George Bulliss
Traverse City, MI
|
I just finished the belt drive. After plenty of thinking on the project of making it using Jerry's drawings, I decided that it was easier to buy the kit from LMS which was on sale last week. It was an easy task to install. Took me about 30 minutes. Everything works fine but I do not like the acrylic guard supplied in the kit. It is too weak. I am in the process of making a 3D-printed guard.??
The guard has to be removed whenever the belt is accessed. It is easy to forget to replace the guard after moving the belt from one set of grooves to the other. This can be risky as my hands may access the belt area when the mill is running.?
Prasad Eastern PA??
|
The only thing I run on my LinuxCNC computers is LinuxCNC and maybe a web browser if I need to look something up. I started out sharing a computer for my router, lathe, and mill, but now I use a dedicated computer for each CNC machine and I run my CAD program (Fusion360) on my main Win10 computer and share my gcode folders on the network. Really no need to get into Linux itself. I even edit my linuxCNC machine configurations on the Win10 computer.
I started out with a shared computer on a?rolling cart I could?move?between?machines. Another thing to consider longer term, is an arm to mount the monitor/keyboard and a?touch screen. This really makes your life easier to?keep things near your machine yet movable to?get out of the way as needed. A membrane keyboard avoids chips getting between the keys. (Shameless plug: Which is why the ex-medical systems I have on ebay are nice!)? Eventually, you will want a pendant. I tried the wireless jog wheel pendant and found out I liked the wired $15 logitech game pad?much better.
Assuming Mastercam spits out g-code you could still use tt on your Win7 machine with a LinuxCNC computer running? your CNC machine.
I would also point out that you can run Win7 in a virtual machine(VM). I use the free VMWare player to?run multiple?OS, each?in their own VM. This means you can run your legacy Win7 applications on a modern machine without worrying about?dual boot or some other kludge. I've worked on?multiple projects that had some old legacy computer?running a critical program. All is good until the?old?computer gives up the?ghost and it's difficult to restore. If you are running a legacy program on an old OS, it should be run on a VM..??
Hi Jerry
Thanks for the post, all very interesting. I use Mastercam V8.01 and is about 25 years old. it can only run on Windows 7 32 bit. If you want to purchase Mastercam Ver 13 ??? The latest, try $4000 plus a yearly?seat license of?$1500? but my oldie? produces all? of the CAD I require for CAM, ( producing toolpaths) in 3D if needed for my CNC mill and also serves as my design for STL file conversion for my 3D printer. I use Win 7 exclusively for all my gcode generation, and I use Win 10 for the "Hello?dolly'' stuff. Never let me down yet, but who knows.
Linux is OK, but I was never introduced to it when making a?living cutting metal on CNC lathes and mills, so why change something?that works for me at my age. All good for future discussion. Thanks again for the post.
John
I played around with lots of control systems and have settled on running linuxCNC on a PC with ethernet Mesa cards. Parallel ports are slightly cheaper but run out of bandwidth for encoders. I have a Mesa 7i92 and a 7i96 and I think the 7i96 might be a better fit for you. (you shouldn't need the chinesium break out board) If you go the linuxCNC/Mesa route it's really convenient to have one network connection for the Mesa card and another network connection for internet and other networking tasks. (like sharing your CAM files) I used a raspberry pi 4 with the?mesa card for a little while, then a dumpster diving friend delivered 18 used medical computers and I switched all my machines to touch screen PCs with dual network connections. (if you are interested, I still have four computer systems available?on ebay. search "linuxcnc touchscreen")
I have been very happy with some cheap closed loop steppers on my Rockwell vertical mill. My 9x20 uses a Gecko 540?and I just added linear scales. Going forward, I think I will go with closed loop steppers or try servos.
I have settled on the Meanwell RSP-1000-48 as my goto 1000W power supply. I have purchased several from ebay?for ~$100. They are quiet rock solid power supplies.
WIth LinuxCNC you could use either open or closed loop steppers AND use the build in DRO scales for position feedback. (This would require adding a Mesa 7i85s for the extra encoder channels.) There is good support in LinuxCNC for this. I think you will save a lot of projects by integrating your existing DROs into the control system. Basically, it will stop if the DRO doesn't match what the gcode?says. With my mill, I started using linuxCNC as a simple DRO.display without any motor control for?a?couple?months. Then added motors. Next up is adding a spindle encoder for rigid tapping. I like the fact that closed loop steppers provide an alarm signal if they can't achieve the desired position. My lathe and router started out with motors couplers. My mill uses a timing belt for the z and recently I changed my lathe x to a timing belt. 3D printed timing gears work fantastic if you have access to a printer. Belts give you a lot of options for motor placement and you can gear up/down.
On the CAD side, Fusion360 has a learning curve but there are a lot of youtube how to videos.
Rockwell vertical mill - LinuxCNC touchscreen PC,?closed loop steppers, linear encoders XYZ, VFD for spindle. Logitech jog. Jet 920 9x20 lathe - LinuxCNC touchscreen PC, open loop steppers with Gecko 540, linear encoders XZ and 260 pulses per rev spindle encoder, VFD for spindle. z touch off, Logitech jog. Homebuilt Aluminum extrusion router - LinuxCNC touchscreen PC, open?
loop steppers with Gecko 540, z touchoff?Logitech jog. Homebuilt Aluminum extrusion 3D printer running Marlin.
Hello, All,
I see from the lack of posts that we've all been busy with getting back to our lives as the COVID pandemic seems to gradually be coming under control. I must admit that it feels good to eat in an actual restaurant and meet friends face to face after such a long hiatus!
I have been considering doing an CNC conversion to my mini-mill for a while. Though I am fairly happy with my current mill, there are some weaknesses: rack and pinion drive for the Z-axis, a poor gib arrangement that requires frequent adjusting, and no quill, to name a few. So, after some research, I purchased the Grizzly M1116 mini-mill. I am a bit excited, as evidenced by the fact that I changed the cover photo to an image of this mill! It has a Z-axis lead screw drive, tapered gibs, a quill, and built in DROs. You can review the full spec . I purchased the Grizzly stand with it, as well. Unfortunately, a knee injury has me sidelined at the present so it is sitting in my garage, waiting for me to arrange transport to my basement. All I can do is look inside the crate!
I know that a number of you have done CNC conversions, and would like to ask what CNC hardware/controller you use and what you consider its advantages and disadvantages?
As usual with me, I am sure that the conversion will take a while. I am not known for my rapid completion of projects! So I will keep the project status updated here.
--
Regards,
Charlie
New Jersey, USA
SATTINGER’S LAW: It works better if you plug it in.
EDWARD'S LAW: It works even better if you turn it on.
--
John
|
Charlie, the I want to use got my interest in an article in the Digital Machinist magazine Volume 15 NO.1 Spring 2020.
Ralph
On Sun, Jul 18, 2021 at 11:24 AM CLevinski < clevinski@...> wrote: Thank you all for your complete and thorough replies! I see that I have a lot of research to do before settling on what I will ultimately use.
--
Regards,
Charlie
New Jersey, USA
SATTINGER’S LAW: It works better if you plug it in.
EDWARD'S LAW: It works even better if you turn it on.
--
Clausing 8520, Craftsman 12x36 Lathe, 4x12 mini lathe, 14" Delta drill press, 40 watt laser, Consew brushless DC motors and a non working 3D printer
|
Thank you all for your complete and thorough replies! I see that I have a lot of research to do before settling on what I will ultimately use. -- Regards, Charlie New Jersey, USA
SATTINGER’S LAW: It works better if you plug it in.
EDWARD'S LAW: It works even better if you turn it on.
|
Hi Jerry
Thanks for the post, all very interesting. I use Mastercam V8.01 and is about 25 years old. it can only run on Windows 7 32 bit. If you want to purchase Mastercam Ver 13 ??? The latest, try $4000 plus a yearly?seat license of?$1500? but my oldie? produces all? of the CAD I require for CAM, ( producing toolpaths) in 3D if needed for my CNC mill and also serves as my design for STL file conversion for my 3D printer. I use Win 7 exclusively for all my gcode generation, and I use Win 10 for the "Hello?dolly'' stuff. Never let me down yet, but who knows.
Linux is OK, but I was never introduced to it when making a?living cutting metal on CNC lathes and mills, so why change something?that works for me at my age. All good for future discussion. Thanks again for the post.
John
I played around with lots of control systems and have settled on running linuxCNC on a PC with ethernet Mesa cards. Parallel ports are slightly cheaper but run out of bandwidth for encoders. I have a Mesa 7i92 and a 7i96 and I think the 7i96 might be a better fit for you. (you shouldn't need the chinesium break out board) If you go the linuxCNC/Mesa route it's really convenient to have one network connection for the Mesa card and another network connection for internet and other networking tasks. (like sharing your CAM files) I used a raspberry pi 4 with the?mesa card for a little while, then a dumpster diving friend delivered 18 used medical computers and I switched all my machines to touch screen PCs with dual network connections. (if you are interested, I still have four computer systems available?on ebay. search "linuxcnc touchscreen")
I have been very happy with some cheap closed loop steppers on my Rockwell vertical mill. My 9x20 uses a Gecko 540?and I just added linear scales. Going forward, I think I will go with closed loop steppers or try servos.
I have settled on the Meanwell RSP-1000-48 as my goto 1000W power supply. I have purchased several from ebay?for ~$100. They are quiet rock solid power supplies.
WIth LinuxCNC you could use either open or closed loop steppers AND use the build in DRO scales for position feedback. (This would require adding a Mesa 7i85s for the extra encoder channels.) There is good support in LinuxCNC for this. I think you will save a lot of projects by integrating your existing DROs into the control system. Basically, it will stop if the DRO doesn't match what the gcode?says. With my mill, I started using linuxCNC as a simple DRO.display without any motor control for?a?couple?months. Then added motors. Next up is adding a spindle encoder for rigid tapping. I like the fact that closed loop steppers provide an alarm signal if they can't achieve the desired position. My lathe and router started out with motors couplers. My mill uses a timing belt for the z and recently I changed my lathe x to a timing belt. 3D printed timing gears work fantastic if you have access to a printer. Belts give you a lot of options for motor placement and you can gear up/down.
On the CAD side, Fusion360 has a learning curve but there are a lot of youtube how to videos.
Rockwell vertical mill - LinuxCNC touchscreen PC,?closed loop steppers, linear encoders XYZ, VFD for spindle. Logitech jog. Jet 920 9x20 lathe - LinuxCNC touchscreen PC, open loop steppers with Gecko 540, linear encoders XZ and 260 pulses per rev spindle encoder, VFD for spindle. z touch off, Logitech jog. Homebuilt Aluminum extrusion router - LinuxCNC touchscreen PC, open?
loop steppers with Gecko 540, z touchoff?Logitech jog. Homebuilt Aluminum extrusion 3D printer running Marlin.
Hello, All,
I see from the lack of posts that we've all been busy with getting back to our lives as the COVID pandemic seems to gradually be coming under control. I must admit that it feels good to eat in an actual restaurant and meet friends face to face after such a long hiatus!
I have been considering doing an CNC conversion to my mini-mill for a while. Though I am fairly happy with my current mill, there are some weaknesses: rack and pinion drive for the Z-axis, a poor gib arrangement that requires frequent adjusting, and no quill, to name a few. So, after some research, I purchased the Grizzly M1116 mini-mill. I am a bit excited, as evidenced by the fact that I changed the cover photo to an image of this mill! It has a Z-axis lead screw drive, tapered gibs, a quill, and built in DROs. You can review the full spec . I purchased the Grizzly stand with it, as well. Unfortunately, a knee injury has me sidelined at the present so it is sitting in my garage, waiting for me to arrange transport to my basement. All I can do is look inside the crate!
I know that a number of you have done CNC conversions, and would like to ask what CNC hardware/controller you use and what you consider its advantages and disadvantages?
As usual with me, I am sure that the conversion will take a while. I am not known for my rapid completion of projects! So I will keep the project status updated here.
--
Regards,
Charlie
New Jersey, USA
SATTINGER’S LAW: It works better if you plug it in.
EDWARD'S LAW: It works even better if you turn it on.
--
John
|
I played around with lots of control systems and have settled on running linuxCNC on a PC with ethernet Mesa cards. Parallel ports are slightly cheaper but run out of bandwidth for encoders. I have a Mesa 7i92 and a 7i96 and I think the 7i96 might be a better fit for you. (you shouldn't need the chinesium break out board) If you go the linuxCNC/Mesa route it's really convenient to have one network connection for the Mesa card and another network connection for internet and other networking tasks. (like sharing your CAM files) I used a raspberry pi 4 with the?mesa card for a little while, then a dumpster diving friend delivered 18 used medical computers and I switched all my machines to touch screen PCs with dual network connections. (if you are interested, I still have four computer systems available?on ebay. search "linuxcnc touchscreen")
I have been very happy with some cheap closed loop steppers on my Rockwell vertical mill. My 9x20 uses a Gecko 540?and I just added linear scales. Going forward, I think I will go with closed loop steppers or try servos.
I have settled on the Meanwell RSP-1000-48 as my goto 1000W power supply. I have purchased several from ebay?for ~$100. They are quiet rock solid power supplies.
WIth LinuxCNC you could use either open or closed loop steppers AND use the build in DRO scales for position feedback. (This would require adding a Mesa 7i85s for the extra encoder channels.) There is good support in LinuxCNC for this. I think you will save a lot of projects by integrating your existing DROs into the control system. Basically, it will stop if the DRO doesn't match what the gcode?says. With my mill, I started using linuxCNC as a simple DRO.display without any motor control for?a?couple?months. Then added motors. Next up is adding a spindle encoder for rigid tapping. I like the fact that closed loop steppers provide an alarm signal if they can't achieve the desired position. My lathe and router started out with motors couplers. My mill uses a timing belt for the z and recently I changed my lathe x to a timing belt. 3D printed timing gears work fantastic if you have access to a printer. Belts give you a lot of options for motor placement and you can gear up/down.
On the CAD side, Fusion360 has a learning curve but there are a lot of youtube how to videos.
Rockwell vertical mill - LinuxCNC touchscreen PC,?closed loop steppers, linear encoders XYZ, VFD for spindle. Logitech jog. Jet 920 9x20 lathe - LinuxCNC touchscreen PC, open loop steppers with Gecko 540, linear encoders XZ and 260 pulses per rev spindle encoder, VFD for spindle. z touch off, Logitech jog. Homebuilt Aluminum extrusion router - LinuxCNC touchscreen PC, open?
loop steppers with Gecko 540, z touchoff?Logitech jog. Homebuilt Aluminum extrusion 3D printer running Marlin.
Hello, All,
I see from the lack of posts that we've all been busy with getting back to our lives as the COVID pandemic seems to gradually be coming under control. I must admit that it feels good to eat in an actual restaurant and meet friends face to face after such a long hiatus!
I have been considering doing an CNC conversion to my mini-mill for a while. Though I am fairly happy with my current mill, there are some weaknesses: rack and pinion drive for the Z-axis, a poor gib arrangement that requires frequent adjusting, and no quill, to name a few. So, after some research, I purchased the Grizzly M1116 mini-mill. I am a bit excited, as evidenced by the fact that I changed the cover photo to an image of this mill! It has a Z-axis lead screw drive, tapered gibs, a quill, and built in DROs. You can review the full spec . I purchased the Grizzly stand with it, as well. Unfortunately, a knee injury has me sidelined at the present so it is sitting in my garage, waiting for me to arrange transport to my basement. All I can do is look inside the crate!
I know that a number of you have done CNC conversions, and would like to ask what CNC hardware/controller you use and what you consider its advantages and disadvantages?
As usual with me, I am sure that the conversion will take a while. I am not known for my rapid completion of projects! So I will keep the project status updated here.
--
Regards,
Charlie
New Jersey, USA
SATTINGER’S LAW: It works better if you plug it in.
EDWARD'S LAW: It works even better if you turn it on.
|
Hi Charlie
Thanks for the photo update and your post.
I have owned for over 16 years 2 of these type Weiss mills, may latest has a longer X table than my original purchase.
With all the other benefits you have metioned the column is fixed as opposed to the Sieg type swinging arm. I have never been a fan of this type mill
and the major players in the USA of mini mills Grizzly LMS Shop Fox etc are promtoing the fixed column, needless to say the the head can still be tilted if required.?
Confident that you will be pleased with all the benfits of your new mini mill as you have mentioned.
My current mill is fully CNC and including a 4th A axis for indexing.
Basically I started by simple power feeding the X axis and then the Z axis with Nema 23 steppers and control boxes using Arduino boards.
From there I fitted a DDCNC control box adding power feed to the Y axis.
Currently I now have the option by swapping leads (4 pin Q/R aircraft disconnects) to have basic power feed to the X and Z?
and full X Y Z A? axis CNC.
When it is the right time I can supply full info including photos of Weiss/ Grizzly type mills for CNC conversion.
Thanks
--
John
|
John Lindo
Bill in OKC too
Tamra