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C-Beam cnc

Discussion in 'CNC Mills/Routers' started by Kyo, Jun 24, 2016.

  1. Davey Rance

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    Hi Kyo great build.

    One thought with the BOM is it worth while for a couple of the parts to list what would be needed as additional purchase vs what you would get with things like the wheel kits. e.g. the nyloc nuts you have listed that you need 52 but you get at one with each wheel kit and backlash block. So you don't really need to buy any as they come with each each of the wheel kits / Backlash nuts.

    I have some plates on order so next week will hopefully get something built.
     
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  2. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    Nice, I look forward to seeing your build.

    Yeah I listed all needed hardware separately. This way if you already have this part or that; you will still know what you have left to buy. If you purchase everything from the parts store in one go following the bom you will end up with some extra nuts / bolts and just enough extrusion to make a control box. I weighed my options and given the affordability figured having a few spares is always a good idea.

    Got one of the last packages in the post today. 12.7mm ( 1/2" ) Precision ground mic 6 cast tooling plate. Should make for a heavy solid base for the C-beam Sphinx. :thumbsup:
     

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  3. EvanBruner

    EvanBruner Well-Known
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    Cool tooling plate, don't crash in to it;)

    Going to drill and tap holes for holding or just make a spoilboard to go on top?
     
  4. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    Man, Kyo , you don't do anything half-fast!:thumbsup:
     
  5. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    @EvanBruner Hope not to crash into it lol. Both; it will be secured and bolted to the cnc and have a few tapped holes to accommodate a future project. But for daily cutting It is going to get a replaceable mdf spoiler board that has inserts installed for hold downs.

    @Metalguru You know it :thumbsup: better to take my time and do it right I say.
     
  6. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    Currently working on wiring and the control box this weekend, should be making cuts next week :thumbsup:
     
  7. stargeezer

    stargeezer Journeyman
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    Pics please Kyo! (as if you wouldn't)
     
  8. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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  9. stargeezer

    stargeezer Journeyman
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    I knew you would have some! :)

    I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of them soon.

    Thanks bro, keep up the good work!
     
  10. eddiejr

    eddiejr New
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    You've got a laser too?
     
  11. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    Not yet, but that project is in the works :D This is going to be a awesome summer for Openbuilds Builds..

    For the two pieces posted above. I tacked them on to another order that I knew was being placed for a online laser cutter. Designed in Sketchup imported into Inkscape and exported a nice clean vector for them to work from.
     
  12. bnbellis3377

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    Hi Kyo
    I have finally finished my cbeam and have done my first practice cut, this Machine is so cool. On my practice cut for some reason it cut across the plywood on the the first outside pass, not sure why but I'll figure it out. You were right in the response to my first post there is a lot of things to
     

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  13. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    That is looking good. Nothing quite like having the ability to expand your builds / projects like having your own cnc in house. With out my plate maker. I would not have designed this build!

    Did you have your safe travel height set above your work material? I have cut across my work like that a few times when I forgot to set travel height. Turing on my shop vac on mid run would cause a similar issue as well but never does if I have the vac on before I begin not sure why.

    CAMotics has been a great preview tool for me when it comes to double checking my code before actually running it. It can also help narrow down random cut issues like that.
     
  14. Sean Yong

    Sean Yong New
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    Great one, had an abandoned C-Beam project last year. Will be Building an 1000 x 1000mm based on your design this time. It look so great with all your details explainatuon and best of all a step by step manual.

    Have shot Chris with an email regarding the plates, waiting for his reply. Can't wait to get started.

    Thanks Kyo for the design and build sharing, cheers
     
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  15. bnbellis3377

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    Hi Kyo
    As for your question about safe travel height, I did not have it set but will next cut wouldn't want to waste a nice piece of alum or copper. This thing is a new experience for the fab is easy the electronics are kicking my butt, lol but if you read enough it all falls into place Thanks again Brian
     
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  16. silopolis

    silopolis New
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    @Kyo this is the very kind of answer that'd deserve a dedicated resource page ! Thanks a lot for taking time for our education
     
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  17. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    Thank you! Happy to be able to share what I know with the community, we all learn from each other :thumbsup:. Anthony is also working on what should turn out to be a solid resource on controllers drivers software ect. If you are not already keep a eye out on google +

    Sorry for the slow updates guys, Had a old client pull me in to do some development work. A week of work no one will ever see. sigh! I much prefer our opensource world. haha

    I have managed to make some progress. Starting with securing my cast tooling plate. While not perfect ( no milling machine ) It came out great. I just used a hand drill and the right bits., I will need to re drill the center two spoiler board mounting holes in the front up one size, I was mis-aligned from vertical enough to not be able to access the t-nuts when passing the bolt through. Once I pick up the right drill that should not be to big of a problem.

    Yesterday I started to really consider my wiring layout and started working on designing and prototyping the Y-axis cable chain mounting system. So far it is looking good! One more mount to design for the top of the cable chain and I will post the stl files. I am not sure if cable chains follow a standard but it should offer a solid base for anyone using similar sized cable chain in their build.
     

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  18. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    Y-axis cable chain complete and mounted. The mounting system is universal as such can be used on more then just the Sphinx build :thumbsup:

    Cable chain I am using is sold as 15mm x 30mm and has two M5 mounting points on each end.



    I have attached the stl files if any one finds them useful or would like to try the same setup. I am using three supports on my 500mm long Y-axis; print more if you have a longer y-axis. This mounting system keeps the chain as close and compact as possible without touching or rubbing on the side plate during movement.
     

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  19. James_Hopkins

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    This projoct is coming along great and i cant wait to cut my plates and build this one. I just wanted wanted to add that i may be a good idea to use the C-Beam Shields to cover the upper rail from things getting in the wheel tracks. I know you already cut the plates but i thought it could be a good idea for anyone else making it. I have some other ideas ill try to make up this week regarding the stiffness of the gantry.


    C-Beam CNC Side rails.jpg
     

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  20. James_Hopkins

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    Hey i had some time this morning to add a 20x60 to the X- axis. Maybe its overkill but i figure it would stiffen it a little and give support for a cable chain on the X-axis. Im not that good a 3D modeling but here is the new file. Maybe someone can add the bolts and the holes in the plates that hold the 20x60 extrusion on.
    C-Beam CNC mod 1 and add rear beam.jpg
     

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  21. EvanBruner

    EvanBruner Well-Known
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    The extra beam is only going to stiffen slightly against x gantry downward deflection and make sure the y gantry plates will maintain parallelism. Most of the x gantry deflection is torsional in my experience. So rigidity wise, not very useful, but very good as a cable chain support which is a must in my opinion.
     
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  22. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    I agree with EvanBruner. Not going to do much for torsional (twisting) rigidity on the X axis. Still trying to figure out how to stiffen the C-Beam up. It's plenty stiff lengthwise, but not so much torsionally.

    It would be pretty hard to stiffen the c-beam up torsionally by adding another extrusion or plate behind it without making the sandwich too wide for the wheel assemblies. I did have an idea to use threaded spacers in the center between the wheels, and using a bolt from each side. This way you could increase wheel spacing quite a bit without having extremely long bolts. Or, if you have the room for nuts, use threaded rod instead of bolts for wheel axles.

    I also thought about using tension rods (threaded rod through the extrusion pockets lengthwise, then torque them to put the beam under tension), but I'm not sure if this would help torsion wise. My gut feeling is that it wouldn't do much, but I'm not a mechanical engineer. It would certainly make it stiffer longitudinally, but that's not really a problem. I want to test this and see what happens...

    MG
     
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  23. Badger

    Badger New
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    Possibly fill internal cavities with some sort of epoxy or mortar?
     
  24. James_Hopkins

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    Maybe since there are no wheels on one side we can bolt a pice of 1/4" steel with T nuts and recessed bolts or something to the back of the C-beam and space the z axis a little further out?

    I do t thing filling the cavity of the c-beam with anything will help. Maybe at first but as soon as the matching starts vibrating while it runs it will separate from the inside of the smooth aluminum. Just my 2 cents
     
  25. James_Hopkins

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    Btw this is my current setup...
     

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  26. EvanBruner

    EvanBruner Well-Known
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    Granite epoxy filling extrusions has been talked about a lot on other forums and the concensus seems to be that they won't do much other than reducing resonance. The cross section of the epoxy would be too small to add any sort of meaningful rigidity. If you have resonance issues, it's a cheap solution though.
     
  27. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    If I place the z-axis in the middle of the x-axis c beam and grab the top near the motor and pull down towards me. The x axis can not twist, nor does the Z axis have any flex. ( all by sight and feel mind you ) As designed it is extremely rock solid! Now you start to increase the size of your build and results may vary. Everything from overall machine size to limiting how tall my y-axis side plates are or what length each axis c beam should be all play key roles in making a stiff / ridged cnc.

    Filling the extrusions with epoxy granite is something I would consider. If my plate maker is any indication. Doing so just to dull the resonance issues makes it a worth while investment. lol :thumbsup:
     
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  28. Kyo

    Kyo Veteran
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    I am in the middle of wiring so we should get some real world numbers / results soon. I am a little behind on the wiring but decided to make sub harness for each section to help with maintenance and trouble shooting in the long run.

    wiring.jpg
     
  29. James_Hopkins

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    Hey KYO,
    Do you think you can upload a Sketchup file for the Z-axis plate and cover? Every time i import STL to sketchup i get all these lines that i can't fix
     
  30. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    Kyo Where'dya get the sexy braided wire cover?
     

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