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Re: Just On-board
In a message dated 99-05-07 23:12:52 EDT, you write:
<< Anyhoo, look forward to seeing this grow. Anyone else keen on largish gantry-style routers? >> I'm currently constructing a 48" x 96" x 24" gantry style router. I have a smaller CNC router that I built a while back and am running with some steppers salvaged from an old HP plotter and a large Toshiba printer, the machine looks rather like a MaxNC mini mill with a Porter Cable laminate trimmer as the cutting head. My controller board is from Dan & co ... one of their 2 amp 3 axis boards.. Gonna get one of the 5 amp boards for my big table soon. I've found that Bishop Wisecarver makes the least expensive quality linear motion components. Jonathan Croad jonty50@... |
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Re: Just On-board
In a message dated 5/8/99 12:00:47 PM Pacific Daylight Time, Jonty50@...
writes: Tell us more, this is the stuff we want. Bill |
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Cadem
Has anyone on the list any experience with the CADEM software it is free
online at: <A href=">CADEM</A> And is not crippled or time limited. Works in a Windows system. I have downloaded it, has a program for both Lathe and Mill. It looks to be a very complete and powerful program, but I really don't know enough yet to really say. I would hope that someone on the list with more knowledge than I would look at it and comment. Does the program output directly to driver boards, or does it need an interface of some type to use? Would it be a good program to use with Dan's driver boards? Dan??? Also does anyone have any good sources of used steppers that they would like to share with the list or me, I need three in the 400 in/ounce class. thanks, Bill Alb NM Has anyone on the list converted an EMCO FB-2 mill to CAM? |
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Re: Hello Everyone
Obie WAnliker@... wrote:
I feel that all attachments/binary's should be sent directly to thoseAs a former/fossilized "janitor" meself, I'd just like to point out that the "onelist" system has a VERY nice feature of a "shared files" area any list member can upload to/look at, which is found at: which I think is a whole lot better way to share "attachments/binary's". You could think of it as the group's "DropBox", ifyawill. It allows you to create directories for particular topics (if the Janitor hasn't already), as well as upload new additions of "good stuff". [Trouble is, it looks like it's limited to 5megs in size?] My motivation for mentioning this isn't cuz I hate attachments or feel like playing net-snob/cop; these days many of us DO have the e-mail bandwidth to allow for such things, BUT if we put our "choice stuff" into the Shared Files area, then we have a archive/repository of good stuff we can point to in the future as new members come onboard. Just posting the same to the list means it's gotta be searched for in the archives, which dudn't seem as nice to me. Just me dos centavos, amigos. Gar |
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Re: Stepper Controls
Bob Bachman
Dennis and all,
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The card from Boondog is a parallel port card with 3 ports. Very easy to use for experimenting. Good documentation. URL = The stepper driver from Space Time Productions has been a disappointment so far. The card is well made but except for a schematic of the board, documation is nonexsistant. Simon has been good at returning my email questions, but his software to run his board is written in Forth. I have some 450 oz/in motors which need 3.5v @ 3.5a that I want to use on the bp clone. I have one installed one the X axis with a 2 to 1 reduction and the best table speed I can get is ~8 ipm. Pretty slow for positioning. I'm running it with a simple Qbasic prog. The timing loop is a short as I can get it without motor chatter (~60rpm). I'm open to suggestions. Simon's URL = Dan Mauch's driver card would be great but I don't think it will handle these low voltage motors. Bob At 09:12 AM 5/8/99 -0500, you wrote:
From: "Dennis Mino" <dmino@...> Been experimenting with a stepper driver board from Simon at Space-Time |
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Re: Introduction and CAD Question
How can youCOPY items with a displacement in the x or y axis, select the copied items, CHPROP the layer, and MOVE the items back to the original location. For a few items, COPY with 0,0,0 displacemnt, select the items with the mouse (it will select only one of the two), and CHPROP the layer. Probably a simpler way, but it works for me. Robert Grauman in Sunny Alberta |
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Re: DRO ENCODER TOOL
james owens
Hi Mike,
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The place to buy linear strip and encoders is usdigital.com they also do rotary encoders which are necessary should you wish to go over 360 in quarture. Regards, Terry. ----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Gann To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@... Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2000 7:04 PM Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] RE: DRO ENCODER TOOL From: Mike Gann <mikegann@...> Tom - What was the resolution of your linear encoders and where did you buy them? thanks Mike "SMITH, THOMAS B. (JSC-DX)" wrote: > > From: "SMITH, THOMAS B. (JSC-DX)" <tbsmith@...> > > Terry, > > The pictures are very useful, thanks! And don't think you are beating this > to death. All this discussion has saved me (and others, I'm sure) a fair > amount of cash. I just finished installing DRO on my mill using linear > encoders for $150.00. Now with the tips from you, Art > and others, I can do the same for my lathe for a tenth that cost. > > One more question...did you remove the retaining clip before using your > tool? > > Tom > > >>>>>>>>>>>> > Message: 10 > Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2000 00:26:49 -0000 > From: "Terry May" <tmay@...> > Subject: DRO ENCODER TOOL > > At the risk of beating this subject to death, I made the wedge tools > I discussed earlier to remove the encoder disc from the Goldmine > electronics servo motors. The tool worked very well removing the > encoder and not damaging the disc. > > I put a couple of pictures of the wedges and the usage into the RCM > dropbox today (DRO_Tool.jpg, etc.) since I don't have my own web > site. Hope they are useful to someone. > Terry May > <<<<<<<<<<<<<< > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > GET A NEXTCARD VISA, in 30 seconds! Get rates as low as 2.9% > Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR and no hidden fees. Apply NOW! > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Welcome to CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@...,an unmoderated list for the discussion of shop built systems in the above catagories. > To Unsubscribe, read archives, change to or from digest. > Go to: > Log on, and you will go to Member Center, and you can make changes there. > For the FAQ, go to > bill, > List Manager ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@...,an unmoderated list for the discussion of shop built systems in the above catagories. To Unsubscribe, read archives, change to or from digest. Go to: Log on, and you will go to Member Center, and you can make changes there. For the FAQ, go to bill, List Manager |
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My Intro
On Sat, 08 May 1999 09:01:57, you wrote:
From: John Stevenson, john@... Hello Everybody, Glad to see all the activity on the new list. My info: I have a very small engineering company with just two people. We mainly do repair and emergency work but also build special purpose machines or parts like ink mixers, pencil making machines and parts for laser cutters. Our work is very varied and a lot is done out of hours hence we need a good range of machines. We have 5 lathes from a small Myford ML7 to a large TOS 12 x 84" centre lathe. Millers are covered by 4 machines from a mill drill to a CNC Beaver 10 x 54 that has been retrofitted with an Ahha unit from the old Posidata We also have a 5" slotter, 2 bandsaws, 2 migs,200 and 350 Amp. A tig welder ac/dc, 250 Amp stick welder and a plasma cutter. We are currently looking to buy a Guildermeister CNC lathe with fanuc control. This is currently in a college and although being about 15 years old has hardly done any work. To keep the thread of this list the CAD side is handled by Fastcad with who I have been with for about 10 years. I also have a copy of Turbocad [ urr ] and Intellicad, neither hardly get any use. Cam is taken care of by an English program called Dolphin and Bobcad V16.1 and 17.These two cover all the work that I have to do on the Beaver as it's all 2 1/2D. I also use a simulation program called Discriminator, and an engraving program called Millwrite. Both these are worth every penny. No EDM and only the mill/ drill has a DRO, this is an old Heidenhain bought when a local company had to change to keep up with ISO 9000. Hope this fits in OK, I realise that it's aimed at the smaller guy but that's how I started. Regards, John Stevenson Nottingham, England |
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Re: Cadem
On Sat, 8 May 1999 15:33:08 EDT, you wrote:
From: WAnliker@...I had a play with it when it was version 5.0 I had a full version that was restricted to 1 month. I'm afraid that I couldn't get on with it as it had some queer operations. For instance there are two circle commands, one is circle and one is shape/circle. They conflict with each other and you have to be sur which one you need before you use the command. In fact i had 2 files that Cadem admitted it couldn't do. These were very simple files and they are included in V6.0 that is on the web. One is the gearbox that features in the demo. I presume V6.0 is better but it still has this two command structure. The demo although not crippled will not write code only a series of zero's so you don't know if it's right. Also for a 2 1/2 program it's rather expensive, added to that you need to pay the same again to buy the lathe program if you run mills and lathes. Other programs such as Dolphin and Bobcad do both for a lot less. Capsmill cannot engrave either. The program does not output to any drive boards but only writes the G code Regards, John Stevenson Nottingham, England |
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Re: Cadem
Dan Mauch
Most of those software will generate the G code. Then you need a G code
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interpreter such as Maxnc, Desknc, CNC pro or supercam. I don't have the program loaded but that what most of those programs do. Dan -----Original Message-----
From: WAnliker@... <WAnliker@...> To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@... <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@...> Date: Saturday, May 08, 1999 12:34 PM Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Cadem From: WAnliker@...is not crippled or time limited. Works in a Windows system.be a very complete and powerful program, but I really don't know enough yet toto use with Dan's driver boards? Dan???like to share with the list or me, I need three in the 400 in/ounce class.discussion of shop built systems in the above catagories. |
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Re: interface board
Steve Lindsay
Bill,
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I'm not even using my dro any more. It did for a year or so and then the kids wanted the extra computer for a "gaming" computer. I haven't used my dro since. When I was using it...it worked most all of the time but I feel it was a little mickymouse with the wire and wheel. Yes...I had to be very carful not to get oil on the wire. There must be a better way. If US Digital has encoders to read from a linear strip this would cure the problem of slippage. Steve ----- Original Message -----
From: <WAnliker@...> To: Steve Lindsay <slindsay@...> Sent: Saturday, May 08, 1999 2:33 PM Subject: interface board How has yourlonger usage. Please answer direct or comment in the list if you care to. |
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Intro
Russell Dunn <[email protected]
Hi All,
Perhaps now I should make an introduction also. My name is Russell Dunn. I am living in mining camp about 180km north east of Newman in the Pilbara district of the state of Western Australia. This is about 1,800 kms 1,150 miles north of Perth, our state capital. My profession is of Mech. Engineer, involved with the maintenance of a 24 million tons/yr iron ore processing plant. For nearly 40 yrs now I have built miniature live steam locos scale 1 : 16 and 1 : 12, have the usual things in my workshop when it is erected. At present all my furniture and goods are in furniture removalist's store. I do not have DRO or CAM in my workshop just normal lathes and vertical milling machine and vertical milling attachment that goes onto the rear of the bed of my small lathe (TOYO ML 360, a beautiful machine). My first interest in joining this list was my wish to hear of the experiences of others with CAD. In my work and hobby I use both AutoCAD R14 and TurboCAD V6.0 Professional. I think that the Turbocad package has the best rendering software I have seen, can make any piece of s----t that I draw look good. The last loco that I built was designed in AutoCAD. The 3 truck Willamette in 1 : 8 scale that I am designing now is in TurboCAD so I will learn more about the package. Would like to hang around the edge and learn more of the CAM, I have the EMCO NC package for small lathe still in box, but not enough knowledge to install and use it. Kind regards, Russell Dunn |
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3D modelling
stumbled onto this list very much by accident (lucky me) - looking for any info/links to help me - want to take a 3D object, digitize it (?laser/video) into the computer, modify it, then mill this modified object - budget is VERY low, so shareware & surplus sound good
Any info you guys can provide would be fantastic! Chris Ellacott |
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Re: Introduction and CAD Question
Roger Mason
Hi,
In answer to my question regarding using AutoCad, Robert Grauman gave me the answer. Its easy when you are shown isn't it?! With his inspiration I have found the little toolbar button that does much the same, the right hand one on the "layers toolbar". Thanks again. Now back to learning about CNC and the various complex sounding codes involved. Cheers, Roger Mason, in Hong Kong |
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Re: Burning out taps in a milling machine
Jon Elson
Russell Dunn wrote:
From: Russell Dunn <russelld@...>First, I started with the spindle not rotating, and just hooked an alligator clip to the electrode. When I decided to make the electrode rotate, I took sone strands of stranded wire and wrapped them 3 times around the electrode, and held that in the clip. This worked fine, with no sparking. Current was about .25 to .5 amp, but would go up to 1 to 1.5 Amp if the electrode shorted out to the work. that meant that the fluid was gunked up with burned metal, and the hole needed to be cleaned out and refilled with fluid. I would think that you did not pass the current through the machine bearingsOh, that would be a bad idea, especialy with what bridgeport bearings cost! From my original post : I made an electrode from a piece of 1/16" brazing rodNote the Nylon Spacer - that was a 1/2" OD cylinder of nylon with anwith one end brazed into a socket head cap screw. I threaded axial threaded hole in it. The nylon is the insulator, and the EDM power is applied to the electrode, below this insulator. The workpiece is held plainly in the vise, and thereby grounded to the machine. Another clip is attached to any convenient place on the work - or the vise, if there's no place to grab on to the work. I took pictures of this with my digital camera, but the darn thing has a separate viewfinder, and the parallax is so bad at close distances that I got a picture of nothing, with just a tiny bit of the electrode in the image. I will set up a reenactment and take better pictures, and post that with circuit diagrams on my web pages. Jon |
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Re: Burning out taps in a milling machine
Russell Dunn <[email protected]
Jon, |
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Re: 3D modelling
Jon Elson
drfoot@... wrote:
From: drfoot@...Yup, I got this idea, too, right after I got my CNC mill running, and had done a few 2-D objects. I remembered about 10-15 years ago, a big craze (and small business) putting people's pictures on T shirts. I thought, "Yeah, I'll take digital pictures of my kids from several positions, use a program to convert the pictures to a 3-D point cloud, and then write a toolpath generator. I could franchise this and make a bundle! Yeah!" Well, I talked to some people about it, and downloaded some of the 2-D to 3-D mapping programs, and then asked specific questions of these outfits. The response was unanimous. Yes, they all wanted to do this, and yes, they'd all tried it, and no, their software really didn't perform well. One company said they actually got it to work (the face is shown in wire frame on their web page) but that it took an experienced CAD/CAM operator well over 8 hours to massage that face into reasonable shape. The hair is hopeless! But, for that, you could fudge it with canned versions of the backs of people's heads, and no one would ever know. Since then, the Minolta (I think that's the right company) laser scanning camera has come out, but it is around US $10000. Slightly out of my budget. Anyway, if the object can be scanned by a coordinate measuring machine, or is simple enough for the 2-D to 3-D mapping programs to work, then it is possible. You don't tell me more about what you want to do, so that's as good as I can do. Jon |
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Re: Digest Number 2
On Sat, 8 May 1999 12:13:41 +0100, Andrew Werby <drewid@...>
wrote: [I've been dreaming about a large gantry router for a while now. It seems thatHmm, let's see. Time and constant watching are what it takes to go via surplus, and realistically speakin (I dunno bout you, but me I cain't afford a $20K+ router), given the expense of going any other way, that's what I figure ANYONE (at least in our group) is up to, pretty much. So, NO, nobody's gonna have most all the parts. I spent two years searching and collecting the shafting, bearings, and ball-screws. Shoot, even building one with NEW parts is gonna involve many sources. Lacking an engineering job on the structure, I just figured something built around 1"D shafting for X&Y (and say 5/8" for Z) and goodly sized linearbearings for same would handle all the materials I was interested in, namely alum & foam (some of which can be as dense as wood, BTW). The ball screws are the same Pitch/Dia. as used on metal milling machines, so I figure I'm safe on that end as well. In fact, the volume (and therefore the cost, both new and surplus) of ball screws is enormously biased toward the standard milling machine diameters, that it's unlikely you're gonna find/need any other dimensions anyhoo. The key is just to keep looking. And new SOURCES (as well as new supplies at the usual haunts) are constantly developing. Some guy that's never had/sold linear motion stuff bids for and gets a pile of stuff at some auction, and suddenly he's a CNC hardware source. 6-mo later he's sold most of it, and he's no longer "in the business". B) I'd be interested in discussing the pros and cons of other machinable materials.Uh, "I-beams"? I trust you are talkin bout ALUMINUM beams? Even if so, I don't think such overkill in the moving portions is either wise or necessary. Many of the linear hardware guys (I'm talkin bout new stuff now) have some VERY stiff alum extrusions for building the gantry portion (not to mention the base T-slot table) The main reason I'm considering building instead ofYup, I know whatchamean. And after wondering about this, AND thinking about my own distinct interests/uses, I think this makes perfect sense. See my 'summary conclusions' below. But with extra z-axis comes another problem- how to find end-mills long enough toAs to the first issue of much of what you see being "almost 3-D", that's largely because, given the cost and market for new machines, they're mostly purpose-built FOR sign-makers and engravers, and the "nearly 3-D" routers aren't exactly in wide demand, except in the aircraft and race car body industries, and these aren't large enough markets to find very many "off-the-shelf" solutions. Next, if you wanna take a BIG jump and look at the "truly 3-D" 5+axis aluminum routers that have HUGE ball mills routing out gigantic contours from billet aluminum, then you are REALLY talkin big bucks and special clientele. It's really not practical to do much beyond "almost 3-D" (shallow Z) anyway, without some way to tilt the cutter/router, so worrying about how long you can get mills isn't the real substance of the issue; it's how steep are the contours of your 3-D part. Only modest contours can be realistically cut with a simple 3-axis setup, so you may have to resort to cutting lofts and then assembling the foam (or wood) pieces. I planned/made mine with 24" Z travel mainly because I hope to add another 2 axis and an air-drive cutter head at a later date, and because even with only 3-D, in most aerodynamically oriented contours, you CAN do alot of 'carving' with a simple vertical Z (because unlike general 'carving', the contours in aerodynamics don't/can't change rapidly; if they do, that usually means high drag). How far along is your router project- any pictures yet?It's currently entombed in a warehouse, with the rest of our non-profit Experimental Aircraft Engine corp's shop, awaiting (for the last 5 mos) occupancy of our new building at a nearby airbase undergoing civilian conversion. The X-Y and gantry are finished (basically, all 3 axis), but the motors aren't mounted, and the electronics is still in the bench-test stage. When we get it re-assembled, upon ingress to our new facilities, I'll get some photos for the 'shared files' area. SUMMARY on the why's and wherefore's of largish gantry style routers: I'm inclined to think that outside the well-defined requirements of signage, the uses of such a beastie are diverse enough that you gotta look upon your own design as "purpose-built", and that's why I think you just WON'T find a developed "generic 3-D carving router" market in these big dimensions. The market and requirements are just TOO diverse; this is just as it should be, and just as most of us would like it anyway, eh? Gar |
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I'm New here
Don Hughes
Hello all, I have just subscribed to the site. So far from what I have
seen, this is the place I have been searching for sometime now. As I mentioned I am new to some areas of my new project, which I will describe later on to you, but first let me give you some background. I was a toolmaker/journeyman machinist on conventional Ex-Cello vertical mills. CNC was just making it's debut when I left the trade to take up commercial aviation. Now, my project I want to do I to assemble a laser cutter of approx. 40-50 watts, CO2 powered laser. I am doing this from scratch and as most people in this forum have portrayed, expense is a big issue here, so I will be attempting to do this as inexpensively as possible. I will be utilizing the CNC for the cutting operations, so I will need to rely on many of you here to guide me along if it will not be a problem to any of you. From what to use as my PC interface to what will control the laser and axis of the machine, I will need to refresh myself on, and this is where I will need your assistance. I am also interested in a homebrew milling machine to do some machining of molds for fiberglass lay-ups. All of this equipment will be to cut model aircraft kits and parts for myself and my friends. Thanks to all in advance, and look forward to a long life here in this forum talking with most all of you. Regards, Don Hughes |
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