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fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 111
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 05, 2006 - 07:29 pm: | 
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Gerald, today after finishing the underside we turned the table on it's legs.
Believe me,even a elephant could walk on it. It weighs more than 300 kg. Hats off to you for the design. |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 114
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 06, 2006 - 06:47 am: |
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Gerald I checked on the table dimensions today. The box channels are 3"x1.5" and 3 mm thick.
In fact all round bars in your drawings have been replaced with these box channels. |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 124
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, December 17, 2006 - 02:24 pm: |
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The below picture shows how I have done one end of the x rail. Rail Bolted to table, rack mounting hole drilled and tapped, proxy hole drilled, stopper blocks welded and adjustment screw mounted.
The below picture shows the X rails of the Mechmate bolted and aligned.
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fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 128
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Monday, December 18, 2006 - 07:15 pm: |
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Gerald,Please go thorugh the last two pictures that I have uploaded and see weather they are in order.
I have done everything to the best of my ability. But with you being a experinced guy on this subject, you may observe some shortcommings in my work. |
Gerald_D
Registered
Username: Gerald_d
Post Number: 645
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Monday, December 18, 2006 - 11:04 pm: |
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Hi Fabrica, everything looks normal. The stop block looks a bit twisted, but that could be the photo. The block needs more welding if 80kg of gantry smacks it at 30 inches per second.... |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 129
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 19, 2006 - 04:18 pm: |
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Your suggestion accepted. WE will be doing more welding on the sides of the blocks. The blocks are ok not twisted, the picture is giving a wrong impression. I have finished the gantry today. Will post some pictures if possble now. Very tired after a hard days work. |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 147
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 - 10:45 pm: |
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Just thought of Uploading some more picture of my project. I was supposed to complete the project by now. The major components which were due to arrive beofre Christmas has got held up due to the festive season.
Below given is the Y car waiting for the final coating of paint.
Gantry, XY rails and clamping strips completed.
Z Slide
Control Box
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DocTanner
Registered
Username: Doctanner
Post Number: 13
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 - 11:43 pm: |
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Hey Fabrica,
Great job!!!!
You may want to check plan 10-20-454.
It says to bend in pair, one up and one down. and then again maybe I am looking at it wrong. I'm having mine bent tomorrow and was curios.
DocTanner |
Kim Mortensen
Registered
Username: Inwonder
Post Number: 24
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 01:48 am: |
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Hey Fabricia, what have u used to make the Z-slide of, hardened steel og ordinary steel..???
KM |
Gerald_D
Registered
Username: Gerald_d
Post Number: 672
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 06:14 am: |
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Very good stuff!
The bend directions are not really important for that part.
Before the final coat of paint, I suggest you seal the joints with an acrylic filler such as "painter's mate". Note: It must be an ACRYLIC filler and NOT a silicon filler. If you look closely at the MechMate photos you can see see how it was filled. |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 148
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 09:06 am: |
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Kim, I used Normal steel. But I am doing up another one with hardened steel. Just to keep as a backup.
Ok Gerald, I will do the fillup work with acrylic, thanks.
Doc, I think Gerald has answered your question. |
Manjeet Singh
Registered
Username: Manjeet
Post Number: 12
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 03:25 pm: |
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Hi Fabrica,
Great Job. I was looking at your progress right from the begining but couldnt jump in because I was very busy. now I am also ready to start building Mechmate. Please do tell from where did you get that Ycar cut and bent. I dont have any laser or water jet cutting machine around me. so how did you managed.
Manjeet |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 151
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 04:29 am: |
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Hey, Manjeet long time no see, where were you. I got the parts cut from a local company who has a laser cutting facility. The cost was around
US $ 500 including materials. |
Manjeet Singh
Registered
Username: Manjeet
Post Number: 13
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 06:50 am: |
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Hi Fabrica,
Thanks, Very surprising that you have laser cutting machine in Kandy sri lanka. Its quite expensive one I couldnt find around me. I going to get done on plasma cutting.
Manjeet
Further discussion on Plasma cutting moved here |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 153
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 09:49 am: |
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The cutting was done in Colombo which is around 140 Km from Kandy. |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 169
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, January 11, 2007 - 07:29 pm: |
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Manjeet, How are you progressing with your job. Hope you are doing fine. Please keep us updated on your progress. If any help is required we are always their to help you out. Have you completed your V rails. |
Manjeet Singh
Registered
Username: Manjeet
Post Number: 22
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Friday, January 12, 2007 - 06:14 am: |
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Hi Fabrica, Thanks for encouraging, I have ordered all the raw material for this "Beast MechMate" hope I will get them by tommorrow. Regarding V rails its not a problem for me as I have 12 feet planner so I will put the complete Mechmate frame in it and machine the rails in one shot to get more accuracy. Will let you know my progress as is goes up.
Manjeet |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 173
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, January 13, 2007 - 07:46 pm: |
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Gerald, If everything proceeds well as expected I hope to have the "Mechmate" up and running during the next couple of days.
Where should I start from. I a new to CNC stuff. How am I to comission the machine ? What are the first steps that I should take? I am totally dependent on this forum to provide me with the guidence (criticism, advice) to make this whole project a succesfull and a enjoyable venture.
Other than Gerald their are so many other guys who could help guys like us. Please your presence felt. Once I get over the initial hickups and gain experiance on this CNC machining subject I would be more than willing to help other guys to overcome problems during the process of developing this wonderful machine. |
Gerald_D
Registered
Username: Gerald_d
Post Number: 711
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, January 13, 2007 - 08:43 pm: |
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Fabrica, yes, we need a set of "commissioning instructions". But, some suggestions for now....
1. Test your motor movement while the pinions are not engaged to the racks. Unhook the springs and swing the motors down away from the racks. Run simple programs in Mach3 and use the cursor keys to move the motors. Check if all the motor directions are correct. Check if your Emergency stop works.
2. If you have connected the proxy switches as limit switches, move the gantry & car to the limits by hand and see if they stop the freely turning motors.
3. When you do get brave enough to engage a pinion into a rack, start with only the y-car. And start with that car in the middle of the gantry.
4. Then engage the x-axis motors. Realise that one motor will be turning clockwise while the other turns anti-clockwise.
5. Finally the z-axis.
7. Follow the Mach instructions and videos to set the motor speeds and accels.
8. Then commission the router and cut the table top flat.
9. After flatting the table, then set the axes pependicular to each other.
Through this whole process, check Gecko's, motors and toroid for overheating. Check often - they work the hardest when the motors are just standing still! Don't disconnect motor cables unless the red light on the Gecko is off.
This should give you some idea..... |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 175
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, January 14, 2007 - 06:04 am: |
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OK thanks. Very restless until I see the beast moving around. |
Bill McGuire
Registered
Username: Johnnydoughey
Post Number: 6
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, January 14, 2007 - 07:52 am: |
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Congratulations Fabrica....
I'm envious. You have already helped me alot through your discussions and pictures! |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 176
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, January 14, 2007 - 08:36 am: |
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Bill, how much of progress have you made on your machine. |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 177
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Monday, January 15, 2007 - 04:49 pm: |
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Below given are some some pictures showing the progress of my project.
Below given is a photo of one motor mounted on gantry with springs loaded. You would also observe in the background the racks mounted on the underside of the X rail.
The underside of the X rail showing the racks and pinions completed.
Motors mounted on the gantry
Bushes mounted on underside of the router to facilitate the mounting on to the Router bracket.
The underside of the router shown with bracket.
The side view of the bracket with router.
stoppers assy and mounts for proxies assembled on the Gantry.
Z azis partially assembled.
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Gerald_D
Registered
Username: Gerald_d
Post Number: 713
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Monday, January 15, 2007 - 06:38 pm: |
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Fabrica, I am very, very impressed! Tonight I will have a glass of wine in your, and your engineer's honour!
After some digestion and celebration I will give you some detailed comments, but for now we just enjoy....  |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 179
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Monday, January 15, 2007 - 06:53 pm: |
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Thanks Gerald, for you encouraging comments. How could I enjoy with without seeing the beast (Mechmate)running around. I will not have a peacefull sleep until I see the machine in full flow. Believe me, during the past one week we all in our workshop has put in more than 10 hrs of work everyday to come upto this level. |
Gerald_D
Registered
Username: Gerald_d
Post Number: 715
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Monday, January 15, 2007 - 07:10 pm: |
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That beast is still a baby under its mother's care - be gentle with it. Don't force it to walk too soon..... |
Hugo Carradini
Registered
Username: Hugotel
Post Number: 3
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 - 05:17 am: |
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What a nice job. Congratulations . It is really and inspiration for all off us that dream with a beauty like that. Please don't forget to show us your first cut.
Regards
Hugo Carradini |
fabrica
Registered
Username: Daya
Post Number: 182
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 - 06:27 am: |
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Thanks for your compliments Hugo. I will definitly post the pictures of the cuts no sooner I start working. |
Gerald_D
Registered
Username: Gerald_d
Post Number: 717
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 16, 2007 - 07:07 am: |
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The router must sometimes work in "deep" areas and you want maximum space around the collet. Suggest you minimise distance C (to zero) and use countersunk head screws at B. Most important is to use the longest screws possible to use all the thread in the plastic at A.
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