Making Skins #74 - Brisbane Australia

[sailfl]

What the heck is a sliding air regulator?

Did you need an air filter to keep the water out of the line. Isn't that what you are putting in the line. Oh, I see you are also going to use it for air only.

The system looks good.

[Surfcnc]

Hi Nils

A sliding regulator is screwed into an air tool inlet to provide air flow adjustment at the tool rather than at the compressor or regulator itself.
Think less walking in its normal role !!
They adjust from fully open to fully closed, as they are a slide they tend to be a little touchy but in this application they are fine.

Here is the link to the device http://www.tradetools.com/products/VS202.

I'm pleased you get my valving setup as an important part of it is to deliver dry air at known pressure. Not just a coolant delivery system.

Regards
Ross

[Surfcnc]

The laser people finished my plates.
A little more tidying up was required as they had small starting point tabs.
All the edges were sanded to smooth and then sprayed with a coat of black hammer tone paint.
After counter sinking I will roll the last coat on with the foam roller to give an even finish.

Plates V2.jpg

Slow but getting there.

Regards
Ross

[Surfcnc]

An inaccurate flip to the second side sees these as not as good as I want.
I have nearly a 1mm error in side one to side two in concentricity.
The principal of machining your own bearing cups and moving up from the lower quality flange bearings is proven though.

Tomorrow I will make the final product and just be a little more careful next time!

Side 1.jpg

Side 1 No2.jpg

Flip Side 1.jpg

First Result.jpg

Regards
Ross

[Gerald D]

For accurate flipping, program dowel pin holes right through your job. For the first side, sink the holes through into the spoilboard and insert dowels. For the second side, lift job off dowels (leave dowels in spoilboard), flip over, put back down over the dowels. (We can do this with our cheap table - the boys with big iron have to find other methods)

[Surfcnc]

Hi Everyone

Do as Gerald says

Shamefully I did that but then just whacked a screw in it and must have went down an old hole in the spoilboard.

Mostly I hear about two holes to align the work piece but my "new improved" toolpath has several holes along the center axis.
This corrects for any slop and automatically sorts any slight misalignment's.

PS - Gerald, every week your amazing machine brings me something new.

Thanks
Ross

[Gerald D]

Ross, I can't take all the credit for the machine. I think my main contribution is the attitude

[Surfcnc]

Some changes as I decided the ball valves were easier to control.
As the liquid vessel is pressurised it was soon obvious the coolant valve should be on the other side of the tank.
Any knock or failure to seal of the needle valve would allow the tank to empty itself with the stored pressure alone.

IMG_3531.jpg

The mixing side is still a work in progress / franken plumb but a needle valve did the trick to control coolant flow.
The flexible nozzle was a good fit for the 6mm tube and the mig tip.
Directing the collant and air accurately should work well now.

IMG_3530.jpg

Regards
Ross

[Surfcnc]

Hope the ideas are useful to someone.

IMG_3532.jpg

IMG_3534.jpg

Made these today, once word gets out everyone wants one !

IMG_3535.jpg

Regards
Ross

[silverdog]

..... pushing the limits away
Now we have a metal CNC !

[Khalid]

beautiful work.

[Surfcnc]

Kahlid, I think I have seen some of your stuff on other forums and your not bad yourself. Thanks all.

I did not mention but the handwriting fonts are a bit thin on the ground normally but can be found for free at http://www.google.com/webfonts.

My design is slowly coming into being, the Z axis has been assembled so here is two pics for the forum.

IMG_3539.jpg

IMG_3540.jpg

Need to get a press to push the pinions off the motors and stock up on the right size grub screws and bolts.
Hoping everything goes well for my test runs but there is no better test than doing .

Regards
Ross

[HomeMadeCnc]

Very nice work!
Cheers,
Tim #79

[David Bryant]

Hi Ross
How did you get the google font into a form you can use in the CAM software?
David

[danilom]

Make size as large as you can, better if its on a white background, write the word you need. Use print-screen, get it to a bitmap with Paint, load in Aspire or some else cad/cam, use trace bitmap. If its black against white background, the result will be perfect no need for correction.

[David Bryant]

thanks

[danilom]

That is of course if you don't have the font file, which you can insert into windows / fonts and use it trough CAM to write and edit.

[Surfcnc]

Only had time to push off one pinion from the motors so installed the Z belt reduction drive this evening.
It is not how it looks but how it sounds, haha.

Z Axis Installed.jpg

Listen here - that's the good bit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PktBuocSKX4

Regards
Ross

[KenC]

Now it sounds as it should, a real robot

[Robert M]

sounds sweet....& nice

[Surfcnc]

Today I got the Z and A axis drives in and came across a clearance issue in my design.
The tab closest the M10 hinge bolt on the swing plate needs a bit of grinding to fully seat the pinion.
The tab interferes with the head of one of the car stopper bolts.
Minor issue once I figured out what was going on and the X axis is purring along now.

The Y axis to go!

Regards
Ross

[rnm1985]

Hi Ross,

You may have answered this somewhere in your thread so sorry if it's been asked, roughly how much would you expect a mechmate similiar to yours to cost to build in Australia?

Thanks!

Rory

[Surfcnc]

Greetings Rory

The full featured machines are coming in at around 12K parts price here in Australia.
Expect significant time spent on sourcing parts and maybe a little extra on tools if you need a welder, drill press, lathe etc.
At first glance it seems on the high side but if you do every single thing to best in class with no shortcuts it keeps adding up.
Others with access to cheaper parts, materials and engineering services in overseas markets have been well under this figure.

Importantly I can fix it if anything should go wrong as I know it backwards.
I know that up to 1K per day can and is being charged if you just want to buy a large CNC and have an experienced tech come in to repair/upgrade it for you.
I recently had an engineering service in Brisbane want to charge me $500 for what was effectively one hours worth of machining bores in pulleys and pinions.

Regards
Ross

[Surfcnc]

Hi All

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipFIu...ature=youtu.be

In the coming weeks I hope to be able to test out how they go on the machine and of course make some good stuff !

Regards
Ross

[AuS MaDDoG]

Hey Ross,

I have been waiting on this, and all I can say is great work and effort mate it looks and sounds awesome!! you have just made your BB Mechmate even better !! gotta be happy with that.
Sounds so smooth and so robotic

Cheers
Tony.

[Surfcnc]

Hi Tony

Thanks for the nice comments, we were both waiting for them to be finished !!
The machine is really cooking along now.

My next job is to revise the drawings to improve upon what I have learnt along the way... but not tonight after a long day on the tools.

Regards
Ross

[rnm1985]

Thanks Ross,

I was thinking something around the $10k mark so at $12k I wasn't too far off. I currently have a self made flat bed machine that I spent about $5k but need to upgrade as it's not quite up to the full scale production task (furniture) that I am starting to need it's more of a hobby machine. I think a mechmate is going to be my next build for sure.

Im sure I will be going through your thread post by post before I get started! Also I know the dramas with sourcing parts, that was the hardest part of my last build!

I'd love to come check out your machine sometime, I'm up in Noosa and also a keen surfer, its awesome watching yours shape some boards!

Thanks for the help,

Rory

[Surfcnc]

Instead of using my machine, lately I have been looking at other peoples CNC machines.

Checked out an 80/20 aluminium type machine. It was surprisingly strong in some areas but very weak in the gantry.
The new owner wants to shape surfboards on it so we plotted together to brace it up.
It seems the end result was greatly improved and he was very happy with the suggestions.
That same machine is in for some further upgrades from a CNC master so I can't wait to see where it all ends up.

Also checked out a Shopbot at close quarters.
The Mechmate is far more solid by comparison, but it stuck me as far from a toy.
Not everyone has the time or inclination to make their own machines in a busy world, so they will keep selling them.
The Shopbot guys are now selling a five axis foam cutting machine at just under 40K .
It's no cheap shout as us Aussies say.
http://www.shopbottools.com/mProducts/5axis.htm

The upmarket Shopbot and the 5 axis machines use the vexta closed loop drivers and steppers with encoders.
There has been discussion about this system on the MM forum in the past, mostly negative.
I respect those opinions but am still interested to learn more about the closed loop stepper systems and if their is any possible advantage in their use.
The lack of a controller that can assess and correct for movement across all axis seems to be the big issue here.
If the corrections are small enough and fast enough maybe interconnection of the drivers is not such an issue.
I only come to this conclusion after seeing a servo system and its reporting of following error / tracking error.
That is to say there was error, constant error, that needed to be corrected.
Your input is most welcome.

Regards
Ross

[Surfcnc]

Hi All I have been getting a few PM's about my drives asking for the files
I have now altered the drawings to stop the interference issue with the car stopper bolts.
Print them out in paper or make an MDF copy to ensure it is now correct before heading off to a laser cutters.
As nice as the Acetal bearing cups are a flange bearing would be far easier to fit so the drawings are altered to suit this type of bearing now.

What is it they say ... all care no responsibility - test your fits.

Belt size is XL - 170 tooth.

Regards
Ross

[Surfcnc]

Opps - DXF would be better.

Ross