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  #1  
Old Tue 21 November 2006, 11:46
Charlie Trouse
Just call me:
 
Im jumping in - Draper Utah

Hi everyone. I am going to build a mechmate. I know rates will vary but, What is the average cost for the laser cutting of parts in the USA?

2. I have read most of the posts here on the site but just to confirm, Is there a check list of parts needed?
3. Do you delete old drawings? I ,like most, dont want to "cut" old drawings.
4. Am I correct in thinking that .10.-.30. posts are the latest versions and you are still working on the Z axis?

Great site, Great rig.
Charlie
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  #2  
Old Tue 21 November 2006, 12:25
Gerald_D
Just call me:
 
Welcome Charlie.
1. A local will have to tell about laser cutting on your side. I hope it is similar to our prices out here.
2. The checklist is the WBS spreadsheet, but which is sadly behind. However, that will become the master checklist.
3. Old drawings are removed.
4. Yes, .10. to .30. pretty much reflect the table that is already running. That table obviously does have a working Z axis but it uses a linear bearing that I happened to have lying around. If you have such a bearing, I will tell you how to use it, but very few are going to be that lucky. So, I've put together a prototype economical z-axis (very similar to the ShopBot principle) and getting those drawings out in a week or two.
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  #3  
Old Wed 03 January 2007, 18:31
Charlie T
Just call me:
 
Well take it or leave it 130$ for the grinding on the v rail x4 for x and y and thats 520$ + 37.50 x2 for materials so my X and Y rails are going to cost me... about 600$ That sucks. They should be nice though
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  #4  
Old Mon 19 November 2007, 23:21
NYGRAPHS
Just call me: nygraphs
 
ut
United States of America
Hi charlie

notice you wrote a long time ago so hopfuly your table is finished. i live 10min from you in Lehi and like to seen your table before I stard mine. do you have a shop or business? where I can go look?
Thanks Enner
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Trouse View Post
Hi everyone. I am going to build a mechmate. I know rates will vary but, What is the average cost for the laser cutting of parts in the USA?

2. I have read most of the posts here on the site but just to confirm, Is there a check list of parts needed?
3. Do you delete old drawings? I ,like most, dont want to "cut" old drawings.
4. Am I correct in thinking that .10.-.30. posts are the latest versions and you are still working on the Z axis?

Great site, Great rig.
Charlie
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  #5  
Old Tue 20 November 2007, 05:31
Richards
Just call me: Mike
 
South Jordan, UT
United States of America
If you need help with the electronics, I'm just a few miles farther up the road in South Jordan.
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  #6  
Old Tue 20 November 2007, 11:25
smreish
Just call me: Sean - #5, 28, 58 and others
 
Orlando, Florida
United States of America
Help from Mike just up the road? That's like getting Indian Jones helping you find the Holy Grail! Only if I knew as much about electronics as I Mike has forgotten, I would be in good shape.....
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  #7  
Old Wed 21 November 2007, 12:51
Charlie
Just call me: Charlie
 
UT
United States of America
Oh Hi fellow SLC people . Sadly My Mechmate is not done yet. Parts I have are:
Rails
zplate
v rollers and bushings
Main beams and most of the table cut but not welded.
7.2/1 steppers (a2a)
g203v geckos
But that is it so far.
We have a great place in SLC that will grind your rails for you. Superior rails from Superior Grinding. I have a link in the rails and rollers section. I'm just ramping up to the kitchen table project and makeing some room to start the table.

Ill be going with the pmdx122 BOB (they only take paypal grrr)
g203v geckos
pk296a2a-sg7.2 ---BTW I found a local place for those and got them for 230.00$ each and no shipping.
So Im doing the homework on what power supply to get (The Antek premaid one so far) but just makeing sure all the math is right, and I suck at it. So any help with this Mike, is great.
Ive been told that Standard Electrical has some great sealed boxes. So I gota go check that out. Comments?
You know Mike from reading your posts Ive gained great respect for your Electronics knowledge and I am only now realizing how lucky I am to have you right here in town. Just kinda putting two and two together now.
So thanks so much for the offer to help Im going to take you up on it. When my machine is done all are welcome to come and see it. Im really trying to get going full speed on completeing this project.
How far along are you Mike?
How far along are you Enner?
Id post pics but we've all seen steppers and geckos. Only thing worth posting pics of is the rail grind work. I will If someone needs to see them.
Anyway thanks for saying HI.
Talk to ya soon.
Charlie.

Last edited by Charlie; Wed 21 November 2007 at 12:53..
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  #8  
Old Wed 21 November 2007, 14:24
Richards
Just call me: Mike
 
South Jordan, UT
United States of America
Charlie,
It's good to see that you're well on your way. Your choice of electrical components is excellent. For a power supply, something in the range of 25 - 35VDC would work well with a half-coil winding with 30VDC being about ideal. The amp rating should probably be about 12A with 10A or larger being acceptable. (I like to add the current rating of all stepper motors and use that for the Amp rating for the power supply when using square motors. Depending on your application, you might be able to use a much smaller power supply - but why take the chance when an excellent power supply can be purchased for less than $150.) If you decide to wire the motor Bilevel Series - which will severely limit the top speed of the motor, but give more torque at low speeds - then a 50V to 70V @ 8A - 10A would work. I would tend to go with something nearer 50V to keep the heat down.

By the way, a lot of users think that there is only ONE voltage that is best. I've found that in CNC router work, that a range of voltages perform almost identically. Higher voltages usually mean slightly higher speeds at MUCH higher temperatures. Unless you're planning on cutting everything at the highest possible speed, which means that you're going to need a large spindle and lots of hold-down, the more moderate voltage recommendations will run cooler and give a much longer service life before they need to be replaced. In my opinion, the electronics should last as long as the mechanicals. Everything should still be running when you decide to retire the machine.

Just yesterday, I managed to make the gantry on my Shopbot 60X120 jump the rails when I tried to cut MDF at full depth in one pass with a two flute 3/8-inch downcut spiral, spinning at 14,000 RPM and a feed speed of 7-ips with a 3-hp spindle. I've used that same configuration many times without trouble, but this time, I probably had a dull cutter in the spindle. I'd already cut 14 sheets of MDF with that cutter, and this time it just couldn't do the job. So, after putting the gantry back on the rails and re-zeroing everything, I adjusted the cut file to make two passes. That allowed me to cut three more sheets to finish the job without further problems. What I'm trying to say is that I'm not setup for high speed, full-out production. My machine, my spindle, my cutters and my vacuum system prefer multiple cuts rather than single cuts.

When you want to talk, give me a call at 254-3900. Just leave a message if I'm out of the shop and I'll get back to you.

Some subsequent posts moved to new thread
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