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  #1  
Old Tue 30 March 2010, 19:56
Greenwave
Just call me: Jim
 
Red River Valley Minnesota
United States of America
Question CMM (Compact MechMate)

Greeting to all,

I have been reading the MM forum for over a year. Last October, I purchased my laser cut part from “ Alabama Joe”, since then I have been working on my MechMate. I call my version on this cool machine the CMM (Compact MechMate). As you can see by the attached photo this build is not a large machine. I would have loved to build a larger machine but do not have the space for it. I have built the Y-axis to 48 inches (1220mm) and the X-axis 24 inches (610mm). I hope to someday extend the X direction to a full 96 inches, I agree, with Gerald, that most of the work is in the Y-axis so I have decided to build that to my desired size of 48 inches. I have also finished grinding my rails. I followed the directions and techniques listed in the forum, it took some time but the end result is very good, thanks to everyone who has posted in the rail grinding thread your advice worked for me.

My question for the forum members, has anyone finished a compact Mechmate? I have noted that a couple of small machines have been started, but would love to see a photo of one that is finished and working.


base_2.jpg
Compact MechMate X-Axis 24 inches (610mm) Y-Axis 48 inches (1220mm)
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  #2  
Old Tue 30 March 2010, 20:18
lumberjack_jeff
Just call me: Jeff #31
 
Montesano, WA
United States of America
Way cool. I like the wheels.
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  #3  
Old Wed 31 March 2010, 04:28
PEU
Just call me: Pablo
 
Buenos Aires
Argentina
Very nice! What is the effective cutting area on the X axis? I mean with stops, the Y carriage, how much is left per your calculations? 300mm?
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  #4  
Old Wed 31 March 2010, 08:07
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Jim, will it become top-heavy?
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  #5  
Old Wed 31 March 2010, 09:04
Greenwave
Just call me: Jim
 
Red River Valley Minnesota
United States of America
Your right Ken, using only the wheels to support the tables it was top heavy. I added some “landing gear” to the base table to extend the wheelbase. After I lower the leg levelers it becomes very stable. So far this has been fun project, have really enjoyed reading the forum every day.

Here are some cutting specs for the CMM

X-Axis main beam 1210mm (47.63 inches) X cutting distance 610mm (24 inches)
Y-Axis cross member 1640mm (64.56 inches) Y cutting distance 1220mm (48 inches)
X- Rail …1210mm (47.63 inches)
Y- Rail…1720mm (67.71 inches)

Table Height is 36 inches… (Standard kitchen counter top height in the US)



Landing_gear.jpg

CMM "Landing Gear"
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  #6  
Old Wed 31 March 2010, 21:22
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
I like the wheels. I think I might go ahead and incorp wheels into my MM. My machine is going to weigh anywhere from more than a ton to 2 tons. I woudl need some serious casters. The thing that stinks about it though is that if you move the machine it has to be leveled out again / calibrated. But it would be nice to have the option to move the machine if needed. Good job.
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  #7  
Old Wed 31 March 2010, 21:53
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
I borrow 3 trolley car jacks with wheels to move my table around during my build, one in the front, & two at the back.... & for the fun of it, I push & pull the table all around my shop floor... then return..


Last edited by KenC; Wed 31 March 2010 at 21:58..
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  #8  
Old Wed 31 March 2010, 22:18
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
I thought about that but i would hate to have one of them slip off the table to torque the table. Could bend the table. Would rather just install some casters.
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  #9  
Old Wed 31 March 2010, 22:25
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
Geeez you couldnt squeeze another 24 inches for the x axis? I would of thrown away some stuff in the shop to make room But thats just me When you finish this MM,... your serial number will be on the other side of the decimal point Joking I bet it will rock just like the larger ones.

You know what I would really love to see,... a truly scaled down MM. For those who want a small desktop MM with a 24" x 24" cutting area. Scaled down lasered parts. A y-car that only holds a dremel or some other rotory tool. You know what I mean? A baby MM. That would be hot.
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  #10  
Old Wed 31 March 2010, 23:15
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Don't worry about distorting the table, you can try very hard & it will still be rock solid
I jack the bottom cross pipes, sturdy as rock, even if they bend, it won't affect the alignment, the main beam & the cross bearers are strong enough.

I have all the space for length & width, but the table looks like a boxing ring & its no fun when I try to reach the center of the table..

Baby MM? It would be like trying to scale down a F1 race car to a go-cart. For its compactness, ballscrew + linear bearing are more suitable for desktop machines.
IMHO, it would be rational to buy a bench milling machine & add ball screws & stepper motors it.
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  #11  
Old Thu 01 April 2010, 00:02
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
Nah,... I think a baby MM is very possible. Maybe not a perfect replica but something very close. Maybe sometime down the road I will try it. Way down the road. LOL. But it does intrigue me though.
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  #12  
Old Thu 01 April 2010, 00:27
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
I'm not saying its not possible... Maybe the idea will intrigue me, but now, I have to learn how to operate MY MM
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  #13  
Old Thu 01 April 2010, 01:01
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
True that. Get to work I still have to build mine lol. You know what I might do is create a baby meachmate out of mostly aluminum because my MM will be cutting aluminum. By then I will have a TIG too. So yea
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  #14  
Old Thu 01 April 2010, 01:56
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
BTW, while you are conjuring ideas to design one, don't miss this important factor that MM's gantry & Y-car rely on mostly its shear weight + spring loaded pinion to stay on the rails.

Without further a do, I get back to my G-code & came speed reading.
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  #15  
Old Thu 01 April 2010, 02:18
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
Quote:
Originally Posted by KenC View Post
BTW, while you are conjuring ideas to design one, don't miss this important factor that MM's gantry & Y-car rely on mostly its shear weight + spring loaded pinion to stay on the rails.

Without further a do, I get back to my G-code & came speed reading.
Thats a good point you bring up Ken. Two things,...

For the baby MM,... everything would be scaled down. So a baby MM would be making baby cuts. Nothing like the full size MM's. Some changes could be made to help keep the gantry on the rails.

Second,... for my MM, i designed my table to use heavier beams. 6# c-channels for the cross beams and the legs and everything. The main beams are 8" high at 18.75#. BUT,... everything on the gantry is according to plan. Thats not bad but I was thinking that if I added some weight to the gantry that the added heaviness would allow for better cutting of metals such as copper, brass, aluminum, and even steel. But with the cost of the machine being slower. I dont know.
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  #16  
Old Thu 01 April 2010, 18:44
Greenwave
Just call me: Jim
 
Red River Valley Minnesota
United States of America
Hi guys, never thought of my small machine as a “Baby MechMate” (LOL) but in a lot of ways it will be like a baby for me. I hope someday to raise my, “Baby Mechmate into a monster machine when I have the space to add on or rebuild, the X- axis into an adult size MechMate. I welded the baby buggy wheels on the kid size machine in order to move it around the tight constraints of my garage. Attached is a picture of my “Baby about to stand on its legs for the first time.

MMB.jpg
Baby MechMate 1st time on legs

Would you paint a "Baby MechMate" Mechmate blue or Baby Blue?
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  #17  
Old Thu 01 April 2010, 19:34
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
No no, we weren't referring to your machine as a baby mechmate. You have a small mechmate. What we meant by as a baby mechmate is a scaled down version of a meachmate.

Imagine all the lasered parts have their size. along will all the parts that need to be made by the builder of the machine. It would be a MM that you could literally operate on a desk
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  #18  
Old Tue 06 April 2010, 00:32
liaoh75
Just call me: David
 
Taibao
Taiwan
Hi Jim, that is one cool Mechmate you have there. I would love to have that in my house for convenience. My shop is 15 minutes away from my location. Keep those pics coming please.

Gerald, if you are reading here, do you think the Y-car and gantry components can be scaled down to make a scaled version that would be physically smaller to be driven by nema 23 steppers with a belt drive? I'm just asking for grins and giggles.

Last edited by liaoh75; Tue 06 April 2010 at 00:34..
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  #19  
Old Tue 06 April 2010, 00:44
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
Quote:
Originally Posted by liaoh75 View Post
Gerald, if you are reading here, do you think the Y-car and gantry components can be scaled down to make a scaled version that would be physically smaller to be driven by nema 23 steppers with a belt drive? I'm just asking for grins and giggles.
Thats what im talking about. A scaled down version of the big daddy mechmate.
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  #20  
Old Tue 06 April 2010, 02:02
Gerald D
Just call me: Gerald (retired)
 
Cape Town
South Africa
Of course it can be scaled down, but then it is hard to guess what forces and speeds are going to be achieved. The current ("full-size") scale was well-known with nema34 motors before I set to fixing/beefing up what was then the ShopBot. My guess is that a nema23 scaled down version will compete extremely well with other nema23 tables because we have low-friction bearings/rails and cars that sit on a wide footprint on stiff foundations.
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  #21  
Old Tue 06 April 2010, 02:23
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerald D View Post
Of course it can be scaled down, but then it is hard to guess what forces and speeds are going to be achieved. The current ("full-size") scale was well-known with nema34 motors before I set to fixing/beefing up what was then the ShopBot. My guess is that a nema23 scaled down version will compete extremely well with other nema23 tables because we have low-friction bearings/rails and cars that sit on a wide footprint on stiff foundations.
Exactly. Any takers? LOL. I bet a scaled down version would kick arse compared to others. anyways we need to stop threadjacking this guys worklog here Sorry bud
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  #22  
Old Tue 06 April 2010, 23:35
skillalot
Just call me: Sascha
 
Gelderland
Netherlands
Well the only difference between this CMM and a normal MM is the shorter x-axis, witch he want to extend the moment he has the space for it.
The bridge (y-axis) and z-axis remains the same, with the same weight/friction/etc. With nema23 motors you will probably need a bigger belt reduction, and thereby lose a loth of speed.

Regards,
Sascha
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  #23  
Old Wed 07 April 2010, 04:30
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
Quote:
Originally Posted by skillalot View Post
Well the only difference between this CMM and a normal MM is the shorter x-axis, witch he want to extend the moment he has the space for it.
The bridge (y-axis) and z-axis remains the same, with the same weight/friction/etc. With nema23 motors you will probably need a bigger belt reduction, and thereby lose a loth of speed.

Regards,
Sascha
Yeah but we're refering to a scaled down version of the machine not this guys mm.
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  #24  
Old Wed 07 April 2010, 06:31
liaoh75
Just call me: David
 
Taibao
Taiwan
Scaled down as in physically shrinking all the components so that it would only take a nema23 motor with belt drive to run it. Not take the existing part and just shrinking the X and Y dimensions. A 3KW spindle would probably not fit in such a scaled down machine. That would be a real "baby" Mechmate. Now that would be cool!!!
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  #25  
Old Wed 07 April 2010, 07:01
cvriv.charles
Just call me: charles
 
New Jersey
United States of America
Exactly! A baby mm that is only capable of holding a dremel or an engraver or even a laser. Very cool.
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  #26  
Old Wed 07 April 2010, 07:31
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
There are plenty of dremel holding toys out there
http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy...lling-Machine/
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-CNC/
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  #27  
Old Wed 07 April 2010, 13:37
bradm
Just call me: Brad #10
 
Somerville(MA)
United States of America
Here's a favorite toy mill design of mine - You could cut one on your MM.
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  #28  
Old Wed 07 April 2010, 23:55
KenC
Just call me: Ken
 
Klang
Malaysia
Palm top toy! Aren't they cure.
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  #29  
Old Thu 08 April 2010, 11:27
lumberjack_jeff
Just call me: Jeff #31
 
Montesano, WA
United States of America
Brad, That's really quite cool.

It'd be a useful adjunct to a mechmate for cutting tiny things like faceplates, nameplates and PCBs.

Maybe it's better to just swap spindles with a dremel and create some sort of super-flat mounting surface from alu or plastic, but I have some doubts that my rack and pinion setup has enough accuracy to do "tiny".
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