Well I finally got it all together and have even used it to make parts to complete the project.
The first change I make was to redesign the Z axis drive. I started with "Hoss" plans and made a few changes that allow me to adjust a nyloc nut for pre-loading the bearings in the
Z drive. Relocating the drive from the side was a major improvement from the CNCFusion kit I bought. You can see the gib screws are now easy to get to and make adjustments.
I did two things to the base as suggested in many other sites and that was to replace the dish
washer with a chunk of 5/8" steel plate and second I added adjustment screws on each side
of the columb to "Fine Tune" vertical tram. Both were great improvements.
Next were the wiring junction boxes made for each stepper. The mill carved out pre-cut 1/2"
aluminum plate and later machined out the cover plates from a sheet of .060" aluminum. You can see the finished products in front view. Each box has a slot milled out of the back on one
end that fits over the rubber gromet in the stepper motor. The box is epoxied on. The cover
sheet I made the cuts from is still mounted on the table where they were cut from.
Finally, I replaced the factory control panel with a much larger NEMA 1 panel. That panel
now houses the original control plus the new power supply and G540 controller. There is
room for relays if I want to start/stop the spindle motor.
John Buckwalter
The first change I make was to redesign the Z axis drive. I started with "Hoss" plans and made a few changes that allow me to adjust a nyloc nut for pre-loading the bearings in the
Z drive. Relocating the drive from the side was a major improvement from the CNCFusion kit I bought. You can see the gib screws are now easy to get to and make adjustments.
I did two things to the base as suggested in many other sites and that was to replace the dish
washer with a chunk of 5/8" steel plate and second I added adjustment screws on each side
of the columb to "Fine Tune" vertical tram. Both were great improvements.
Next were the wiring junction boxes made for each stepper. The mill carved out pre-cut 1/2"
aluminum plate and later machined out the cover plates from a sheet of .060" aluminum. You can see the finished products in front view. Each box has a slot milled out of the back on one
end that fits over the rubber gromet in the stepper motor. The box is epoxied on. The cover
sheet I made the cuts from is still mounted on the table where they were cut from.
Finally, I replaced the factory control panel with a much larger NEMA 1 panel. That panel
now houses the original control plus the new power supply and G540 controller. There is
room for relays if I want to start/stop the spindle motor.
John Buckwalter
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