G0704 CNC AC Servo Rebuild (Picture Heavy)

[spumco]

I grew up there and took the Smithsonian for granted as a snot-nosed kid. DC is not the same place it used to be... (get off my lawn!)

 

[spumco]

I can go buy some steel.

Aluminum? Pshaw.

Just tell me what size you want the sides and we'll shop in the scrap bin. We've got some nice 3/8" SA516-70 drops next to the plasma cutter.

It's unlikely you need to buy anything unless you want something exotic, like Waspaloy or maraging steel.

 

[macardoso]

I grew up there and took the Smithsonian for granted as a snot-nosed kid. DC is not the same place it used to be... (get off my lawn!)

The museums are amazing. I was 1 day early for the 50th anniversary celebration of Apollo 11. Kinda bummed I missed it. Love everything about that program.

Just tell me what size you want the sides and we'll shop in the scrap bin. We've got some nice 3/8" SA516-70 drops next to the plasma cutter.

Thanks! My current design is 8x8". Probably 5/8" wall on that cast plate, but if it were boxed in better, that would be unnecessary.

 

[spumco]

8x8? do you need it that long? I understand the width is determined by the gearhead, but are you trying to enclose the motor or is that just because the angle plate is that big? Remember that any extra length (along X) eats up table real estate.

 

[macardoso]

8x8? do you need it that long? I understand the width is determined by the gearhead, but are you trying to enclose the motor or is that just because the angle plate is that big? Remember that any extra length (along X) eats up table real estate.

Nah, The vertical face needed to be 8x8 to deal with the bolt flange on the gearbox and to lift it off the table enough to swing a chuck on it (5" maybe?). The 6x6 angle was too small so 8x8 it was. The motor and gearbox are much longer than 8" so they will be hanging off the back regardless. If I ever get some sheet metal tools, I will make a stainless cover to go around the motor. I could probably get away with the bottom leg being 5-6" long as long as you don't think that will mess up the rigidity of mounting?

 

[spumco]

Mine is about 5" long and I could lift the whole mill with it. The only difference - and it's likely significant - is that I have a 5/16" thick back plate for the motor mount so mine is a complete box. I get the impression yours will be open-backed and thus less torsionally stiff. You might have a think about how to get a back plate on yours even if it's got a big hole for the motor; anything is better than a completely open back.

I've confirmed with the plasma owner that we can get 2/ea 8x6 drops out of the leftover chunk of 3/8". We can do this however you'd like, but if you give me a DWG or F360 file I can cut the pieces with whatever cleanup allowance you want.

If you want them angled like mine, fine. Square - also fine.

Second part is drilling & tapping the holes in your angle plate and finishing up removing the ribs. Last part - once everything fits together - is grinding it all in on the surface grinder.

Least number of trips for you looks like this:
1. I cut, mill, and drill the side plates to your specified dimensions.
2. You drill & tap the sides of your angle plate to match.
3. You come up here with angle plate and we remove ribs, test fit, and then grind it in.

Or... if the angle plate sides are really flat & parallel even after you've half-chunked the ribs out then I can gind the side plates before you get here and then you just show up and we hog out the ribs. You leave with all the pieces and no grinding needed while you're here.

Or... I just hand you some rough-cut side plate stock and we chop out the ribs. You skip grinding and use epoxy to grout the side plates for full contact. You do everything else on your own so you aren't spending so much time up here and you get more 'quality time' with your own mill.

You pick.

 

[macardoso]

I'm on the hunt for an import price-point 5" 4 jaw independent chuck with bolts that mount through the face of the chuck. If anyone knows of a good place to buy one, please share

I will be mounting this to the 4th axis that @spumco is so kindly helping me with. Unfortunately the mounting pattern of my gearbox forces me to screw the chuck onto the faceplate after the faceplate is attached to the gearbox, hence the through chuck mounting requirements.



Basically something like this. I see quite a few for sale, but not from any reputable import seller that I know. I don't want to buy absolute garbage from Amazon...

 

[spumco]

Um... You want a 3" 4-jaw starter kit? That you can bolt on to the front? I might know a guy...

And there's no reason to buy a special front-mount chuck when you have a CNC mill. Get a regular one and drill/counterbore yourself.

 

[macardoso]

Um... You want a 3" 4-jaw starter kit? That you can bolt on to the front? I might know a guy...

Well then I might want to meet this guy! Yes, I'd definitely be interested in a small chuck to start with. I have a 3" 4 jaw chuck but... when I started machining I didn't understand why anyone wouldn't want a scroll chuck, so I went out of my way to buy a 4 jaw dependent chuck. Lol

If the chuck has the meat to be machined then I can do that. I've seen lots of 4 jaw chucks which are hollow in the back and wouldn't have enough meat to put a counterbored hole into.

 

[spumco]

Well, that chuck comes with a sub-plate already so there's no need to drill the chuck. If the bolt pattern doesn't fit your final faceplate design it's got enough fat left to put some new ones in it.