My next CNC project - a CNC router

Nice work comming up with the marking templates. :clapping:
 
Well now I can start in earnest!
Rails, ball screws, steppers and a bunch of stuff arrived today. :)
6774c801c28059d0b7d0b02149bc1766.jpg
 
So I'm going to go down parallel paths with the build:
Mechanical: all of the rails, ball screws and everything related to linear motion.
Electronics: motors, drivers, cards, limit switches etc. The PC I'm using is in the house so I'll mock up the motors and everything on a board to make sure it all works before moving it to the machine.
 
So back at the beginning of the thread I said I was going to use LinuxCNC to run this machine.
I’ve been watching and reading discussions where folks really struggle with configuration and setup.
I’d been leaning toward using grbl or grblHAL because of its simplicity and active development.

Yesterday a member of the PrintNC Discord group who is an electronics engineer announced that he had designed a new breakout board that uses a Teensy 4.1 controller board. And that he was going to have 10 boards made for beta testing.
I get board #2!
View attachment 20210608_-_PrintNC_Hal_2000_-_GRBL_HAL_Controller_Beta_-_Board_Rev_A1_Final.pdf
 
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DavidR8 said:
So back at the beginning of the thread I said I was going to use LinuxCNC to run this machine.
I’ve been watching and reading discussions where folks really struggle with configuration and setup.
I’d been leaning toward using grbl or grblHAL because of its simplicity and active development.

Yesterday a member of the PrintNC Discord group who is an electronics engineer announced that he had designed a new breakout board that uses a Teensy 4.1 controller board. And that he was going to have 10 boards made for beta testing.
I get board #2! View attachment 368653
Click to expand...

That sounds like it changes the nature of the project for this observer.
My intention was to read about your project with the hope that I might copy it someday.
In order for me to copy it, the thing has to be made of commercially available, off the shelf, electronic and software components.
It seems you're going pretty far from "commercially available".
So be it. I'll follow the thread anyway.
 
extropic said:
That sounds like it changes the nature of the project for this observer.
My intention was to read about your project with the hope that I might copy it someday.
In order for me to copy it, the thing has to be made of commercially available, off the shelf, electronic and software components.
It seems you're going pretty far from "commercially available".
So be it. I'll follow the thread anyway.
Click to expand...
I think our situations are the same. This is entirely new territory for me so I need to have instructions that say, buy this, put it together this way. I don't think that I'm deviating at all from the original nature of this project, only selecting a different software and hardware option.
There is no part of this project where I'm making it up because I simply do not have the necessary experience to make intelligent choices. I am following a very well curated plan.

It may not have been clear in the pdf attached in my post (though I thought it was) but the plan is to open source the board and make it available to anyone who wants one.
That said, there are many other options for motion control; Mach 4 and it's hardware, Centroid Acorn has a full-featured solution and of course LinucCNC is an option with either a breakout board or a Mesa card.
Even a simple Arduino Uno will do the trick, it just won't have some features like five axis control of multiple end stop sensor support.

There's a breakout board for a Teensy 4.1 (which is the processor I will use) it just requires some detailed soldering, a skill I'm not sure I have. That said, I was on the verge of going the Teensy and breakout board route.
 
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A minor update: I managed to get the frame bolted together. Went very smoothly due in large part to the excellent drill guides. There are four 6mm x 10mm SCHS at each connection point for a total of 24 SHCS holding the frame together.
Next step is to locate and mount the Y-axis linear rails and lead screw bearing block mounts.
This is a screenshot of what I'm talking about. Arrows pointing to the lead screw bearing blocks mounts and linear rails.
printnc-v3.jpg
 
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Big progress tonight.
Got the bearing blocks mounted and the rails and roller slides on both Y-axis.

IMG_7554.jpg
The grey pieces sitting over the rails are used to centre the rail on the steel.
IMG_7556.jpg

IMG_7557.jpg
Roller block in place
IMG_7559.JPG

Next I have to cut the steel for the risers that mount to the rollers and carry the gantry.
These are the risers.
Screen Shot 2021-06-10 at 9.40.07 PM.png
 
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Looking good. Do you do anything to maintain the rail’s z-straightness, or just bolt it to the steel member? Seems like that interface would be an opportunity for distortion.
 
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