advice for a noob please. cnc Miller to 3d print.

Hi there I am a D&T teacher at a Yorkshire secondary school.

We have a working Isel Automation ICP 2015 (except for the door lock which is why we no longer use it as a CNC miller).
Manual here: [www.isel-data.de]

I want to convert this into a repstrap 3d printer.It has a 4-axis IMC4 stepper controller. (connects to a PC via rs232 serial cable)
Manual here: [www.isel-data.de]

I’m not too sure where to start with this project, can anyone point me in the right direction. Especially some software that will allow me to control this machine other than the rubbish that came with the miller?

Thanks in advance,

Neil Brodie  

Hi Neil,

I'm sometimes 'converting' my Isel-CNC-mill into a RepStrap by exchanging the interface-board with adapters that fit a Gen3 into the same port or an interface to an RAMPS 1.2 - here some infos in German: [forums.reprap.org]

With this adapters I can use the RepRap-softwares ... but for laser-engraving, paste-dispensing or other similar applications I'm mostly simply changing the postprocessor in the CAM, so I can use the original configuration and the Isel-CAM-software RemoteWin for milling, lasercutting/engraving, paste-dispensing or even 3D-printing ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Hi Neil,

I have an ISEL CPM2018 with his original integrated controler IMC4.
I have made an extruder and an temperature regulator to extrude 3mm PLA thrue a 0.5mm hole.
The IMC4 can control 4axis so you can plug the the extruder to the 4th axis.
The first results are good but, because there's always a but, the IMC4 controler is not adapted to do 3d printing. It is doing small stops between each direction changes. By the way it generate an exess of PLA at each corner and the circles are not circular.

I think that it can be solved adding a kit called IMC4 booster see here : [axemotion.com]. But I fond it to expensive.

What I am looking to do now is to try to use a RAMPS board and to replace the IMC4 microprocessor by it as it is done with the booster kit. The only think is that I am ot able to find the shematic of the IMC4. So my oscilloscope is ready to find the good signals.

The easiest way is perhaps the replace fully the original controler by an other one.

Philippe
France