New CNC Machine Design by Preston Hackspace

This will be a series of posts on the progress of the design, development and build of 3 axis cnc machine capable of manipulating many mediums. The machine will be built from aluminum extrusions, laser/waterjet cut parts and some machined parts.

It will have interchangeable heads allowing many mediums to be either cut or engraved or added to. We are looking at 3d printing FDM, UV resin printing, waterjet cutting, routing etc. We are building the first prototype for our hackspace and have many members are helping develop and design the machine with talents in design engineers, electronics, software and graphics design.

The machine is being developed in 3D cad, but we have also been testing and developing other functions we require.

Last night we were testing opensource software by wolfmanjm Smoopi to allow the interface of a touch screen raspberry pi and the smoothieboard via usb. We connected the touch screen to one of our delta printers and successfully moved the x,y and z axis of the printer and homed the printer. Below are some screen shots:

Cool machine, but a couple of questions/concerns.

For routing, deltas have never seemed like a good platform to me. Those long, flexible arms linking the effector to the carriages will have a fair bit of slop and flex when under cutting forces. Don't know how they'd fare with the vibration either. That and effector tilt with imperfect mechanics (you'll never get the parallel rods perfectly even) means your cutter likely wont be perpendicular.

I'm taking a stab in the dark and guessing the electronics are housed in the base. If you're running a water jet, they seem like they'd be in the firing line.

Seems like a very solid machine though, any test prints/engravings so far?

Maybe the pics of the delta are nothing to do with the new build?

Could be, I guess I jumped to assumptions.

I also had the same thoughts so no wukinfurries.

??? It is all explained in the text.

Being exposed to the awful brain damaging chinglish (and other languages too) description, instruction on Ali etc...people tend not to read anymore, just look at the pictures isn't ?

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2018 01:40AM by MKSA.

---

"A comical prototype doesn't mean a dumb idea is possible" (Thunderf00t)