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Can someone tell me how something like this is machined: I'm having trouble imagining how the work would be held securely to machine the other side.
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Aug 12, 2014 22:40
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It's CNC'ed aluminum that's been bead blasted and anodized.
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Aug 12, 2014 22:52
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Thanks for the replies guys. I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around it...rotor posted:are you sure it's CNC milled? seems like stamped is a lot more likely. According to the site (http://www.kleptography.com/rf/), "All of Richard's grips are individually precision-machined from high-grade aluminum alloy, and then glass-bead blasted and black anodized for durability. " The thing is though, he's also selling these for $35 a pop, which sounds really cheap considering the machining and finishing steps involved...
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Aug 16, 2014 06:58
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I have a Silhouette Cameo that has worked great for a few years now, so I might be able to help.
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Nov 23, 2015 00:15
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What sorts of things are you looking to do? I usually use Adobe Illustrator, though the software that came with the Cameo (Silhouette Studio?) is not terrible either (but it only works with their cutters, so not really helpful). I'm not familiar with the Cricut Explore sorry 
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Nov 23, 2015 00:53
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I feel like the best/correct/possibly even fastest way is to use the scan as a reference and create new splines for lofting/boundary surface. That way you're guaranteed a symmetrical part (since you're modeling half then mirroring) and you won't have weird scan artifacts.
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Dec 20, 2015 19:13
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I'm thinking about a CNC purchase sometime down the road. I've heard nothing but good things about the Taig, but how does it compare to something like http://www.omiocnc.com/x4-800l-3a/ , which is a gantry design with linear guides?
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Feb 21, 2016 03:45
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So it's a bit mindblowing to me that http://www.shapertools.com/ is actually a real, working thing. It's a handheld router that can display a path for you to follow (stock shapes or paths on a USB drive), then auto corrects as you go along. When I first heard about it I thought it'd be one of those scammy concepts, but applied science recently made a video showing how it works and uses it to cut through some aluminum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8GFpSCK6Jk
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Apr 13, 2016 14:31
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CarForumPoster posted:I used this in silicon valley ~2 years ago at maker faire 2014 and follow them on Youtube. It actually for real works and has for two years. I am very annoyed they dont sell it yet. How is the quality of the cut compared to traditional routers?
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Apr 14, 2016 18:28
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The handheld CNC router is available for preorder now, at $1500 + 100 shipping, -100 with a referral link. I almost preordered, but it turns out the ship date is like September 2017, not 2016 as I had originally thought. The retail price is $2000, which I think is pretty fair. If they didn't charge my card immediately, I might have still gone for it. https://shapertools.com/ After toying around with the idea of a CNC purchase for like 5 years now, I finally took the plunge and ordered a CNC ready Taig yesterday! Turns out you can order it without the lacklustre motor for $175 less (total comes to just under $1000 incl shipping, with free collets, basic vise), and for that money I can pick up a 2/3 HP brushless motor + controller + power supply, so that'll (if everything goes as planned) allow me to adjust spindle speed without changing belts/losing torque. I should be able to put the entire thing together for just under $2000 (including spiffy DSP based stepper drivers and an offline FPGA based 3/4axis controller (no computer/mach 3 required), so if anyone else is interested in putting a Taig based mill together, I can go into a bit more detail about the BOM. rawrr fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Aug 30, 2016 |
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Aug 24, 2016 17:00
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I'll probably be making my first batch tomorrow, but the recipe is just 1 part LDPE (i.e. freezer bags or recycling symbol 4) : 4 parts paraffin wax by weight. Melt wax at 300*F, and dissolve LDPE into it. Pour into mold and let it cool as slow as possible. Can throw in a crayon for colouring. Machinable wax really does sound like the ideal material for prototyping/learning, and they supposedly make great molds for casting silicone molds, out of which you can cast solid resin parts. I like the fact that you can collect and remelt chips, and reuse them infinitely until the plasticizes burn off.
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Aug 30, 2016 04:37
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I used the cheapest rice cooker I could buy (~$15) that I originally bought to do acetone vapor smoothing for ABS prints on. Ovens probably aren't the best because you'll need to be stirring and monitoring temps, but my rice cooker worked fine, if a bit slow because it's pretty low wattage. I made up a batch earlier today and everything went pretty well (no surprises, and really isn't a complicated or sketchy process), but I won't get to test out how well it machines until I actually get my Taig setup in a couple weeks. PS If you do use a rice cooker though, you might need to take out the thermal fuse and hold the switch down with tape or something. And just keep an eye on temperature and shut it off once it creeps past 300f. I wired up a PWM controller to modulate power but I don't think it was that necessary given how slowly the mixture heats up.
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Aug 30, 2016 21:58
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  So this looks pretty promising, cuts like butter with a hacksaw, no melting. Was expecting a bunch of bubbles and was ready to buy a vacuum pump, but this looks almost flawless even though I didn't do anything in particular to degas. I put a piece of cardboard over the box as it was cooling, and that seemed to be all that was needed to prevent a huge divot in the middle from shrinkage. Seems like the piece shrank evenly from all sides, and the wax basically dropped out of the mold. P.S. This is approximately 600g paraffin 150g LDPE ziplock bags (e: and two crayons) rawrr fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Aug 31, 2016 |
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Aug 30, 2016 23:26
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When I looked into it a while back the OX CNC is what I almost went with: http://www.openbuilds.com/builds/openbuilds-ox-cnc-machine.341/ http://www.smw3d.com/ox-diy-cnc-kit/ Because it uses extrusions instead of sheet metal for the frame, you can easily resize it later by buying longer extrusions and a larger piece of MDF base. The openbuilds page (if you scroll down a bit) will also list what seems like up to date electronics and software options.
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Aug 31, 2016 01:38
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imo wax has pretty much the ideal properties for prototypes, learning, and mold casting, especially for less rigid, low hp hobby level machines. Faster, easier, and quieter to machine too, and the last one is important to me because I live in an apartment. I wasn't happy with the surface finish, speed, and accuracy I was getting from my 3D printer for prototyping, so wax just sounds awesome for everything that doesn't need to have structural properties.
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Aug 31, 2016 05:06
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Aliexpress and dhgood are other places to check, especially since they usually have user reviews for the product that you can sort search results by. What are people's experiences with Chinese end mills vs brandname ones? Most people seem to suggest avoiding them for learning, because it adds another unknown that you might end up having to troubleshoot for, especially if you don't have the experience to figure out what the source of the problem is. OTOH I find that Chinese stuff is starting to strive for higher quality and value vs lowest cost, so I'm not as quick to equate made in China with poor quality anymore.
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Sep 1, 2016 18:58
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Brekelefuw posted:To add to that because Ambrose and I are in Canada: I find that I'm better off just ordering stuff that's made in China from China directly; the price works out to be cheaper and if you find sellers that are willing to ship e-packet (dhgate lets you filter by shipping method), the shipping is usually only a couple bucks more and will get here in roughly 1-2 weeks (I've had a computer fan I paid $3 incl shipping arrive in 3 days wtf), roughly the same amount of time as buying something from the States.
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Sep 1, 2016 19:54
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I think McMaster used to ship to Canadian business accounts, but they've stopped shipping to Canada for new accounts entirely the last time I looked into it. There really isn't a good Canadian option/alternative for this sort of stuff
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Sep 1, 2016 21:03
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Ambrose Burnside posted:Anyone know of a Canuck source for a fly cutter with a smaller-than-1/2" shank? that Cross Border Shipping Struggle means the price will more than double if I gotta buy from littlemachineshop or micromark https://www.amazon.ca/Grizzly-H7537-Round-Cutter-3-Piece/dp/B006SJEKNU/
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Sep 5, 2016 05:59
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Ambrose Burnside posted:Never even thought to check amazon.ca because it's typically so thoroughly useless for this kind of thing, huh. Yeah, the selection on amazon.ca has improved significantly in recent years; for some items it actually seems like they still warehouse in the US and have some sort of consolidated shipping over the border. Really looking forward to a future where a Prime membership becomes worthwhile. The machining selection is pretty ok, bolstered by a partial catalog of Grizzly stuff. Free shipping is what makes a lot of the items make sense though; I'm eyeing a granite surface plate for $70ish - that's something that would cost the same if not more in shipping alone anywhere else. -- I finally picked up my Taig from across the border today, and the thing is a lot smaller than I expected. Still waiting on the electronics to arrive before I can do anything with it since I ordered it without a motor :< The fact that the design hasn't changed much in like 20 years is a bit endearing to me - they're still using threaded rod (that they lap on a machine with the paired nut), a literal light switch, and a weird arrangement involving tubing for stepper couplers. Even the packaging feels like something from the 80's; small parts are carefully hand wrapped in old Uline catalogs, and placed inside a cardboard box that has a handwritten list of contents. Almost no plastic or styrofoam; the machine is bolted down onto a wood base inside the cardboard box and padded with newsprint. It's actually a bit mind boggling that they're still in business, even with cheaper chinese alternatives that have flooded the market. Feels less like an inability to keep up or innovate and more like a preference to do things the old fashioned/tried and true way.
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Sep 7, 2016 02:17
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I mean Taigs do look cobbled together in the worst sense of the word (the finish of the thing would improve drastically if they simply didn't haphazardly hand file the corners), but this http://www.deepgroove1.com/tagsherline/sherlinetaigcomparison.htm pretty much convinced me that Taig is the more rigid machine. Obviously the guy is biased because he sells Taig, but still... Now that I've done more reading, I wonder how much stiffness/rigidity matters in these smaller machines though; since they take only smaller diameter endmills, it seems to me like the mill only needs to be stiff enough to not deflect before the endmills do? I understand that mass/vibration dampening is another factor to consider, but minimizing weight is actually the primary consideration for me. My choices were essentially narrowed down to the little machine shop X2 or the Taig. The X2 still looks like a much beefier/rigid machine to me, but I ended up going Taig because  and the easier CNC conversion.
rawrr fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Sep 7, 2016 |
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Sep 7, 2016 03:22
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Yeah, I'm already thinking about a lathe purchase, and I'm leaning towards a Sherline, as Taig lathes look waay too DIY. I realize I'm probably the only one, but if anyone else is interested in Taigs, their (unofficial?) youtube channel shows you a lot of their factory machines/calibration jigs, and how they setup/adjust the machines to factory spec https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXRDWAvfv-OJpjRqWyXGCIQ
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Sep 7, 2016 04:10
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So Xmas came early courtesy of the DHL lady: Paid around $400 + $100 shipping for everything above. Notable is the FPGA based standalone 4 axis controller that's compatible with an MPG. It's kinda what inspired the build, since I've always felt that needing a separate PC and having to run Mach3 was a bit fussy. If this works, I should theoretically be able to just plug in a thumb drive to load g code. Wanted a cheap baby's first test indicator, but the cheapest one was a...MitutDyD. Everything else is relatively brandname though, Meanwell power supplies and leadshine DSP stepper drivers. 
rawrr fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Sep 10, 2016 |
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Sep 10, 2016 03:14
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My Rhythmic Crotch posted:What controller is that and where did you order everything? I ordered everything off Taobao (Chinese eBay) - they now offer a consolidated shipping service where you can have everything shipped to a local address, and they pack everything up into one box and send it to you. The service charges around $20 for the first kg, and $5 for every .5kg after that for shipping (no other additional handling fees). They ship to Canada through DHL, which only took about 4 days to my door. Shipping to the US is slightly cheaper. If anyone is looking to do the same I can do my best to help; you can pay for both shipping and products with a credit card. The controller is this one: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...2572296482.html except it's ~$130 shipped locally on Taobao. The MPG is an extra ~$40. The controller seems to work quite well so far; I haven't loaded any G code since not everything is hooked up yet, but I'm able to jog the thing with the handwheel. The HUGE downside is that the UI and button layout is completely unintuitive and the English translation is terrible, but my hope is that after everything is properly configured, actually setting up and running a part shouldn't be too painful (it even has an auto tool length offset feature). At least, not painful enough for me to want to opt for a Mach 3+smoothstepper setup instead. I got the steppers from automation technologies, and they seem to work pretty well with the stepper drivers at 48V; the steppers idle at around 35c and the drivers seem to stay at 30ish.
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Sep 11, 2016 19:17
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Yeah I would've done the same, but I've heard lots of good things about digital stepper drivers and wanted to try them out, so their kits didn't make too much sense to me. I have the motion controls working now. The controller isn't actually that bad to use in practice (the UI is less bad than I thought), and seems to run gcode post processed for mach3 by fusion360 just fine (I don't have machine 0 set up and had no idea what G28 was, so that threw me off a bit a first). So if anyone is on the sidelines not wanting to get into CNC because of the fuss/costs of needing a separate PC to run it, this standalone controller could be a good option in terms of keeping all the controls neatly in a box. Instead of a spare PC + monitor + smoothstepper + mach3 license, you can look into a standalone controller for around the same price as the mach 3 license alone. Mikeselectricstuff did a review of a slightly cheaper unit (one without handwheel support), and he seemed to be pretty pleased with it too.
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Sep 14, 2016 19:46
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Everything I know about Mach3 calibration literally comes from this one video, but you may find it helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOvGv9aRKFs If you're doing the same thing it seems to be asking for the measured error (theoretical - actual) rather than the full distance of movement.
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Sep 16, 2016 18:35
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If it's that far off maybe your steppers are missing a crazy number of steps (i.e. because your acceleration is set too high)? I fiddle with my machine casually and so far I'm noticing that I need to set acceleration (AND deceleration) super low to prevent skipped steps.
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Sep 17, 2016 01:44
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Balls, months after I buy my Taig they come out with a ball screw version (e: after literally not having updated the model in like 5-10 years) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NzEbKLibYY rawrr fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Nov 11, 2016 |
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Nov 11, 2016 23:48
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I posted before I saw the prices; I'm glad they're that high because I wouldn't have been willing to pay that high of a premium. Yeah the v screws on the Taig are supposedly pretty precise anyway, and people who have gone through the trouble of modding it to take ball screws (before it was a factory option) have said that there wasn't that big of a difference and they probably wouldn't do it had they known.
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Nov 14, 2016 05:31
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you could always just build your own “air bearing CNC lathe and grinder having 1um (0.00004") accuracy”, dude makes it sound like it's easy, nbd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFrVdoOhu1Q
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Dec 7, 2016 07:39
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Why do you need to bother with the through slot and welding? Sounds to me like when you form whatever it is you're forming, the rod will be pressed into the supporting portion of the male die anyway - there aren't any forces pulling the two pieces apart. So you can just epoxy it in place, no? e: also welding might warp your dies in strange/undesirable ways rawrr fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Dec 17, 2016 |
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Dec 17, 2016 21:31
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Maybe you could try mechanical fastening? Drill through the die, drill and tap the rod, then screw the two together.
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Dec 18, 2016 17:58
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The bare wire MPGs need to be interfaced through a controller which then connects to the stepper drivers. I use mine with a standalone controller and there's no latency. You could try something like this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/NVUM-CNC-Controller-MACH3-USB-Interface-Board-Card-200KHz-for-Stepper-Motor-3-Axis/32704512647.html which has inputs for an MPG and interfaces with mach3 through USB (though I have no idea if it works / works well in practice)
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Dec 23, 2016 17:49
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polyfractal posted:To be honest, I don't really know... I largely wanted a machine so that I could play around and experiment with different geared mechanisms (planetary gears, cycloidal, etc). I imagine simple 3D CNC routers/mills are limited to spur and bevel gears? I.e. a helical or worm gear would require a 4th axis to rotate/index. You should have a look at this: http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/gcnc/ch1/ it seems exactly up your alley. The guy who wrote that has a desktop Roland.
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Jan 16, 2017 21:24
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So with the help of my brother I finally finished my conversion. The controller seems to work but it's very finicky about gcodes and stalls for non obvious reasons. I went out of my way to build it with a brushless spindle motor, and it paid off because the thing is quieter than the power supply fans when running. This being my first mill, I was also surprised by how quiet even light cuts in aluminum are, and cutting machinable wax basically makes no sound at all.   
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Feb 6, 2017 01:07
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Ambrose Burnside posted:Nice! Beyond the noise, how's it stack up to a conventional motor? I bought it without the AC motor for a $100ish discount, so I can't give a direct comparison, but I made the swap mainly so that I can set the spindle speed within the G-code / through the controller. The plate is a "4" x 14" x 5/8" Tooling plate for Mill." sold by Taig that I bought together with the mill. It's probably cheaper to buy an aluminum plate and drill the fixturing holes yourself, though. DethMarine21 posted:I'm curious as to what model that motor is, where you got it, and how you are driving it. The motor is 48v 500W 3000RPM, driven with a 60v 15A BLDC driver. I had to get the stock pulley bored out to accept the motor shaft. The motor and driver was around $100 plus shipping, but the machine shop charged me like $60 to bore out the pulley wtf. I also had to buy a 500W 48v power supply. https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a312a.7700846.0.0.D8X9fc&id=22128856466&_u=62bv29q3c28a https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a312a.7700846.0.0.D8X9fc&id=12545658761&_u=62bv29q36ea5
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Feb 6, 2017 03:43
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The documentation is in Chinese unfortunately, but if you're looking to pick up a set I'd be happy to help you with it. It's fairly straightforward; the only gotcha was needing to pull the direction input to ground - I broke my first endmill because spindle was spinning counter clockwise... If I were to do it again I'd maybe go for a less powerful motor; based on what I've read it seems like 500W is a bit of an overkill. The stock one is 1/4hp (~186W) and apparently stiffness not hp is the limiting factor. The most common spindle motor conversions seem to be either using a sherline DC motor or BLDC sewing machine motors you can find off of eBay.
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Feb 6, 2017 17:36
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Consew-CSM1...TAAAOSwcLxYJlCZ http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXCELLENT-Q...L4AAOSwG-1WzPFJ http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEWING-MACH...3IAAOSwyQtVgcEr
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Feb 7, 2017 01:37
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https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.5lyDJd&id=520213056634&_u=82bv29q3a76c is the one I picked up. I originally bought a cheaper, 500W Meanwell one which turned out to be counterfeit and only accepted 220V.
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Feb 8, 2017 03:24
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| # ¿ May 7, 2024 06:17 |
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I went through what you're going through (3d printing -> i want a cnc mill -> sieg x2 via LMS). I ended up going with a Taig for the following reasons: - Easier CNC conversion; the Taig can be ordered CNC ready with stepper mounts. IIRC the cncfusion kit still requires you to drill holes and partially disassemble the thing - Cheaper; a CNC ready Taig is around $1200 whereas the X2 + CNC kit will be $1500 - Faster spindle; the stock Taig can handle up to 10k RPM (vs the X2's 2500) - Better fit and finish; Taig is made in the USA, (supposedly) designed by an ex-aerospace machinist, adjusted to about .002" backlash from the factory. I've read mixed reviews about the X2. They also offer a ballscrew version now but I don't think they're worth the upcharge. The downside is that the Taig is probably less rigid (though I haven't really found that to be a problem, as at these sizes the end mill will tend to deflect more than/before the frame does. The lighter Taig also makes it easier to move/set up), and I do like the brushless spindle motor on the LMS X2. I got around the spindle motor issue by ordering the Taig without a motor (for $175 off I think), and rigging up my own brushless arrangement that I've discussed a few posts up.
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Mar 3, 2017 03:00
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