> Ed Okerson wrote:
> >> Maybe but its a matter of pure luck that any given person comes across
> >> one of these small drill machines your talking about. And spending
> >> $1000's on a brand new drill machine is just not an option. Building a
> >> CNC machine from scratch is a mammoth task compared, to building a
> >> manual drill press.
> >
> >
> > That is simply not true. I built a CNC mill/drill based on the Brute
> > design at www.crankorgan.com and it only took about a week to make it.
> > Granted it is not a professional unit, but it is accurate down to
> > 0.00025", plenty good enough for hobby PCB drilling! It cost
> virtually
> > nothing to build, mostly scrap aluminum channel and scrap plastic
> blocks.
> >
> > Ed Okerson
> >
>
> They look interesting, but what is used as the linear slides ? How are
> they attached to the U channel ?
> Is the lead screw standard zinc steel threaded bar or is it the true
> thing ?
> It looks like X, Y and Z axis are identically built, with only the
> length of the Z axis being smaller.
> What CNC software are you using ? Did that take a week to write too ?
> And most important, what is the minimum tooling required to build one of
> these ?
The linear slides are just blocks of high density plastic cut to ride
inside the lip on the aluminum channel. I used 1/4 20tpi stainless steel
threaded rod for the lead screws on mine. For software I am using EMC
from www.linuxcnc.org to run the machine, and I do PCB layout with Eagle.
I am still in the early stages of getting this all working, and my spare
time is very limited, but I built that machine the week of Thanksgiving
when I was off work.
As for minimum tooling, not much. I used a skil saw to cut the plastic
and aluminum, although a table saw would be better if you have one, but it
could also be done with a hand saw if needed. Also a drill to make all
the holes for mounting screws. I did make some custom fittings to center
the threaded rod in the bearings with a lathe, but that is really not
necessary.
If you are not inventive, then I would recommend ordering the plans for
$35, but I built mine just from looking at the pictures on the web site.
Ed Okerson