CandCnC Table Build Starting. Help!

[Oldsarge]

Hello All!

Been a while since I had a c

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hance to stop by and see what's happening. I'm getting ready to start a bill with CandCnC hardware, will probably order in the next day or so. I have a few thousand dollars to spend on the dragon cut system, and am going with the 620-4 setup. His system looks pretty good 4 the money. I have most of the materials together for my gantry, and will be buying the steel for the table by this weekend. I wish I could go with a plasma cam system or something similar but it just isn't in the budget, so I will fabricate my own table using this system.

Are there any people out there who have constructed their own table using this system? It looks like a lot of the hardware has improved since I first look at this system, and I think I can put together a really nice 5 by 10 table with my budget which is about $4k. I already have a hypertherm 1250 G3 and most of the material to make my own gantry modeled after Prescision Plasmas gantry system.

Are you happy with the hardware and how hard it was to get a system up and running and what is the reliability factor once your table became operational? If you had to do it again would you go with c and c n c? Sorry 4 the bad grammar and spelling I'm on my cell phone at work Anyway, any input is extremely appreciated thanks and I'll check in later before I put in any order

[I Lean]

I have that same electronics package (Bladerunner 620-4) and love it. I have not had any problems that weren't caused by me, and the support/instruction provided by Tom has been extremely valuable. If/when I build another table, it WILL have CandCNC controls again, without question.

[Oldsarge]

Thanks for that... What size is your table? I'm planning a 5x10 and will try to do a water table for it as well... I'm going to order in a day or so, and then the fun begins! May have some questions as far as sources for belt drive stuff, gear racks & pinions etc... any help or leads for this stuff would be great.... What did you use for the rails on your table etc... Thanks!

Oldsarge

[I Lean]

Mine's a 4.5' x 5.5' cutting area. I used the integrated V rails from Pacific Bearing, and I'm on the fence about whether I'd use them again. I've had no real problems with my Y axis rails, but the aluminum extrusion I'm using for the gantry has proved too flexible, so I'm kinda disappointed in it. I have had material welded to it to add rigidity which has helped....

Water tray is fantastic, I would definitely do that again.

Belt reduction parts I got from Stock Drive Products. Everything else came from McMaster-Carr, Grainger, and other "normal" parts places.

[Oldsarge]

Mine's a 4.5' x 5.5' cutting area. I used the integrated V rails from Pacific Bearing, and I'm on the fence about whether I'd use them again. I've had no real problems with my Y axis rails, but the aluminum extrusion I'm using for the gantry has proved too flexible, so I'm kinda disappointed in it. I have had material welded to it to add rigidity which has helped....

Water tray is fantastic, I would definitely do that again.

Belt reduction parts I got from Stock Drive Products. Everything else came from McMaster-Carr, Grainger, and other "normal" parts places.

I just ordered a 6' stick of the IVTAAB rail for the gantry which will bolt onto the 80/20 rail I bought a while back. My gantry is going to be real close to the ones Precision Plasma sells for $3k or more but I'll only have about $900 in mine I'm estimating. I thought about using some sort of rail from PBC but it's just too expensive. I'm going to fabricate the carriage for the gantry as well... ordering some v groove bearings from VBX that will work with the IVT rail and will use some concentric studs for adjustment. The 80/20 stuff I got is 30x30 heavy and no flex at all... I also have the preformed gussets and braces that PP uses as well....

Thanks for the line on Stock Drive Products, I'll check them out as well.... Trying to get this done in the next few months so I can get going on the projects I want to have the table for! I'll try to post pics and keep the build updated... I'm sure I'll have a bunch of questions!

Oldsarge

[Kentuckyfarmer]

Sarge I used the Dragon cut from tom myself, and I would use it again. My table is 4x8 capacity, downdraft no water. Did not feel that the water was needed for what i do. Some of my first post on here about a year ago were of my build.
Like I lean said the only problems with the candc stuff have been my own doing.
Good luck
Mike

[I Lean]

That IVTAAB mounted to 80/20 should be better than my IVTAAG gantry. (at least I'd hope so) You can see what I did to stiffen mine up here: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/cnc_plasm ... a_any.html

[Oldsarge]

Found a nice "floating" z axis from K2 that I spoke to Tom at Candcnc about that he says will work well with the Dragon cut package, so I'm probably going to pick that up, and order the kit from Tom tonight. Does anybody here have any experience with a K2 z axis? They look extremely well made.

Oldsarge

[Russ K]

Hi Old Sarge, Remember, If you need any odds and ends of brackets, gussets etc. Bring the metal and I will be glad to cut them for you NC. Hope all is well as can be at your house................Russ K.

[I Lean]

I have the 4.5" travel plasma Z from K2...it's been great so far. Even comes with the microswitch already installed for the initial height sensing.

[Oldsarge]

Awesome! Russ, thanks so much for the offer, I just may take you up on that. I'd like to show you the finished product from the tree of life file you cut for me, it's almost finished & it looks great!

So excited to get this project going... I've been skrimping & saving to afford a table, and it was a hard decision to wait & buy a commercial version or build my own, and the projects I have waiting are dictating that I just build my own & get on with it..... If anybody is interested, I'm the builder of a wheelchair transport vehicle that we are doing as a charity project for a young man that is paralyzed from the waist down....

http://forum.atomiczombie.com/showthrea ... ct-Freedom

This will be my second bike build, and my first e-powered project, so I'm excited to be able to help somebody out. Also getting the shop set up for the table, just got 2 bender dies for the JD2 bender & doing a hydro setup on that, and I also made a homebrew version of the TN-250 tube notcher, so I'll be busy for the foreseeable future!

Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Well here we go! I ordered the 620-4 from Tom at CandCNC this morning, and a floating head z-axis from K2 as well. 4week lead time, so now to track down the rest of the bits and pieces. The gear racks are really expensive! Anybody know of a relatively cheap source? Cheapest I could find is around $90 for a 6'stick! Thanks, and I look forward to doing this build!

Oldsarge

[I Lean]

I got mine from Mcmaster-Carr, just over $50 for 6'. (20 pitch, 1/2" width for me)
http://www.mcmaster.com/#gear-racks/=grofkd

[Kentuckyfarmer]

I got my gear rack from standard steel specialtys, sarge at the time they were the cheapest, Moore gear is another choice price was about the same, Moore is more cust friendly, standard does not really do one of orders. They will but it takes a while
Do a search for moore gear and speak with Diane I think.
Mike

[Oldsarge]

Thanks for the source.... Does it matter what size pinion gear you use as long as the pitch matches? Going to order today.

Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Mike,
Thanks for that link.. Iactually had her name last year from CNCrouterparts.com and for some reason I couldn't find on their site when I looked. $280 for 6 rails 6' long including shipping! I found a few sources for the guide rails, but where did you get yours? Thanks again!

Oldsarge

[Kentuckyfarmer]

Sarge for guide rails on the long axis I used angle iron with vee wheel bearings riding on it, cheap and so far has worked great. The Y axis uses pcb liniar rail,it is a great product but a pain in the ass to get, slooow shipping, just be prepared.
PM me if you need any help or ideas, both good and bad, they all have merit
Mike

[I Lean]

Thanks for the source.... Does it matter what size pinion gear you use as long as the pitch matches? Going to order today.

Oldsarge

It matters depending on what you're choosing for your belt reduction. You'll want to match your desired speeds to the stepper motor's capabilities.

For mine (same motors as yours), I'm using a 1" diameter pinion and 3:1 belt reduction.

[Oldsarge]

That's what I thought..... 3:1 seems like the standard reduction.... Should have all my supplies on order by tomorrow then it's just a matter of heading to the steel supplier & the fun starts!

[Oldsarge]

For those of you who went the water table route, what gage steel did you use for the pan? I'm really on the fence with this one, not because I'm debating over downdraft v. water, just another budget thing... steel is very expensive these days and I just don't know if I can swing it... I want it to be plenty strong but thicker = $$ I was thinking 16 gage? Is that too thin?

Oldsarge

[I Lean]

I used 14 ga. It is bowed a little bit in between the 1.5" square stock I have for support underneath--about 35" span.

[Oldsarge]

Well, I guess 16 may be a bit too thin... I'll be checking prices tomorrow.. my table is going to be 5x10 so I'm thinking cha ching! Going to try to swing it if I can though, it makes a big difference from the few tables I've seen cutting.... Just need to source the guide rails and that's it for materials other than steel. Oh yeah, I'm making the long rails 12' so I can "home" the gantry completely off the table area which I think will help if I ever cut large sheets, and also for cleaning and maintenance...

Oldsarge

[Oldsarge]

Sorry for all the questions... I've had luck so far with just about everything, but am not sure which way to go with the belts and drive gears... The only place I've found so far is cncrouterparts and they seem really expensive... Where did you guys get yours? Thanks for the help, I appreciate it!

Oldsarge

[I Lean]

Stock Drive Products. http://www.sdp-si.com/

That's where I got my belts, pulleys, and shafts. Pinion gears I got from McMaster-Carr, then I built the rest. (simple plates, bolted together with spacers, bearings pressed in)

[Oldsarge]

I've had most of the parts for my gantry for almost a year as I was saving up for the build.... Pulled out the materials today to have another look... It's going to be a really nice gantry with a 6" travel K2 Z axis sitting on it!



This is all 80/20 stuff I got from their "Garage Sale" on Ebay. The Y will be riding on a pipece of PCB linear guide with hardened inserts. I received the gear racks last Thursday, and the v groove bearings from VXB on Friday. The v groove tracks should be here this week, along with some other goodies like gears, pinions and e-chain as well. Will probably buy my steel this mid week, and start fabbing the table frame in the next week or so... lots of other irons in the fire, so have to budget my time closely. Can't wait to get started!

Oldsarge