Rostock Max V2 build with a few upgrades from the start.

[geneb]

Shapeoko?

g.

[travelphotog]

Shapeoko?

g.

The Shapeoko 2 with a fair amount of 3D printed parts.

Yuppers! So far I am loving it. Right now it is running an auto level system before milling a PCB. My poor Max has been printing parts for the Shapeoko for almost a solid week. We did the spindle mount, limit switches, binder plates for the t slot milling bed, TONS of cable chain and shortly I will be adding LEDs and a other odds and ends. Not to mention some odds and ends for around the house off the printer.

We hit up a "Geek Gathering" last night and it went great. I've got a few orders for both 3d prints (not many have the print size of the MAX) and half a dozen PCBs to mill out in the next week. On top of all that I am trying to get my filament extruder parts sourced and get that guy up and running. Once all of THAT is done I can look into milling out the parts for a plastic shredder and finish up the enclosure on the MAX so I can start playing with large ABS and PC prints.

[crocky]

Sounds like you have been having a ball

My Rostock is at a standstill waiting for some more mod parts and a crimping tool, I'm not in a real hurry.

[Eaglezsoar]

A very nice CNC router. Too use 3D printed parts as part of it is ingenious, great job!

[travelphotog]

Thanks! The funny part is that I stumbled across the Max V2 while doing research on my CNC mill. I soon saw I would need a fair amount of 3D printed parts to get the mill set up for what I need, at least until I could mill the parts in aluminum once I had the mill. Just the cable chain alone was a life saver with the 3D printer. Most of the electronics are housed in one form or another in something off the printer. I will be building a new case for the brains of the mill at some point but for now it is all 3D printed.

I have the mill dialed in pretty well so far for what I intended it for.

Now I need to get back to the 3D plastics world and get my extruder built and stop paying so much for prototyping things. Looking to start out in PLA first. Ran into a number of of folks at the local Geek Gathering who are doing smaller maker spaces and hoping we can provide them with some low cost high quality PLA filament by the first of the year. Our main goal is to look into recycling PET bottles into a usable filament. Gatorade bottles are the first target. Hoping to limit the source so I am not chasing gremlins from different sources of bottles and bottle making plastics processes or release agents. Now that I have my mill I can knock out a few of the mounting plates and the heater block for the extruder shortly and get the whole process rolling..

I have found some major changes I want to make to my enclosure design. I have seen a few things about my current design that will not work well in the long run. Has anyone come up with a realistic alternative to the clamps on the build plate glass? I have not seen anything that holds real promise but I will admit that they are a bit of a kink in how I would LIKE to use my design. For now I am just having to slim down the inner edge of the enclosure body to allow for servicing of the build plate glass and the clamps. I am very much all ear for anything that would be easier to remove from a door instead of the sides like stock.

I should have a few redesigns knocked out and get back on that project shortly.

I can not say enough about how great my Max is printing and how it has fundamentally changing my how designed process for the better. No longer are projects locked to "stock" enclosures or put off do to high out-sourced fabrication costs. I think the only downside to the whole thing is how busy I am now with all these projects. between design, printing, milling and the odd photo shoot I hardly find time to come hang out here any more. But I hope to make the time, even if it is as a night owl!

Cheers all! CAD awaits!

[Eaglezsoar]

Shapeoko?

g.

Yuppers! So far I am loving it. Right now it is running an auto level system before milling a PCB. My poor Max has been printing parts for the Shapeoko for almost a solid week. We did the spindle mount, limit switches, binder plates for the t slot milling bed, TONS of cable chain and shortly I will be adding LEDs and a other odds and ends. Not to mention some odds and ends for around the house off the printer.

We hit up a "Geek Gathering" last night and it went great. I've got a few orders for both 3d prints (not many have the print size of the MAX) and half a dozen PCBs to mill out in the next week. On top of all that I am trying to get my filament extruder parts sourced and get that guy up and running. Once all of THAT is done I can look into milling out the parts for a plastic shredder and finish up the enclosure on the MAX so I can start playing with large ABS and PC prints.

Could you provide a short tutorial on how you mounted the endstops? That has me baffled on that type of mill.

[travelphotog]

Sure!

I am using a Tinyg board https://www.synthetos.com/project/tinyg/ for my controller so it did come with built in connections and firmware for the switches. I currently have home and limit switches on the X and Y axis. I used the Max to print up four mounts to hold the switches. Most people mount their switches on the outside frame. I wanted mine on the gantry instead. Mostly that was to keep all my wires in one small part of the mill and not on all the corners with wires all over the place. I have not mounted the Z axis yet but plan to shortly. Doing so would mean taking apart the mill as I have an upgraded Z axis screw which is held both top and bottom (stock Shapeoko is open on the bottom end). I plan to mill all of these out of aluminum and anodize them when i have some time in the next week or so. Until then I only have the X and Y set up.


The Shapeoko gantry motor plates have a few extra slots cut in them and i used those spots to attach the switches. A few small #4 screws holds the thin mounting plates to the gantry plates and the swtiches then are held by 2 more #4 bolts. I have the mounting plates sized so the switch triggers just before the gantry wheels reach their end stop. The Tinyg has all the connections and firmware for this so it was then just a matter of running the wires (24g cat 5 cable pairs) through the cable chain and back to the TinyG controller. Once I told the Tinyg I had the switches set up, it just took it from there. Now if I issue a G28.2 X0 Y0 command to the Tinyg, the CNC mill homes out and is set for the next job.

I do have mine set a bit different though. I have mine home to top right instead of bottm left. I did this so I could have a clear work area by homing the mill. So I have space to place object being milled and also the mill is homed. I then send a short Gcode command to send it to front left and start my mill job. Works great for me so far.

Also already the limit switches have paid off.. Was up to late and sent a X axis command when it should have been a Y axis command.. It ran to the limit switch and shut down. not harm no foul. Love it! I used these switches also as they were on another CNC forum and worked great and are CHEAP! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DN7 ... UTF8&psc=1


Now some pics...

This is the Y motor mount on the left side of the mill. My end switches are here as my right mount has all my terminal blocks mounted already and is crowded

This is the X Axis mount setup. Pretty much the same as the Y.

All of the switches are placed so that the mount or end plate at their end of travel triggers the switch. I found this to work fine so far. Some mount adjustments to them. So far mine work great as they are set at the travel limit of the mill.

[Eaglezsoar]

travelphotog, thanks for the text and the pictures. Great stuff and I appreciate it.

[travelphotog]

Anytime!

[Jimustanguitar]

Jim, please let us know when these are available on the market.

For sale now!
http://www.themakerhive.com/shop/viewit ... oductid=18

[Eaglezsoar]

Jim, please let us know when these are available on the market.

For sale now!
http://www.themakerhive.com/shop/viewit ... oductid=18

Thanks!