Check out this Kangaroo x2: http://www.dimensionengineering.com/products/kangaroo
They have a few gadgets that may be useful for CNC. I'll be using the Sabertooth 2X25 V2 to control the r/c lawnmower.

 

challenges are what makes for inovation ... someone is bound to figure it out, eventually.

The counterweights can't just be dangling out back. They must be held from both ends - push/pull kind of setup, if that can make any sense.

There are rack and pinion setups which claim near zero backlash. Some use two steppers/servos to keep the tension (?) so a backlash of one is counteracted by the other I guess.

Like you indirectely point out, when the tool (router or whatnot) is at one end of the X axis, that one side will have more to compensate for than the other end of the X axis. Not sure counterweights can handle that, can it ? There is a balance to be made there somewhere, no ?

 

Yes and no. It could be build vertically ... right up against the supporting wall.

But yes, when not in use it could just be flip on its side and up against the wall, keeping the heavy end (the X axis) down low near the floor. Now that is a great idea ... when the in use space can be made. The wife needs to take her car out of garage anyways so not to have it covered in dust and chips (even if just wood for now).

An other suggested pulling the resting OX up against the ceiling - mostly dead space. Not certain the wife would park under the dangling OX though.

I like the 'fold and tuck'. I'll look into it as I tinker with the idea of stretching myOX to maybe a full 1500+ (Y) x 1500 (X) ... It could reach over some storage space for the raw material as well.

 

The table myOX is sitting (bolted on actually) weighs a ton ... not certain the wife would want to park underneath it.

 

Sounds like a plan ... but counterweights or whatnot could also help if it is a bit heavy to 'flip and tuck' the OX. Thinking the likes of gear used for those hide-away beds - just springs ? Could actually set the OX in one of those instead of a mattress ... just have to compensate for the thicker part (the head of the OX). There you go : a hide-away OX !

 

Wo ... I need some of those. Not sure what for right now, but they sound like fun to use. Just how precise are they on the feed back ? How fast can they response ? Could they replace the drivers and limit switches of, say, an OX ? So much to be considered and tested ... And the price seems so low as well (although AUS$ and not certain of conversion rate)

 

Tell you what those actuators off the electric wheel chair lifts are just the ticket for that. Each can lift 500kg so with two you could leave the ox where it is and lift and tuc your wife's car away.

 

Or just use to tilt the ox. Lol micro switches to stop when it's up or flat and they have a fair holding torque when unpowered so no need for latches.

Be cool if you lifted from the center so the ox spins as its lifted and the bottom of the ox ends up being on the wall instead of facing outwards. All possible with some pivoting bars and two actuators

 

Now that could work ... but I would probably end up sleeping in the garage with myOX. I'll for next spring, the winters are way to cold for me to try it now.

 

Go go gadget ...

I was thinking of something along this (disregard the dimensions shown, I just grabbed something close off Internet) :


The center portion would be a fixed X-axis (and the Z) while the flaps would act as in and out feed tables (might need double folds to work longer work pieces). Just need to figure out the working of Y axis. There is the concept used by a PhlatPrinter, meant for foam sheets. It might work for wood, using a waste band on raw material to grab (one can see such a technic from marks on some 2x pieces ... little indent marks). Those 'grab' rollers would be fixed in the centre portion as well, outer edges near folds. Just not certain it would be precise enough or allow for the needed speed to move the work piece back and forth. Would need adjustable guides, between front and rear rollers, to keep the work piece nice and straight throughout the run ...

It basically becomes an OX on a stick, kinda. Set it on a surface it can grab hold of and let it move the work piece sandwiched between it and the work surface. It could be about 12" deep (Y) by however wide X needs to be plus the overhead (plates, ...). Height can be what ever Z needs to be (12-18" at rest / low position ?)

Heck, would not even need the shown table, IF the back side of the work piece could slide easily on the host work surface ...

That would be as compact as an OX can become, eh ? Short of somehow making the X-axis telescopic ! hmmm ... there is probably a way of doing that as well. Maybe an hinged mechanism to fold in two during storage or transport ? As long as the top and bottom line up with a clear path and no 'bump', it should be good to go, right ? The two halves with an angle cut (not 90°) to avoid having the joint on the same set of wheels ... would need to be rack and pinion driven though.

 

Look here for the build video of a nice fold-away solution with a X-Carve and here for the combo in action.

 

Sweet... It doesn't look too rigid. Odd he didn't make it fold down to the floor, keeping his folded center of gravity relatively high in his design. The V-carve spindle/router looks tiny compared to myOX's hefty router. Looking at a working design, it probably will need casters to move away from the wall when unfolding ... especially if it reaches down to the floor.

A great first, as he says in the video - no one seems to have done the fold and tuck.

It would be nice to see the tool side fold inward so 'head' is not against the wall ... It would be more complicated to design

 

Look at the second link to see the combo in action...........

 

Just out of curiosity, Could the build plates be fabricated from 12mm acrylic instead of the 6mm aluminum?

 

how would you avoid wear in the bolt holes?

Think you'd stand a better chance with carbon fibre. And if you was to layup the sheet itself you could add 3d reinforcement. You would require a flat plate to make it on, use a heat gun to get all the bubbles out and you'd get one smooth side.

 

I was thinking at least I could get it to work and cut aluminum parts later...

Personally I do not like working with carbon fiber. Itches badly working with it, not to mention by the time I spend running around town getting the materials, it would be cheaper to send the job off to waterjet or fiber laser...

 

Acrylic is comparible to aluminum in price so that didn't really come across in your first post.

Just thought you wanted it to look snazzy

 

Acrylic will also compress when you tighten down on it.

 

Not where I am at over here in the Philippines it is a bit cheaper than aluminum. Probably cause there is a factory in town.

My biggest hassle is machine time and getting stuff made here. I can get waterjet and laser no problem, but they take sometimes a week or more for the jobs. With traffic here being so bad it is nearly a full day to go to the water jet/laser shop and back (even though it is only about 15 miles away)

I found a set of blueprints on thingiverse 2 months ago, had it routered from plywood and that machine I am using to make a better machine. Bootstrapping my way upwards.

I have seen a OX based CNC laser on ebay from China for $160 that uses acrylic parts.

Just wondering yet if anyone has tried it for a larger router.

 

Seems to me as though you would be throwing money away doing things twice. I'm sure acrylic would work for a while, but wouldn't last.

7days for machining is good! You cant ask for faster lead time than that. I had to wait 6 months for my parts.

The machine time for acrylic and aluminium isn't that different so even if you had the acrylic your still throwing away the cost of the machinining.

Question you need to ask yourself is what you would gain from the temporary plates? If just a few days then do you expect they will pay for themselves in the few days that you will gain.

Doing things right the first time will always save money in the long run.

 

I build 3D printers and am adding a router to the product line for the local market. I need fast prototyping cause this is my livelihood. A week for parts plus the long commute will add too much time especially if I have to make adjustments to the design.

The temp plates let me fabricate in house and get a machine up and running in much less time and expense than what I would have waiting on a outside shop.

At present I can machine up to 20mm thick acrylic or polyethlyene on my plywood frame router

 

Yes but your going to loose a couple of days downtime in a few months when they fail so you don't gain anything, sorry to say.

If you already have a cnc why not just make the aluminum plates?

If it's not up to machining aluminum.
You only need 6mm aluminum, get your machine to start pilot holes and score the shape of the contour and rough cut with hacksaw and file to shape. Then drill out the holes with pillar drill. It's only really the holes that need to be accurate.

So you have all the other parts electronics waiting I presume?

 

I already ran the numbers. $15.31 in acrylic materials. Couple hours machine time.

Yes, I have everything else in stock.

No my plywood frame mill isn't up to doing aluminum. It cuts x and y fine, but arcs and diagonal cuts come out funky. Not to mention the passes are so small with aluminum.

I prototype most of my stuff in acrylic or polyethylene before sending to laser or water jet.

If the acrylic gets even a few months out of it, I will be happy.

 

Yeah, just go for it and once up and running, first job; cut the plates in aluminium. When the acrylic starts to fail, replace with the aluminium.

 

This may be a noob post but its coming out anyways. Has anyone been able to put a rough dollar amount on this build from top to bottom from scratch? Only ask cause i been interested in building one for running acrylic parts off for my aquariums and i would much rather build it than buy it ya know. Hard to add everything up from my phone

 

unfortunately it really varies. There are quite a few options that will dictate how much you spend. I think some people have done it for +/- $1000 but it's easy to spend quite a bit more than that if you want. I know I have....

 

Gotchya. I had a feeling i was expecting to much. I know with money generally a better quality product is produced, but its hard to convince my inner cheap skate of this. I was hoping for the around 500 range. Maybe ill explore so other diy options till im ready for a bigger better machine

 

I'd say you could possibly build a belt drive ply frame machine for £500 but i think you'd struggle to include motors + electronics.

And after I wrote that I just realised your talking $. So could be looking a little more.