@beardyblair Thanks, I think a cnc of your own would be a perfect fit for the work you do. I mostly use the 3d printed parts for mock up and test fitting. If one was to print a set with the right amount of infill and material, I believe you could go down the upgrade path of printed plates > wood plates > metal plates. Having the cnc do it's own upgrades is definitely a option but does require more rebuilds vs jumping in with the aluminum plate set from the start.

Sketchup - SketchUcam is a solid option. Especially with you already being familiar with Sketchup.
Autodesk Fusion 360 is another all in one cad / cam solution very powerful but with a steep learning curve.
You also have a number of stand alone cad and stand alone cam options from open source and free to paid. I highly recommend trying out all the demos and go with what works best for your projects and work flow.

I have ran a number of Controllers from the X-pro to Uno's and dedicated control boards like the phoenix board in my bom. Currently I have a Raspberry Pi 2 with Protoneer hat ruining my plate maker and this works well.

If you don't mind waiting a few weeks in tell my new boards come in the post. I will have my grbl boards ready here soon. Unlike a lot of the options on the market. I focused on the Gecko G540 and upgrade-ability. It is pin to pin compatible with Mach 3/4 and linuxcnc and allows for a drop in swap with the ess / mesa if you ever decide to go down that path. With no need to re wire your machine. Connects to your control computer via usb. You can control it with anything from a pi zero / pi 3 to a full computer or laptop. I have been testing all the functions and doing some bench runs. It is looking good. The only thing left un tested would be the vfd connections as I do not have a vfd / spindle to test with ( any one want to donate? )

 

Nothing wrong with multiple builds

 

@JAPartridge I find the videos really helpful I am always attending the Class of youtube. For Fusion 360 I really like professor John from nyccnc lol. @David the swarfer has good videos on Sketchup and Sketchucam as well..

@beardyblair No problem, Happy to reply. I have not nailed down prices as of yet. So I will pm you some preliminary numbers for your review. You would need the following.
-My grbl board. (this is what runs grbl)
-Gecko g540 (this is a 4-axis driver)
-Power supply (OB 24v unit has been working good in my tests, the g540 can use higher. )
-E-stop switch
-Ribbon Cable

That is all you need to get up and moving, However you may want to add the following extras depending on what you would like.
-NO Limit switches ( For homing the machine )
-Touch off plate (helps with setting zero)
-Relays (for turning on/off router ect. Two outputs are available for spindle and coolant )
-Electronics enclosure
-Connectors and terminal blocks to keep wiring clean and organized.
-Momentary switches for Start / Hold / Reset

 

Yes that is the right gecko driver.

Yeah that sounds right. The gecko g540 is a all in one 4 axis solution, four drivers and built in break out board. My grbl board makes full use of the gecko's built in breakout board for connecting limit switches coolant and spindle outputs ect. Correct my board runs grbl and you can use any linux gui on the pi for your control software. I like both bcnc and universal g-code sender; Goko is another new one but I have not had a change to try it yet. The momentary switches are for grbl's extra button inputs reset/abort feed/hold and start/resume. my board has the required screw terminals for hooking them up.

I will have a full post on my website with diagrams and short videos of the demo runs I have been doing here in a day or two. as soon as it is up I will make sure to cross post it here as well.

 

Here is the first demo video, I was messing around with Spirograph's and decided to film a short clip.

Awesome, The fun really begins once parts start arriving That is a bit pricey. I picked mine up on amazon for $285 + 13$ for postage going through one of the Gecko dealers.
Here is the "Link" It also came with the db9 motor connectors. Gecko Also sales directly on amazon for $299 Here "Link" Those are both US based but might work out cheaper for you even after postage.

Go for it ! I encourage every one to start a build log and share their builds. I know I am always inspired by reading the build logs everyone post.

 

Hello @Johnny Yang
The main problem with going to 1204 ball-screws is the ball nut will not fit inside of the C-beam like a lead screw does on the Sphinx design. If interested in running ball-screws checkout the Evil Ox build. He is mounting the screws on the outside of the plate and it should give you some ideas to build from.

 

Correct this is a lead screw based machine. I did use belt reduction on the z-axis motor. However those parts are not currently available.

NEW BUILDERS B.O.M UPDATE (z-axis direct mounting)
-------------------------------------------------------
-(x1) 8mm to 1/4 coupling OB Link
-(x2) M5x55 Screws OB Link
-(x2) 40mm Spacers OB Link

This replaces the GT3 belt and pulleys and reduction plate in the original b.o.m... Allowing direct z-axis motor mounting as are the OB plate maker and linear rail kits. Please see attached photo for reference.



(side note for Mark: The upload image / attachment icon when posting is not showing up, just a blank space where a button icon should be between post reply and more options )

 

Not sure, looks the same as mine. I was on a public terminal this morning and quickly grabbed the image from the parts store listing vs uploading my own.

 

Thanks Happy to share. I always find it exciting to see how the community runs with and modifies designs. It always leads to improvements. I look forward to seeing your build..

I got lucky when I found the Mic-6 Plate, It Measured 19.563" × 16.438" ( give or take a bit ) The fit gave me just enough wiggle room side to side and front to back to work and drop right in. For best fit measure interior space when frame is built. This will accommodate any variance from the plans during build. You can always cut to fit, but adding it back on is another story. While it added a lot of heft to the machine in the form of weight. It was expensive and could easily be replaced with a 0.5" piece of mdf or similar.

 

That is what I do every few jobs. surface the mdf and create a new flat surface. With all the mist coolant ( spray bottle ) and screws for my hold downs I am always messing up my plate maker mdf surface.