Some more renders with all new design changes.

 

Thanks Rick. Y-axis rails moved 50mm towards the centre and is looking much more balanced and strong.

 

Glad to help out Gray. I will revisit the BOM in the next couple of days and count up all the nuts and bolts. I will post it here when that's finished.

Design isn't finished yet, well stage one is, I still need to design the improvements or more like the bits it's can make for it self.

1. Side Guards / Braces, to keep some of the chips at bay and add strength. Move the two(4) 90 degree plates to the inside.
2. New End Plates for the X&Y axis, to put the 8mm Acme Lead Screws under tension instead of compression, extra support for the Stepper Motors.
3. New Top End Plate for Z, to fit a reduction belt and bring a bit of the weight towards to back.
4. And no doubt some cable management stuff, switches, enclosures to contain the scary blue smoke.

 

Cheers @GrayUK. Finished design for the Side Guards / Braces. Think I will use 6mm thick Perplex mounted with 10mm M5 low profile screws recessed down 2mm. Changed my mind from having them on the outside and brought them to the inside, so I don't have to move the 90 degree plates. Had to add some conical curves for looks

 

Haha its a Fusion 360 thing. Just their name for one of the sketch buttons that makes the curve in their program

 

Don't know yet Gray. It would be a little cheaper then Aluminium. More then likely more stable then MDF, especially around coolants/lubricants from a mist system. So optional.

 

Cheers Paul. It gives it a kind of "Bauhaus" feel to it.

"Form Follows Function" or something like that..

 

Four more plates, two wheels and a 960mm length of 40x40mm V-Slot across the back, feeling happy how the design is coming along so far. Thank you all for the input with the design.

 

Yep, the stuff of nightmares! Thinking of using some thick aluminium wire with a small magnet stuck to the end. Though there's a real danger of looking like a demented Chimp extracting termites with a grass stem and some spit!

 

@Joe Santarsiero , @Rick 2.0; Being a newbie to all this CNC stuff! Here's a picture of where I think home is on this machine.


Sorry about my limited understanding and please correct me if I'm wrong.

X & Y positive, moves into the spoil board from this point.
Positive Z goes up.
X is the movement across the top beam.
Y is the movement of the table back and forward.
Z is the movement of the spindle, up and down.

 

@Joe Santarsiero, as to using the back wall as a shield, I guess you could, just as long as the movement of the table is taken into account. It moving about 155mm front and back.
Here's a picture of a kind of idea to help contain the chips, using some heavy clear vinyl sheet (stuff they use for table cloth and tent windows) strung from some 16mm aluminium tubing, located in notches front and back of the perplex sides. the other ends clamped down under the marine sail track, front and back of the spoil board. Sorry can't work out a way to draw it with Fusion 360, so you will have to use your imagination a little.