Hello to all, Im new to cnc and evaluating to buy C-Beam. My big question now is why in specs it says Z-Axis travel is 6 inches, but 1,25 inches is the working depth. Spindle mount can go up as much as 6 inches? What would be the restriction to be able to use only 1,25 inches? I appreciate your help. Thank you very much. Mariano
1.25" is the max depth due to the height of the x axis and the thickness of the build plate with a few tweaks you can get 2" the only issue is the length of the bits, endmills ect
Let me see if i understood you. Z axis from bottom to top can travel 6 inches. So if i want to turn it into 3d printer, it can work with 6 inches pieces?
no, the travel is set by the lowest point of the z axis in standard form this is 1.25" off the build surface if you move the z axis up you will need to move the router/spindle mount down by doing that you moving the loading point of the z axis even if you do overcome these issues the max depth is sill going to be limited by the tooling and collet of router/spindle the c beam is designed as a plate maker, sure you can build it in different configurations If you want a 3d printer build or buy or get specific parts/kit as they work in very different way to a cnc router - don't buy a cheap Chinese mendel type machine as you will have no end of issues (mainly acrylic parts), the prusa i3 with the aluminium surround with the printable upgrades off of thingiverse is the way to go, this makes a much stiffer and robust machine - a decent hot end and extruder is a must
Ok, thank you very much flash22. Im looking for a CNC router to make PCBs, drill materials and route some acrilic. But i wanted to make an inversion and use it as 3d printer also. In Argentina is not that easy to get all parts to build and reconfigure the hw. As CNC router needs more stable and hard structure that is going to be my starting point. I saw some projects as buildersbot and 3drag were i can get some ideas.
Flash22, i thought about using a X axis higher, using different, larger supports. If i put Z axis just opposite, i mean, when its all way down touching the plate i can set it to use all the travel available, right? If i use a larger Z axis actuator can set a bigger working volume. Thank you very much
The Z axis is restricted by the height of the post configuration. My C-Beam has 250mm posts (uprights holding the X axis). If you want a higher distance you could get 750mm V-slot and cut them in half. The beauty of the C-Beam is you can eliminate parts and add parts to the kit. The z axis is restricted by the build plate that holds the C-beam Z axis to the v-wheel plate. The Z C-Bean bolts to the bottom of the plate resulting in about 2.5" of space between the bottom of the Z axis end plate and the spoiler board. Mine only has one 1" MDF spoiler board because I will not be using my machine for making plates, mostly for inlay work. Not sure if I make much sense but watch Mark's video and you will see the whole setup. I researched machines for about 12 months and I settled on the C-Beam and I love it! Good luck!
