Hey all, I am brand new tot his so please forgive me when I ask silly questions to first and foremost if I was to try to machine aluminium, what type of spindle am I looking at. I see the motors go from small up to 1,200 nm so was hoping someone could give me a tolerance to aim for. 2 I see 3/4/5 axis controllers. if I wanted to make a machine that rotates base on 2 axies ( so like record player and then back over top to front) and then have gantry move forward back, and then left to right and up down that makes 5 axes right? so what if I want eh spindle arm to move on another 2 axes AND have a second arm.... does that make it 9 axis? or is it only 5??? 3 someone will probably answer this with the above question but does the spindle arms use the same controller as the other axes? or is there a controller available to allow multiple heads doing different things so as to make a multipurpose machine 4 I see that Arduino is trying to make its imprint on the world. but the latency from computer to motor is hectic. is there an opensource micro controller that does not have this issue? 5 where can I find gcode makers for 5 axis (or 9.... ) machines? and as there are several types of 5 axis are they customisable to accommodate my set up 6 this will be the last question hopefully. what is the cheapest yet half decent cnc machine on the market. not the engraver ones. I am aiming for a build size of about 30cm cubed.
I'm really not trying to be mean or rude, but answering those questions will only get you into trouble. All of them can be answered with very little ACTUAL experience with any type of CNC machine (laser, mill, lathe, printer, etc). Until then, you shouldn't be worrying about a 4th and 5th axis, let alone a 7 axis. 4) This issue does not exist. Your projected goals are impossible unless you plan on spending a high 6 digit figure to develop it. You're asking for one machine to be built for every function.
thanks for the reply. got a small team. going to be ongoing hobby over next couple of years. am willing to share where we can without giving away too much. i think the software and electronics are my issue, if arduino is good then that solves a heap of issues. the mechanical side seems to be easy but I am making a 3 axis to make the 5 axis I believe this will be a GREAT learning curve.
For software, Fusion 360 supports up to 5 axis CAM. You won't find any free or open source CAM. F360 had a simple little business deal that lets it run for free without limits for the hobbyist, but a business owner making over $100k a year will have to pay. As for reading and interpreting, g-code is g-code. Anything that speaks g-code should be able to run a machine. Some devices may have slight differences, but it's generally the same.
A axis is a line of movement, The motion of a spindle is not a Axis eg. X Axis = Left to Right Y Axis = Front to back Z Axis = Up and Down Question 4, A problem that has never has existed, some cnc systems are based on 20 year old technology Question 5, Unless you have a specific need for a 5 axis machine, forget about it Question 6, All depends on your budget something like a open builds - C Beam or OX, if you feeling rich you can have a Hass vmc for a little over $100k TBH you need to do a bit more research and watch plenty of Youtube videos, Building the machine and setting it up is the tip of the iceberg, Learning to use the software takes 100's of hours and you will never stop learning - its not a click and make process and finally stop over thinking !!!
Here's a "theoretical" 6-axis machine designed by Nicholas Seward. In the comments, replying to a question about software, he states "There isn't something off the shelf that can do this. LinuxCNC could do it once you put in the right motion modules."
get yourself a C-beam kit and get some experience before embarking an a huge build. LinuxCNC seriously? read this GitHub - gnea/grbl: An open source, embedded, high performance g-code-parser and CNC milling controller written in optimized C that will run on a straight Arduino Fusion360 NYC CNC seems what you need is a Tormach 1100 Personal CNC Mill - Tormach PCNC 1100
