Hi all. New to this forum, so please excuse any duplication of stuff I haven't found elsewhere here. I currently have a Shark HD4 I bought about a year and a half ago, which has been a lot of trouble, particularly with the gantry. I can upgrade to an HD5 gantry, but am thinking about getting the Lead 1010 with a High Z Mod gantry to replace it, as it has a number of benefits, but am concerned about the spindle. I currently am using the HuangYang 1.5kW water cooled spindle with VFD, a 36 V power supple, and a specialized cooling loop that all works great. I like it's noise level (FAR better than the Bosch router, which is what I used before, which is so loud you can't even hear the cutters working, or yourself think, even at low settings), the fact that I can control the spindle speed easily from a Buildbotics controller (great controller, btw, and yes, I tossed the Shark controller - it's obsolete garbage), and the lack of mess due to not having a fan blowing dust all over. Also, the VFD means the spindle power supply is isolated from the controller, which I prefer. However, is this spindle going to be too heavy for the Lead 1010? Is there a mounting bracket that will fit it (80mm diameter)? I can't tell what sort of mount the Lead comes with the 1010 comes with. I see people talk about a Makita spindle, but it appears to not fit the Lead 1010 mount, and I don't know how it's speed is controlled ... I like using the VFD, even if it's a bit more complex. Can anyone comment about those issues with the Makita on the Lead 1010? I've seen some square air-cooled spindles out there that look interesting also. Would those fit the 1010? Anyone have experience with those? Is there another Openbuilds design that would be a better fit? As far as the spindle goes, as long as it's quieter than the Bosch, has the power to cut hardwoods (as in 2000+ Janka), fits the system without my needing to machine parts from aluminum, I'm not hooked on water cooled. Really, the 1010 with High Z upgrade looks really good, but I need to understand the spindle situation a lot better. I am trying to make product, not be a CNC builder/hobbyist, lol, not that there's anything wrong with that, just want to run reliable equipment that all fits together easily without having to create mounts and the like. Help!!! Thanks in advance. I posted a short version of this on another post before posting this, but realized after that, I think that was too narrow of a description and too few people might see it. So, sorry about that. Thanks again.
You can get 80 mm mounts for the spindle from several places in several styles. All that matters is that you match the angle brackets to the Z-plate holes. I myself am using a Workbee with a 1,5 kW spindle, and just drilled and tapped the included massive mount to fit the workbee. As for the weight, I feel like the water cooled one is a tad bit heavier than I'd like, as I can pretty easily tilt the Z-axis when the router is lowered (and this with the large mount, which is approximately the height of two "official" Workbee mounts). The spindle also lowers itself when you cut the power to the machine, which is something to keep in mind if you leave a bit in the collet when you stop working, as you might break small bits when the spindle comes down.
I have the high Z mod and the thing is extremely rigid thanks to the double C Channels. I also just purchase a 1.5kw water cooled spindle (Mysweety) with the matching 110v VFD. I purchased two mounts for the spindle (mine is 65mm) and will be mounting it soon. I have just finished building the shielded cable and have not yet tested the VFD but I did complete the wiring last night. I am also 3d printing new drag chains that will fit all component wiring (spindle cable, water cooling, motor cables, limit switch cables etc.) The chains are going to be 4x the normal size). I am also replacing all the wiring with shielded cables in an attempt to avoid any EMI which I have experienced with the router. I'll post some pics as I progress and hope to be done within a few weeks.
Thanks, that’s not good that the spindle drops like that, my current system doesn’t do that. Is the z-axis a standard lead screw? Perhaps a stronger motor might help, although I would not expect that. Can be worked around. The flexing sounds not so good.
Thanks, I will be interested in your results. While the distributor (mysweetie) is different, from the looks of the pics at Amazon, it’s similar to the unit I have, although mine is 80mm. I was hoping the double channel would help out with stability, so cool.
Just as a quick follow-up, I watched the installation video for the high-Z. Very impressive and awesome that so much attention to detail is available here. Very refreshing! After seeing that, I suspect it can work work fine, but will be most interested in seeing Gofertpc's build notes.
Made some progress last night - got the spindle and VFD all wired, made my coolant bucket, got the water lines ran from the pump to the spindle and made my initial test of the spindle operation. (I'm still deciding if I want to run the water lines through the side of the bucket or the top). Tonight I plan to get started on mounting it to the Z axis - ran and got some more blue locktite and my new screws have arrived.
I actually ended up getting a CPU cooling bundle and running a continuous loop through the spindle, operated through an output in the controller. I can monitor temperatures and flow in the line and it's a lot less messy, much smaller, and less opportunity to have bacterial buildups or dust entrapment. Uses about a quart of water total, maybe a bit less. Highly recommended.
I was thinking of going that route myself but with the summer heat here I wanted a bigger reservoir so I can run coolant with the water. Tonight's limited progress was getting the Z Axis removed and the two 65mm mounts added.
It actually is coolant, not water. I live in Georgia, and the fluid never went more than one degree higher than ambient, even after many hours of continuous use. I use a heat exchanger and fan to cool it. Modern CPUs get really hot, as I expected, this isn't even having to work hard, compared to its usual thermal load. I tried the bucket thing, for about two days. After installing this, I would never go back. It's more effort to install, but now I feel like I have total containment, control and visibility on all aspects of my coolant system ... mixing water and electricity is not one of my favorite things, LOL Here are the main parts: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CFDS3JA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0185C4XHA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XQ1G13K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HQ8JUJU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
OK - bit the bullet and order all my components off of amazon. Dual 120 mm fans, flow meter with temp module, 120 x 240 radiator and 160mm pump/reservoir. Come on Monday
Just to clarify: The spindle only lowers when you cut the power to the machine, meaning the motors don't do anything. The same thing would happen if you used a ballscrew to drive the spindle axis and cut the power. It's just the fact that the weight overcomes the friction when there's nothing braking the system. In use it works flawlessly. If you want to prevent this from happening, the only proper solution is to use a motor with a brake. Myself, I simply remove the endmill when I stop working, and insert a block of styrofoam under the axis, which keeps it from lowering to the spoilboard. I never leave the power on for my CNC for extended periods, but you COULD just leave the power on indefinitely. Would be a waste of electricity, though. And your cooling loop looks great. Rather overkill, but cool (pun intended)
Yes, I realized after I posted it that a motor (other than the braking) wouldn't matter - that's really what I meant. My current system has enough friction that it mostly doesn't do that, although sometimes it's been known to move a little with power off. LOL re cooling. :-D
