Hi all! I ordered the parts to convert a mini mill into a C-Beam MMXL which scotty helped me a lot! however it still is just not quite large enough for what I need so. i got to thinking.. I may be going to go another step up which is a cut down LEAD machine style CNC ( i need to be able to make18-28 or 24 x 24 ). my questions are ... for one is LEAD the way to go? and the other is.. if LEAD then what are the plates I need to order to make the gantry on the C beams? i dont need buy a complete new LEAD kit just the added parts minus what I have already with MMXL and mini parts... I guess there is the possibility the LEAD isnt the answer and if so then id love to hear! Thanks Denns
It’s hard to say what you still need without knowing exactly what you already have. Please post a list of extrusions, plates, and wheels you have to work with. Also what is the intended use for the system?
ok here is what I have including minimill and some extras that came with it like 4-6 end caps the silver aluminum brackets that mount to hole minimill gantry up with 45deg side not square... 99% ill be carving soft and hardwoods Just to clarify.. this list below is the extra parts I ordered to convert to the C-Beam MMXL so this is my parts list and also include my minimill parts and odds and ends left overs ... so I have a minimill plus this: (1) OpenBuilds Universal Build Plate (1) 1000mm C-Beam (1) 1000mm (1040) 8mm Lead Screw (2) 1000mm 20x60 V-Slot (each cut to 389mm/610mm) (2) Extreme V-wheel kits (2) 25mm M5 screws (12-16) 8mm M5 screws (6) T-nuts (10-14) Cast Corner Brackets (1) 4-6" scrap of 20x"any" V-Slot (2) additional 6mm spacers (1 regular, 1 eccentric)
The following would be my suggestion for the most economical conversion of a minimill based on the extra parts you stated above Based on using the 2 pieces of 20x60 610mm long (which should be shown underneath front and back rather than the 20x40s in the picture) you would have a workable area of 17.5" x 32.5". Along with what you already have you will need: 1x 1000mm C-Beam® Double Wide Gantry Actuator Bundle with motor 1x 1000mm C-Beam® Linear Rail cut to 667mm 1x 1040mm 8mm Metric Acme Lead Screw cut to 704mm 1x 1500mm V-Slot® 20x40 Linear Rail cut to (2) 610mm lengths 2x 250mm V-Slot® 20x80 Linear Rail Major parts total out around $305. I'll leave it up to you to work out what you need in connectors and other minor parts. Would I build it this way though, probably not. I would probably chuck the existing 20x60s because they limit the width too much and add another 1500mm cut stick of 20x40. I would also probably not spend the money on the 20x80 verticals when you already have some 250mm lengths of C-Beam. A revised version would read something like: 1x 1000mm C-Beam® Double Wide Gantry Actuator Bundle with motor 1x 1000mm C-Beam® Linear Rail cut to 750mm 1x 1040mm 8mm Metric Acme Lead Screw cut to 790mm 2x 1500mm V-Slot® 20x40 Linear Rail cut to (4) 653mm lengths This raises the usable width to 19" and only raises the total cost of the major parts by $7. Another thought worth considering would be the reversing the the X axis as shown to having the screw on the back side. This will require another XLarge C-Beam Gantry Kit to create the double gantry configuration. You will also need some longer screws and some 9mm spacers to assemble it. In the end will this give you the equivalent of a LEAD 1010? No it won't. But the conversion will offer a pretty decent machine without spending a lot. And while I won't make any guarantees of how great the outcome will be, I will note that its really just an upsized version of a small, stout system I'm currently building for myself (and I wouldn't be spending my own money on something if I didn't have a fair amount of confidence in it).
well.. dang! i wished Id waited a bit for your reply ! i got antcy and pulled the trigger on a big parts order ( make openbuilds happy) using your C-Beam gantry plate bundles and a set of custom 2" taller Sphinx deluxe plate set ( of 9) i ordered from a member here so im in it BIG time lol but if Id been patient id be in it less big time cost wise lol.( wisdon does still has merit! ) lol I think its going to be overkill but I guess thats ok too! with your message here and my long hrs of research im getting the concepts of what goes where and why... lol anyway Thanks Rick this has helped me a lot! i may end up with some extra parts to.... build another mini mill! ahahahaha sheesh!
