Hi everyone, long time lurker and now building my first CNC router using openbuilds black box controller and electronics. I wanted to share what I am working on to help if it spurs ideas for anyone else's custom build. I always wanted to design a CNC machine from scratch so here is what is in the works. I designed it to be upgradeable in phases. Phase 1 will have 51" X travel, 49" Y, and 4" of Z axis travel. will have 20MM linear rails 20MM ball screws on X and Y, and 16MM ball screw in Z. It will run Nema 23 steppers with the black box controller, limit switch's and control pendant. This will be the point of getting everything functioning and working out all the kinks that will come out when you from digital design to real world machine. Haven't picked a spindle yet, currently has a 1.5kw air cooled one modeled on it right now. I might buy a 2.2KW liquid cooled but have some time as I just ordered all the parts last night. More than likely, this machine will never progress past this stage!! Phase 2 will be building a deeper table which can increase Z travel to 9" for being able to clamp parts on the build surface in a vise and other projects that require deeper carving options. If I'm not happy with the 24V setup, at this point will change to a Arduino bases GRBL controller, with 48V power supplies and stepper drivers. Phase 3 is adding an automated tool changer in the extra X-axis travel area. My goal was for a machine that could machine 48" x 48" stock material so I got some space to fit a tool changing station down one side. Here is the link to the fusion design model for this. Fusion It has both phase 1 and 2 turned on, the green table add the extra 5" of Z travel that is already designed in the Z axis motion control.
Trim down your Z-axis height. If you're only moving 4" you only need 4" of movement. No sense having the stepper swinging around up in the sky. That's inertial energy unnecessarily rolling the X-axis.
