Miniature Machining Center - Turning, threading and then milling in one operation Mach3 software

The 4th axis is driven by a NEMA34 servo motor as axis 'A' using Mach 3 control software.

It has more power than the little mill can use, but the turning/indexing rig is intended for a larger machine which I will be convering to CNC when I get done playing with this one.

Doing this kind of machinng with Mach 3 software requires a lot of workarounds and macros, but as you can see, it is doable.

Now, having proved out the process, I will make a proper head from a solid block af aluminum with ball or tapered roller bearings on the spindle.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Mill
• maching
• mach 3
• 4th axis
• index
• HD
• lathe
• machining center
• threading
• rotary
• aluminum
• turning

[Mrpsychotehpyro]

This is cool, but i wonder...why does the lathe spindle stop after every cut?

In threading its obvious, but for the roughing and finishing cuts on the basic shape, why ?

[Simpsons36]

@Mrpsychotehpyro Very good question. This very early prototype did not have a 'lathe' mode. All moves are axis moves, including the spindle rotation. Ultimately I built a special circuit board to swap control from an 'axis' to a 'spindle'. There are a series of videos showing the evolution of this machine. Please check them out and you will see the latest models are very, very different from these early proof of concept type machines, including continuous 'lathe mode' spindle operation. 

[jacktheripped]

I need 10,000 of these by next Friday, or you can go to the nut&bolt house and buy them ;)

[Simpsons36]

@jacktheripped

This is just early proof of concept stuff. In later videos you can see the actual steel parts being machined using the lesssons learned with these early protptypes. This X2 and early prototype 4th axis are long gone.

For quantity of 10,000 bolts, I'll need a deposit . . :-)

[MatrixOfDynamism]

what is the thing being designed here anyway?

[Simpsons36]

@MatrixOfDynamism

What is under development is the 4th axis. see later videos for the progress. The 4th axis development is completed now and it is a very different animal from what is shown in these early videos.

[maximilianlindner]

Hi, which program do you use to create g-codes? I'm very interested!

[W4llyB4nger]

Oh, and why does mach3 require so many work arounds? is it because this is an unconventional CNC setup?

[W4llyB4nger]

Uh yeah.... that's pretty friggen cool =-D

I have a milling machine and I want to put a power head on it like that. How could a guy rig up a lathe chuck that can be indexed? As in, how can you spin a chuck fast enough to machine, yet still have it positioned with a stepper/servo motor?

[Simpsons36]

Click on the video response above. That video shows the final scratch built 4th axis in action. MUCH more powerful and faster.