Actually Building the Machine!

[vonG]

Helps to have those kind of friends.

Understand the complexity is going to get even more complex when it comes to get it all to work together. One thing to have it down on paper or in your mind, but another to actually be able to make it work.
But I reckon you have that figured out anyway.

 

[Nena]

Hehe! My motors have arived today! It was a huge bill but here they are! Soon the rest will arive! Next making the first drawings. Still a lot to do for building the machine but i got all expensive things for now, excluding some parts but i dont need them to build the first stage!

 

[vonG]

Looking good Nena.

 

[Nena]

Setup from the Z-axis. (partially) This is the first setup of the first part of my z-axis the rest is a bit problematic while i need to draw that first fully in 3d.

First part is being made now, 4 plates to hold the harmonic drive for the ballscrew spindles.

 

[Nena]

The first aluminium plates are done! Thursday will my new spindles arive and can i begin to draw the main plates from the z-axis. Hope to make some more photo's soon!!!

 

[Bushbear]

Awsome build and to think I thought I did well building a 6 wheel cabbing machine.
I think half the enjoyment is in building the equipment you will use.

 

[Nena]

A liddle update!

I have changed plans again, sorry im going to build the machine direct as a faceting machine. This du to keep the machine a bit smaller. I will build it not as a hanging system but as a vertical lap machining. Uh?! Yup, this setup will give me some problems i know, but i also know that this way it will be mutch easyer to build less axis and more stiffness. Also i will build one lapp on it that can automatic change lapps, a bit like a jukebox system but then on vacum. I just ordered a 12" 800 grit lap for building my vacuum test plate. So the laps im going to use are 12" (300mm). But this way gives me mutch more advantages with cutting ore to do other stuff in the future. The base plate will be around 25 - 30mm thick with a maximum of 2.000rpm (DC Driven) and an stepper to setup the secure screw. I hope this will work ill let you know, i hope to receive the lap next week ore so (China, its a bit farder away then by you guys! lol)

Also the last linear ball rails wil arive next week. And i hope it will all come together these days

 

[Nena]

Double post!? Something went wrong but here are the new drawings!

 

[Nena]

First drawing of the baseplate, i hope my friend can mill it :- ) I hope it wil work with an automatic lap changer. But we will see, now i need to draw the second plate that is going to keep the lap plates flat to the base plate.

 

[Nena]

And the second plate, hopfully its going to work! every ring you see gets a o-ring to seal the gap.

 

[Nena]

Also the cuttinghead bearingholder is done for milling! I asked my friend, but he cant mill my disc... so i need to search someone who can but he will mill my head part.

 

[Nena]

Mayby it is better to cut first on 8" laps becourse i cannot find 12" 200k gritt lapps for polishing yet...

 

[Nena]

Almost got the first parts done for the machine head! Hopfully i can let it mill soon! Cant wait to have the parts in my hands and that i can build it up for real! Greetings Christian

 

[vonG]

Looking really good Christian.
What kind of bearings are you going to use? A lot of brands to pick from I guess. They need to be sealed to not get the fine dust and water in it.

 

[Nena]

The bearing rails are from Bosch Rexroth, they 35mm wide +/- 1.4" inch They are closed good for sutch perposes! But im thinking about some 1mm stainless steel plates to cover everything up. The rest of the bearings are from NSK high precision bearings.

 

[vonG]

Isn't the plates going to be in the way when cleaning things up? Better to have it all open and easy to get in between everything when cleaning.

Good brands for the bearings, high precision is a must what ever brand you chose though.

How small stones can you facet with the machine head?
Is the quill going to stick out a bit from the head or is the dop going to be put directly in the head? Looks thight with all the moving parts going against the lap.

 

[Nena]

I didnt do my cuttinghead yet :- ) The cuttinghead may be as long as the motor at the other side thats about 100mm, the dops can go in the head but not shure how im going to draw the peace yet. If i must guess the weight of what i have drawed would be around the 50kg, i now need to check everything and let it milled. Then i should look if i need to change somethings and build the rest. The overall machine precission is about 1 to 2/100th of a mm.

Greets,

Christian

 

[vonG]

As long as the run out on the quill and dop is as good, but all that depends on the material too.

A lot of weight, but the machine is big in it self too.
Hope you get it right, will be fun to see it all when it's done.

 

[Nena]

I hope that im getting it right... The cuttinghead can be milled but still not shure about the complete design, mayby i come up with another design. The rotation axis is too large (i think) made a full working 3d software model in Inventor 2016... give me some day's ill get it right lol. Mayby i need to cancel the 3 axis and go to 2 with faceting, i think it will iliminate mutch of the problems. Btw the quill has a runout from the shaft is about +/-3/1000th of a mm. (tested it :- )

 

[vonG]

Yes, I dont see why you would need 6 axes all and all for faceting. 5 axes is more than adequate when you count the 3 axes on the gantry. Actually even 4 axes all and all will work too, if you reduce the gantry movement. Unless you are going to be concave facet the stones at a later stage, then 6 axes is the way to go.

hehe, really nice runout on the quill Christian.