Currently a MSEE student in UT Dallas.
Find out more about me in my resume ( Web ).
Welcome to connect me on my LinkedIn.
Check out my project codes on Github.
Check out my 3D model library on GrabCAD.
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Malcolm's Technical Blog 
Hello, i viewed your project on grabcad and watced the video on youtube, it is a very good job you’ve done and the machine works fast and stable. However, i could not understand how you could achieve the cost at 300$. I also need to build my own cnc for milling some parts for my project so i need your kindly helps if you would like to :) Which brand of servo motors and drivers did you use? What is the control software, linuxcnc? I will be glad of your helps:) thank you.
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Hi Erden,
Glad you liked my work!As I mentioned on Grabcad,that video isn’t about that machine but its successor,which is 2 to 3 times more expensive.One of the reasons why I achieved such a low price is that I made it in China,where everything is relatively cheap.But you try these to lower your cost:
1.Don’t use servo,use stepper motor.A stepper with a normal driver(TB6560) that has a normal microstepping(8 – 32),and screw driving system can achieve at least 0.05 mm accuracy.
2.linuxcnc could be a good choice but I’ve never used it before.I used an opensource controller that runs on Arduino called GRBL.Also,CNCUSB is an excellent choice.
3.Ball screw drive is way better then normal screw,try finding an online shop ships from China.
Perhaps I start another post about building a CNC machine,it’s hard to make it clear in a reply.Stay tuned! :)
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Hello Malcolm,
Thank you so much for your kindly suggestions. Everything about the cost is clear in my mind now :) As i mentioned before i am going to start to design a cnc machine which satisfies my basic needs that explained below.
The machining valume will approximately have about X:500 Y:300 Z:250 mm of dimensions.
High speed (such the machine you built seen on youtube) with 50-70 micron accuracy is the first priority, so it should be a servo system design because of the speed restriction.
I will machine wood and acrylic only (no metal), therefore the mechanical calculations will be determined acoording to soft materials, thus the mechanical components will be small and relatively cheap.
I am going to have a survey of GRBL, Linuxcnc and CNCUSB to know the best choice for me.
I have about 1700$ of budget max. for this project and hope it will be enough :)
I am a mechanical design engineer, so please feel free to contact me of any question marks in your mind (especially mechanical tolerancing of precision design).
Have a nice day!
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You’re welcome!Your machine seems like a big challenge because difficulty grows as the dimension grows.Since you’re a mechanical engineer I assume you have professional tools to build and calibrate.Because when I build these machines,they took me a long time to ensure the perpendicularity of three axis and tolerance.
As for the controller,there’s actually a more professional but expensive one called MACH3.If your budget is enough you can consider this also.GRBL and CNCUSB has a limit of 30Khz output frequency,so there’s a trade-off between speed and tolerence.My machines can go 4 m/min in free run and 2-3 m/min for light weight machining.Hope these could make a reference for you.Good luck!
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