How to assemble an engraving machine. Making a cnc milling machine with your own hands. Z axis ball screw - ball screw
When drilling any work surface, first of all, attention is focused on the accuracy of the work performed.
Any small production can be equipped with a mini metal milling machine, which is equipped with a CNC.
Such a mini CNC metal router is an indispensable device in order to carry out non-serial and design work with it.
1 Benefits and features
The presented mini CNC metal router can be made by hand without much difficulty.
These miniature desktop units can be endowed with the necessary software, due to which a high degree of accuracy of the operations carried out will be observed.
Among other, no less significant advantages of such a device as a mini metal router with built-in CNC, there are:
- great performance;
- ease of management;
- general level of security;
- saving human resources.
Such a home-made mini milling machine, made by hand, will be able to provide a high degree of accuracy, and, if necessary, carry out regular repetition of processing.
This CNC machine provides the user with the ability to produce many identical parts.
If you yourself design a home-made mini milling cutter equipped with CNC, then in the end you can become the owner of a real mini center for processing products.
Such desktop mini CNC milling units help to process a considerable number of surfaces on the selected metal product.
The presented home-made milling cutter equipped with CNC has a distinctive feature. It is expressed in the presence of a special part called a high-speed spindle.
In addition, desktop milling units have a pre-programmed calibration. You can create a homemade one with your own hands with a preliminary focus on two proven methods:
- Buy a ready-made kit for assembling the unit.
- Make a homemade router with your own hands.
In the first case, desktop machines are associated with certain financial costs, and in order to create a home-made router yourself, you need to own a tool and have certain knowledge.
1.1 Initial design phase
All desktop units of the presented variety have their own individual scheme. The homemade machine is no exception here.
The first important stage is the choice of the scheme according to which the future machine will work. Desktop units do not differ in the high complexity of the device, and therefore a conventional drilling machine can be taken as a basis.
In this case, the drill should be replaced with a milling cutter. Particular attention during the assembly process should be given to the movement mechanism of the working head with the ability to move in three planes.
In most cases, small machines can use carriages borrowed from the conventional printer mechanism.
With the help of such a carriage, the machine will control the movement of the working head with an orientation to three planes.
Such a solution will have a significant degree of benefit, as there will be ready-made software so that the machine can work in a fully automatic mode.
This design is able to process a sheet of metal with an average thickness of 3-4 mm. For work with a more serious orientation, the unit must be equipped with stepper motors with an increased power parameter.
You can make them by modifying ready-made standard electric motors of the same class.
This will avoid the use of a screw type gear. In order to ensure efficient transmission of force, it is best to focus on the use of toothed belts.
If you use homemade carriages to ensure the movement of the working head, then you can pay attention to these elements borrowed from large printers.
2 The main stage in the manufacture of a metal router
The presented machine, based on its design features, is very similar in design and principle of operation to industrial-grade units.
The function of the base in it is performed by a low-fixed beam with a rectangular internal section. It is fixed on special guides.
Thanks to such a constructive solution, it is possible to create the necessary degree of rigidity of the entire frame of the structure and not resort to the use of welding in the process of creating a router.
For the manufacture of the base, a square pipe is taken, made using metal. Each side should be 75-85 millimeters wide.
In order to attach it to the rails, you should use special rectangular soles with an aspect ratio of 65 × 25 millimeters. Such a solution will allow not to use the welding machine at this working stage and will help to set up the unit with a high degree of accuracy.
In addition, the use of soles will allow you to correctly set the angle equal to 90 degrees. The connection of the main beam with the sole is made using four screws marked M6.
You need to tighten them all the way to the stop in order to achieve the required degree of rigidity. Besides you need to be prepared for the occurrence of problems, associated with plain bearings, although any suitable ones can be used, including those made in China.
The screw gear will ensure the vertical lifting of the working head. In this case, a toothed belt can be used to transfer torque to the lead screw. This solution will allow:
- significantly reduce the center of gravity of the device;
- avoid beats;
- save space.
The vertical axis can be made from a plate made using aluminum. Previously, this part is processed on a milling machine with an orientation to the dimensions that are predetermined and necessary for the future machine.
If a muffle furnace is available, the axle can be cast from a piece of aluminum. Two stepper motors are installed immediately behind the axle.
In this case, the first one ensures the rotation of the lead screw with a vertical offset, and the second one ensures the movement of the head in a horizontal plane.
Torque is transmitted using belts. After all the elements are made and assembled together need to do a test the resulting mini unit, using the manual type control.
After that, attention should be paid to stepper motor controllers and device software.
2.1 How to modify the spindle?
When creating a machine with your own hands, it is important to take into account the full compliance of the shaft of the spindle assembly with the bulk of the cutters that will be used in the future.
In addition to ensuring the desired angle of inclination of the working table, it is necessary to ensure the possibility of raising and lowering the cutter of the unit.
Milling machine made by hand from improvised materials
Nowadays, the production of small parts made of wood, for various structures, is becoming more and more frequent. Also in stores you can find a variety of beautiful three-dimensional paintings made on wood canvas. Such operations are performed using numerically controlled milling machines. The accuracy of parts or pictures made of wood is achieved through computer control, a specialized program.
The CNC wood router is a highly professional machine built with the latest technology.
All work consists in processing with a special wood cutter, which can be used to cut small parts from wood material, creating beautiful drawings. The work is carried out by supplying signals to stepper motors, which, in turn, move the router along three axes.
Due to this, high-precision processing occurs. As a rule, such work cannot be done manually with such high quality. Therefore, CNC wood milling machines are a great find for carpenters.
purpose
Since ancient times, milling was intended for planing work with wood. But the engine of progress is moving strictly forward in our time, numerical control has been created for such machines. At this stage, the milling machine can perform a variety of actions that relate to wood processing:
- Cutting various parts from solid wood.
- Cutting off excess parts of the workpiece.
- Ability to make grooves and holes of various diameters.
- Drawing complex ornaments using a cutter.
- 3D Three-dimensional images on solid wood.
- Full-fledged furniture production and much more.
Whatever the task, it will be carried out with high precision and accuracy.
Tip: When working on homemade CNC equipment, you need to smoothly remove the thickness of the wood, otherwise your part will be damaged or burned by the cutter!
Variety
In the modern technological world, the following types of CNC wood milling machines are distinguished:
Stationary
These machines are placed in industries, as they are huge in size and weight. But such equipment is capable of manufacturing products in large volumes.
Manual
These are homemade devices or devices from ready-made kits. These machines can be safely installed in your garage or your own workshop. These include the following subspecies:
Equipment using portal, with numerical control
Directly, the milling cutter itself is able to move along two Cartesian axes X and Z. This type of machine has high rigidity when bending. The design of the portal milling machine with numerical control is quite simple in its execution. Many carpenters begin their knowledge of CNC machines from this subtype. However, in this case, the size of the workpiece will be limited by the size of the portal itself.
Numerically controlled and mobile gantry
The construction of this subtype is a little more complicated.
mobile portal
It is this type that moves the router along all three Cartesian axes, along X, Z and Y. In this case, it will be necessary to use a solid guide for the X axis, since all the heavy load will be directed to it.
With a mobile portal, it is very convenient for creating printed circuit boards. On the Y axis, it is possible to process long parts.
The cutter moves along the Z axis.
Machine on which the milling part is able to move in a vertical direction
This subtype is usually used when refining production samples or when converting drilling equipment into engraving and milling.
The working field, that is, the tabletop itself, has dimensions of 15x15 centimeters, which makes it impossible to process large parts.
This type is not very convenient to use.
Numerically controlled portalless
This type of machine is very complex in its design, but it is the most productive and convenient.
Workpieces can be processed up to five meters long, even if the X-axis is 20 centimeters.
This subtype is extremely unsuitable for the first experience, as it requires skills on this equipment.
Below we will consider the design of a hand-held CNC wood milling machine, we will analyze the principles of its operation. We learn how to do this brainchild and how such equipment is being adjusted.
Device and principle of operation
The main parts of the milling device are the following parts:
bed
Directly the design of the machine itself, on which all other parts are located.
caliper
A node that is a mount to support the movement of an automatic tool.
Desktop
The area where all the necessary work is done.
Spindle shaft or router
A tool that performs milling work.
Cutter for wood processing
A tool, or rather a device for a milling cutter, of various sizes and shapes, with the help of which wood is processed.
CNC
Let's just say the brain and heart of the whole structure. The software performs precise control of all work.
The work is in program management. A specialized program is installed on the computer, it is she who converts the circuits loaded into it into special codes, which the program distributes to the controller, and then to stepper motors. Stepper motors, in turn, move the milling cutter along the coordinate axes Z, Y, X, due to which the processing of the wooden workpiece takes place.
Choice of accessories
The main step in the invention homemade milling machine is the choice of component parts. After all, choosing bad material, something can go wrong in
An example of an assembly from an aluminum frame.
the work itself. Usually simple materials are used, such as: aluminum, wood (solid, MDF), plexiglass. For the correct and accurate operation of the entire structure, it is important to develop the entire design of the calipers.
Tip: Before assembly do it yourself, it is necessary to check all already prepared parts for compatibility.
Check if there are any snags that will interfere. And most importantly, to prevent various kinds of fluctuations, as this will directly lead to poor-quality milling.
There are some assignments for the selection of work items that will help in the creation, namely:
Guides
Scheme of CNC guides for a milling cutter.
For them, rods with a diameter of 12 millimeters are used. For the X axis, the length of the rod is 200 millimeters, and for the Y axis, the length is 90 millimeters.
The use of guides will allow high-precision installation of moving parts
caliper
Support for CNC milling machine.
Support assembly.
Textolite material can be used for these components. Pretty durable material of its kind. As a rule, the dimensions of the textolite pad are 25x100x45 millimeters.
Router locking block
An example of a frame for fixing a router.
You can also use a textolite frame. The dimensions directly depend on the tool you have.
Stepper motors or servo motors
Power Supply
Controller
An electronic board that distributes electricity to stepper motors to move them along axes.
Tip: When soldering the board, it is necessary to use capacitors and resistors in special SMD cases (aluminum, ceramics, and plastic are used to make cases for such parts). This will reduce the dimensions of the board, as well as the internal space in the design will be optimized.
Assembly
Scheme of a home-made machine with numerical control
The assembly will not take you too much time. The only thing is that the tuning process will be the longest in the entire manufacturing process.
To start
It is necessary to develop a diagram and drawings of the future numerical control machine.
If you do not want to do this, then you can download drawings from the Internet. For all sizes prepare all the necessary details.
Make all necessary holes
Designed for bearings and guides. The main thing is to observe all the necessary dimensions, otherwise the operation of the machine will be disrupted. A diagram with a description of the location of the mechanisms is presented. It will give you a general idea, especially if you are collecting it for the first time.
When all the elements and parts of the mechanism are ready for you, you can safely proceed with the assembly. The first step is to assemble the equipment frame.
frame
Must be geometrically correct. All corners should be even and equal. When the frame is ready, you can mount the guide axles, desktop, calipers. When these elements are installed, you can install a router or a spindle.
The last step remains - electronics. Installing the electronics is the main step in the assembly. A controller is connected to the stepper motors installed on the machine, which will be responsible for their operation.
Next, the controller is connected to a computer on which a special control program should already be installed. Widely used brand Arduino, which manufactures and supplies hardware equipment.
With everything connected and ready, it's time to run a test piece. Any wood that will not go beyond the desktop is suitable for this. If your workpiece has been processed and everything is in order, then you can proceed to the full-fledged manufacture of one or another milling product.
Safety
Safety with milling equipment is the foundation of the basics. If you do not take care of yourself, you can end up in the hospital with serious injuries. All safety rules are the same, but the most basic ones will be listed below:
- You must ground your equipment to avoid electric shock.
- Keep children away from the machine.
- Do not eat or drink on the desktop.
- Clothing should be appropriate.
- Do not process bulky parts that exceed the size of the desktop, machine equipment.
- Do not throw various tools on the working area of the machine.
- Do not use material (metal, plastic, etc.).
Video reviews
Video review of parts for the machine and where to get them:
Video review of the wood milling machine:
Video review of electronics
In order to perform a three-dimensional drawing on a wooden surface, factory milling machines are usually used. But it is quite possible to make such a mini-model on your own, but first you need to familiarize yourself with the design. The basis can be a spare part from a printer, which can be purchased for a penny.
The principle of the machine
If you decide to make a CNC router with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with the features of the operation of such equipment. It is designed to form a pattern on a wooden surface. The design should include electronic and mechanical parts. Together they allow you to automate the work.
For the manufacture of a desktop machine, you should know that the cutter is the cutting element. It is installed in the spindle on the shaft of the electric motor. The whole structure is fixed on the frame. It can move along two coordinate axes. To fix the workpiece, a support table should be made. With stepper motors, an electronic control unit must be connected.
The motor and control unit provide displacement of the carriage in relation to the workpiece. This technology allows you to perform three-dimensional drawings on the surface. Mini-equipment works in a certain sequence. At the first stage, a program is written that will allow you to prepare a plan for moving the cutting part. For this, software systems are used for adaptation in self-made models.
The next step is to install the workpiece. The program is entered into the CNC. The equipment is turned on, and then automatic actions are monitored. In order to ensure maximum automation, it is necessary to draw up a diagram and select components.
Before you start making a CNC router with your own hands, you need to familiarize yourself with the factory models. To obtain complex patterns and patterns, several types of cutters should be used. You can do some of them yourself, but for fine work you will need factory options.
Scheme of a homemade machine
The most difficult and important stage in the manufacture of the described equipment is the choice of the scheme. It will depend on the degree of processing and the size of the workpiece. For domestic conditions, it is better to use a mini-machine that will be installed on the table. A suitable option is the construction of two carriages that will move along the coordinate axes.
The bases can be ground metal rods. Carriages are installed on them. To create a transmission, you will need stepper motors and screws, which are complemented by rolling bearings. To automate the process, it is necessary to think over the electronic part. It will consist of:
- power supply;
- controller
- drivers.
When making a CNC router with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with the design features of the device. For example, a power supply is required to supply power to the stepper motors and the controller chip. For this, a 12V 3A model is used. The controller is required to send commands to the engine. For the operation of the device, a simple circuit for the controller will suffice, which will give commands to three engines.
The driver is also an element of regulation. He will be responsible for the moving part. For management, standard software systems should be used. One of them is KCam, which has a flexible structure to adapt to any controller. This complex has one important advantage, which is the ability to import files of common formats. Using the application, you can create a three-dimensional drawing of the workpiece for analysis.
In order for stepper motors to operate at a given input frequency, technical parameters will need to be entered into the control program. When compiling a program, separate blocks should be made. They are designed for:
- drawing;
- milling;
- engravings;
- drilling.
This will eliminate the idle movement of the cutter.
Selection of components
Before making a DIY CNC router, you must select the components to assemble. A suitable option is the use of improvised means. The basis of the machine can be plexiglass, aluminum or wood. For the correct functioning of the complex, it is necessary to develop the design of the calipers. Their movement should not be accompanied by vibrations, which can cause inaccurate processing of the part.
Components are checked for compatibility before assembly. As for the guides, they will be ground steel bars with a diameter of 12 mm. For the X axis, the length is equivalent to 200 mm, for the Y - 90 mm. Before you start making a CNC router with your own hands, you must choose a caliper. Textolite is a suitable option. The dimensions of the site will be as follows: 25x100x45 mm.
The cutter attachment block can be made of textolite. Its configuration will depend on the tool you have. The power supply is usually used factory. If you want to do this work yourself, you should be prepared for possible errors that will negatively affect the operation of the equipment.
If you want to assemble a router with your own hands, then you can use the 24v model for this. 5A is also an excellent option. It is quite often compared to disk drives, the former of which has more impressive power. To solder the controller board, you should use capacitors and resistors in SMD packages. This will reduce the parameters, as well as make the interior space more optimized.
Instructions for the manufacture of the machine
Once all the components have been selected, you can begin to manufacture the device. All elements are pre-checked, which especially concerns their quality and parameters. Special parts must be used to fasten the knots. Their shape and configuration will depend on the chosen scheme.
The design must necessarily have a rise of the working tool. To do this, use a toothed belt to return rotation. A mandatory element of equipment is a vertical axis. It can be made from aluminum plate. This node is adjusted to the dimensions that were obtained at the design stage and entered into the drawing.
Before you make your own CNC router, you can cast a vertical axis using a muffle plate. Aluminum is an excellent material. Two engines are mounted on the body, which will be located behind the axle. One of them will be responsible for the horizontal, and the other for the vertical movement. Rotation must be transmitted through belts. Once all the elements are in place, the machine must be set to manual control and its operation checked. If deficiencies are identified, you can fix them on the spot.
More about stepper motors
CNC units must be equipped with electric stepper motors. As such a motor, you can use the one that will be borrowed from a dot matrix printer. Usually quite powerful elements are installed in them. Matrix units have steel rods based on durable material. They can also be used in a homemade machine.
If you are wondering how to make a CNC router with your own hands, it is recommended that you first consider the photo. They will let you know how to proceed. The design may include three motors, indicating the need to dismantle two dot matrix printers. It is better if the motors have five control wires, because the functionality of the machine will increase several times. When choosing a stepper motor, you should find out the number of degrees per step and the operating voltage. You should also know the winding resistance. This will allow the software to be properly configured.
Shaft mount
If you decide to make a CNC wood router with your own hands, then you can use a stud or nut of the appropriate size as a drive. It is better to fasten the shaft with a rubber cable with a thick winding. The same approach is relevant when attaching the engine to the stud. You can make clamps from a sleeve with a screw. Nylon is used for this. Helpers-tools in this case are a file and a drill.
Machine electronics
The main element of the described equipment is software. You can use a homemade one that will provide all the drivers for the controllers. The provision must have power supply units and stepper motors. If you are faced with the task of how to assemble a CNC router with your own hands, you must take care of the presence of an LPT port. You will also need a work program that provides control and management of the necessary modes of operation.
The CNC unit itself is connected to the equipment through the port and installed motors. When choosing software for a machine tool, it is necessary to bet on one that has already proven its stable operation and functionality. Electronics will affect the quality and accuracy of the operations performed. After installing it, you should download programs and drivers.
Do it yourself using the same technology. However, it will only handle thin workpieces. Before operating the device, it is necessary to check the operation of the electronic software and eliminate the shortcomings.
Instead of a conclusion: features of manufacturing a machine from drilling equipment
Before starting work on the manufacture of a CNC router with your own hands, you need to step by step review the instructions. It may involve the use of one or another concept, on the basis of which the mini-equipment will work. A drilling machine sometimes acts as such, in which the working head is replaced by a milling head.
The most difficult thing is that you have to design a mechanism that provides movement in 3 planes. This mechanism is usually assembled on the basis of the same carriages from a non-working printer.
Software control is connected to the device. It will be possible to work with such a device with blanks made of sheet metal, wood or plastic. This is because the carriages from an old printer that move the cutting tool will not be able to guarantee a sufficient degree of rigidity.
The article describes a homemade CNC machine. The main advantage of this version of the machine is a simple method of connecting stepper motors to a computer via the LPT port.
Mechanical
Bed The bed of our machine is made of plastic 11-12 mm thick. The material is not critical, you can use aluminum, organic glass plywood and any other available material. The main parts of the frame are attached using self-tapping screws, if desired, you can additionally decorate the attachment points with glue, if you use wood, you can use PVA glue.
Calipers and guides As guides, steel bars with a diameter of 12mm, length 200mm (on the Z axis 90mm), two pieces per axis, were used. Calipers are made of textolite with dimensions 25X100X45. The textolite has three through holes, two of them for guides and one for a nut. The guide parts are fixed with M6 screws. Supports X and Y in the upper part have 4 threaded holes for fixing the table and the Z-axis assembly.
Caliper Z The guides of the Z axis are attached to the caliper X through a steel plate, which is a transitional one, the dimensions of the plate are 45x100x4.
Stepper motors are mounted on fasteners, which can be made of sheet steel with a thickness of 2-3mm. The screw must be connected to the axis of the stepper motor using a flexible shaft, which can be used as a rubber hose. When using a rigid shaft, the system will not work accurately. The nut is made of brass, which is glued into the caliper.
Assembly Assembling a homemade CNC machine is carried out in the following sequence:
- First you need to install all the guide components in the calipers and screw them to the sidewalls, which were not initially installed on the base.
- We move the caliper along the guides until we achieve a smooth ride.
- We tighten the bolts, fixing the guide parts.
- We attach a caliper, a guide assembly and a sidewall to the base, we use self-tapping screws for fastening.
- We assemble the Z assembly and, together with the adapter plate, attach it to the X caliper.
- Next, install the lead screws along with the couplings.
- We install stepper motors, connecting the motor rotor and the screw with a coupling. We pay strict attention to the fact that the lead screws rotate smoothly.
Recommendations for assembling the machine: Nuts can also be made of cast iron, you should not use other materials, screws can be bought at any hardware store and cut to fit your needs. When using screws with M6x1 thread, the length of the nut will be 10 mm.
Machine drawings.rar
We turn to the second part of the assembly of the CNC machine with our own hands, namely to electronics.
Electronics
Power supply unit A 12V 3A unit was used as a power source. The unit is designed to power stepper motors. Another voltage source at 5V and with a current of 0.3A was used to power the controller microcircuits. The power supply depends on the power of the stepper motors.
We present the calculation of the power supply. The calculation is simple - 3x2x1 \u003d 6A, where 3 is the number of stepper motors used, 2 is the number of powered windings, 1 is the current in Amperes.
Control Controller The control controller was assembled on only 3 chips of the 555TM7 series. The controller does not require firmware and has a fairly simple circuit diagram, thanks to this, this CNC machine can be made by a person who is not particularly versed in electronics.
Description and pin assignment of the LPT port connector.
| Pin. | Name | Direction | Description |
| 1 | STROBE | input and output | Set by PC after completion of each data transfer |
| 2..9 | DO-D7 | output | Output |
| 10 | ASK | input | Set to "0" by an external device after receiving a byte |
| 11 | BUSY | input | The device indicates that it is busy by setting this line to "1" |
| 12 | paper out | input | For printers |
| 13 | Select | input | The device indicates that it is ready by setting this line to "1" |
| 14 | Autofeed | ||
| 15 | error | input | Indicates an error |
| 16 | Initialize | input and output | |
| 17 | Select In | input and output | |
| 18..25 | Ground GND | GND | common wire |
For the experiment, a stepper motor from an old 5.25-inch was used. In the scheme, 7 bits are not used. 3 engines used. You can hang a key on it to turn on the main engine (cutter or drill).
Driver for stepper motors To control a stepper motor, a driver is used, which is an amplifier with 4 channels. The design is implemented on only 4 transistors of the KT917 type.
You can also use serial microcircuits, for example - ULN 2004 (9 keys) with a current of 0.5-0.6A.
The vri-cnc program is used for control. A detailed description and instructions for using the program can be found on the official website.
Having assembled this CNC machine with your own hands, you will become the owner of a machine capable of machining (drilling, milling) plastics. Steel engraving. Also, a home-made CNC machine can be used as a plotter, you can draw and drill printed circuit boards on it.
Based on materials from the site: vri-cnc.ru
all-he.ru
Cnc do-it-yourself drawings
Knowing that a CNC milling machine is a complex technical and electronic device, many craftsmen think that it is simply impossible to make it with their own hands. However, this opinion is erroneous: it is possible to make such equipment on your own, but for this you need to have not only its detailed drawing, but also a set of necessary tools and relevant components.
Processing of duralumin blanks on a homemade desktop milling machine
When deciding to make a homemade CNC milling machine, keep in mind that this can take a significant amount of time. In addition, certain financial costs will be required. However, not being afraid of such difficulties and having the right approach to solving all issues, you can become the owner of affordable, efficient and productive equipment that allows you to process workpieces from various materials with a high degree of accuracy.
To make a milling machine equipped with a CNC system, you can use two options: buy a ready-made kit, from which such equipment is assembled from specially selected elements, or find all the components and assemble a device with your own hands that fully meets all your requirements.
Instructions for assembling a homemade CNC milling machine
Below in the photo you can see a self-made CNC milling machine, which is accompanied by detailed instructions for manufacturing and assembly, indicating the materials and components used, accurate “patterns” of machine parts and approximate costs. The only negative is the instruction in English, but it is quite possible to understand the detailed drawings even without knowing the language.
Free download instructions for the manufacture of the machine: Homemade CNC milling machine
The CNC milling machine is assembled and ready to go. Below are some illustrations from the assembly instructions for this machine.
"Patterns" of machine parts (reduced view) Beginning of machine assembly Intermediate stage Final assembly stage
Preparatory work
If you decide that you will design a CNC machine with your own hands without using a ready-made kit, then the first thing you will need to do is to opt for the concept on which such mini-equipment will work.
Scheme of a CNC milling machine
The basis of CNC milling equipment can be taken from an old drilling machine, in which the working head with a drill is replaced with a milling head. The most complex thing that will have to be designed in such equipment is a mechanism that ensures the movement of the tool in three independent planes. This mechanism can be assembled on the basis of carriages from a non-working printer; it will ensure the movement of the tool in two planes.
It is easy to connect software control to a device assembled according to such a concept. However, its main drawback is that only workpieces made of plastic, wood and thin sheet metal can be processed on such a CNC machine. This is explained by the fact that the carriages from the old printer, which will ensure the movement of the cutting tool, do not have a sufficient degree of rigidity.
Lightweight version of the CNC milling machine for working with soft materials
In order for your homemade CNC machine to be able to perform full-fledged milling operations with workpieces from various materials, a sufficiently powerful stepper motor must be responsible for moving the working tool. It is not at all necessary to look for a stepper-type engine, it can be made from a conventional electric motor, subjecting the latter to a slight refinement.
The use of a stepper motor in your milling machine will make it possible to avoid the use of a screw drive, and the functionality and performance of home-made equipment will not worsen from this. If you still decide to use carriages from the printer for your mini-machine, then it is advisable to pick them up from a larger model of the printing device. To transfer force to the shaft of milling equipment, it is better to use not ordinary, but toothed belts that will not slip on the pulleys.
Belt drive unit
One of the most important components of any such machine is the milling mechanism. It is its manufacture that needs special attention. To properly make such a mechanism, you will need detailed drawings, which will need to be strictly followed.
CNC milling machine drawings
Drawing No. 1 (side view)
Drawing No. 2 (back view)
Drawing No. 3 (top view)
Let's start assembling the equipment
The basis of home-made CNC milling equipment can be a rectangular beam, which must be securely fixed on the rails.
The supporting structure of the machine must have high rigidity, it is better not to use welded joints during its installation, and all elements must be connected only with screws.
Unit for fastening machine frame parts by means of a bolted connection
This requirement is explained by the fact that the welds are very poorly tolerated by vibration loads, which the supporting structure of the equipment will necessarily be subjected to. Such loads will eventually lead to the fact that the frame of the machine will begin to collapse over time, and changes in geometric dimensions will occur in it, which will affect the accuracy of equipment settings and its performance.
Welds during the installation of the frame of a homemade milling machine often provoke the development of play in its nodes, as well as the deflection of the guides, which occurs under severe loads.
Installation of vertical racks
In the milling machine, which you will assemble with your own hands, a mechanism must be provided to ensure the movement of the working tool in a vertical direction. It is best to use a screw gear for this, the rotation of which will be transmitted using a toothed belt.
An important detail of the milling machine is its vertical axis, which for a homemade device can be made from an aluminum plate. It is very important that the dimensions of this axis are precisely adjusted to the dimensions of the device being assembled. If you have a muffle furnace at your disposal, then you can make the vertical axis of the machine with your own hands, casting it from aluminum according to the dimensions indicated in the finished drawing.
Top carriage assembly placed on transverse rails
After all the components of your homemade milling machine are prepared, you can begin to assemble it. This process begins with the installation of two stepper motors, which are mounted on the equipment body behind its vertical axis. One of these electric motors will be responsible for moving the milling head in the horizontal plane, and the second - for moving the head, respectively, in the vertical plane. After that, the remaining components and assemblies of home-made equipment are mounted.
The final stage of machine assembly
Rotation to all components of home-made CNC equipment should be transmitted only through belt drives. Before connecting a program control system to the assembled machine, you should check its performance in manual mode and immediately eliminate all identified shortcomings in its operation.
You can watch the process of assembling a milling machine with your own hands on a video that is easy to find on the Internet.
Stepper motors
In the design of any CNC milling machine, there are necessarily stepper motors that provide tool movement in three planes: 3D. When designing a homemade machine for this purpose, you can use electric motors installed in a dot matrix printer. Most older models of dot matrix printers were equipped with electric motors with fairly high power. In addition to stepper motors from an old printer, it is worth taking strong steel rods, which can also be used in the construction of your homemade machine.
Attaching the stepper motor to the top carriage
To make a CNC router with your own hands, you will need three stepper motors. Since there are only two of them in a dot matrix printer, it will be necessary to find and disassemble another old printing device.
It will be a big plus if the engines you find have five control wires: this will significantly increase the functionality of your future mini-machine. It is also important to find out the following parameters of the stepper motors you found: how many degrees it rotates in one step, what is the supply voltage, and also the value of the winding resistance.
You will need a separate controller to connect each stepper motor.
The drive design of a homemade CNC milling machine is assembled from a nut and a stud, the dimensions of which must first be selected according to the drawing of your equipment. To fix the motor shaft and to attach it to the stud, it is convenient to use a thick rubber winding from an electric cable. Elements of your CNC machine, such as clamps, can be made in the form of a nylon sleeve into which a screw is inserted. In order to make such simple structural elements, you will need a regular file and a drill.
Electronic filling of equipment
Your do-it-yourself CNC machine will be controlled by software, and you need to choose the right one. When choosing such software (you can write it yourself), it is important to pay attention to the fact that it is efficient and allows the machine to implement all its functionality. Such software should contain drivers for controllers that will be installed on your mini milling machine.
In a homemade CNC machine, the LPT port is mandatory, through which the electronic control system is connected to the machine. It is very important that this connection is made through the installed stepper motors.
Wiring diagram for unipolar stepper motors for a 3-axis CNC machine (click to enlarge)
When choosing electronic components for your do-it-yourself machine, it is important to pay attention to their quality, since the accuracy of the technological operations that will be performed on it will depend on this. After installing and connecting all the electronic components of the CNC system, you need to download the necessary software and drivers. Only after that, a test run of the machine follows, checking the correct operation of the machine under the control of downloaded programs, identifying shortcomings and promptly eliminating them.
All of the above actions and the listed components are suitable for making a milling machine with your own hands, not only for a coordinate boring group, but also for a number of other types. On such equipment, it is possible to process parts with a complex configuration, since the working body of the machine can move in three planes: 3d.
Your desire to assemble such a CNC-controlled machine with your own hands must be supported by the presence of certain skills and detailed drawings. It is also highly desirable to watch a number of thematic training videos, some of which are presented in this article.
Home › Equipment for metal processing › Milling machines
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DIY CNC machine / DIY / Collective blog
Today, the CNC machine has a wide range of applications. Among the main operations performed on it, one can note the manufacture of furniture, stone processing, repair, construction work, etc.
A CNC machine made in an industrial environment is a rather expensive pleasure. But it turns out that the mechanism is complex at first glance, it is very simple and affordable to make at home with your own hands.
For the first experience, it is best to opt for a machine with a moving portal. This is due to the fact that it perfectly combines simplicity and functionality.
For the manufacture of the main parts of the machine, we take MDF boards. This material is a fine dispersed fraction, which is pressed under high pressure and temperature into one plate. The main characteristics of MDF include high density. Therefore, they are great for making CNC machines with your own hands. On MDF equipment, it is possible to process plastic, wood, engrave, but metal parts cannot be processed with high accuracy. This is due to the low resistance of this material to loads.
To begin with, we will print the drawing of our machine on a printer. Then the resulting templates can be glued to the MDF. It is much easier and more convenient to cut out the details of the future machine.
The fittings that will be used in the assembly can be purchased at any hardware or hardware store.
In addition to accessories for the manufacture of the machine, the following tools will be required: a drill, a screwdriver and a hacksaw. If you have a jigsaw, then it is better to use it. This will greatly simplify the process of cutting out parts.
We proceed to the manufacture of the machine. To do this, we paste the drawings of the parts printed on the printer onto the MDF board using an adhesive stick for paper. When choosing it in the store, opt for the thickest one. This will significantly speed up the process of gluing templates.
Now you can do the direct sawing of blanks. In this model, all parts have almost straight lines and the most simple contours.
After all the templates are cut out, we proceed to drilling the holes. It should be noted that many of them have a large diameter. Therefore, in order for the surface of these holes to be neat and smooth, it is better to use crowns or grinding nozzles. Thus, you will be able to accurately bore holes to the desired diameter.
Now you can start assembling the CNC machine according to the drawings we have.
Since we plan to use the machine at home, it is imperative to install a fence. This will avoid the scattering of dust and dirt from the workpieces.
For these purposes, you can use foam, fiberglass, thin plywood, etc. Don't forget to make a small hole in the fence.
Through it it will be possible to connect the hood from the old vacuum cleaner. This will ensure maximum trapping of dust and chips. The opposite effect of using such a "dirt trap" is a lot of noise.
The next important step in assembling a CNC machine with your own hands is electronics. After all, it is important, because. with its help, the management process takes place.
In this case, two solutions can be used. The first of them is to assemble the necessary controller circuit on your own, having bought all the necessary parts.
The second way is easier - buy a ready-made controller in a store or on the radio market. Which of the proposed paths to choose is up to you. If you are not very versed in radio engineering and decide to buy a finished part, then it is recommended to opt for the TV6560.
The choice of this element is evidenced by its ability to select the necessary power depending on the stepper motors used, the presence of protection against overload and overheating, the use of many software, etc.
If you will make the controller yourself, an old scanner or MFP is perfect. A ULN2003 chip, steel rods and a stepper motor are selected from it. In addition, you will need a DB-25 connector with a wire, a socket for powering the controller itself. If you want to have a computer control of your machine, then you will need a computer to which you will connect the received equipment.
To create a controller, we take any board we have. We carefully solder the ULN2003 chip onto it with a soldering iron. In this case, do not forget about polarity.
The above diagram shows that there are two power rails. Therefore, we solder the output of the microcircuit with a negative sign to one, and with a positive sign to the other. After that, we connect pin 2 of the parallel port connector to pin 1 of the ULN2003. To pin 2 of the ULN2003 we attach pin 3 of the connector. Accordingly, we will connect the output of the ULN2003 4 circuit to the 5th output of the connector, etc. But the zero pin with the 25th pin of the parallel port, we solder to the negative bus.
The next step is soldering the stepper motor to the control device. It can be done correctly only by trial and error, because. most often there is no documentation for the output of the electric motor you have. Therefore, it is recommended to equip the motor wires with crocodile clips. Thus, the process will go faster and easier.
Our next step is to connect the wires to pins 13,14,15,16 of the ULN2003 chip. Now we will solder the wires to the power bus with a plus sign. Finally, install the power socket.
Our controller is almost ready. Now we install it on steel rods and fix it in the nests prepared earlier. In order to prevent breakage of wires during operation, it is better to fix them with hot glue.
44kw.com
Drawing homemade CNC machine
You can download a drawing of a homemade CNC machine using the links at the end of the article.
The archive offered for download contains a drawing of a CNC machine for do-it-yourself assembly.
This is a fairly common type of CNC machine with a moving portal.
This drawing differs primarily in that not only is the detailing given - when each part of the machine is drawn separately and has dimensions, but also the assembly drawings of each of the nodes are given.
A CNC machine according to such a drawing can be made from almost any material. It can be duralumin plates and plywood. You can also use durable plastic or plexiglass in the design of a homemade CNC machine.
The drawings are in DXF vector format and can be scaled to any size.
In the simplest case, you can take engines from dot-matrix printers such as Epson FX1000 in A3 format, and take steel guides along with a sliding unit from the same printer.
As a lead screw in the budget version of a home-made CNC machine, a stud with an M6 or M8 thread is used. It is better to order running nuts to a turner and turn them from bronze. A bronze nut can "walk" for 5-7 years with daily use of the CNC machine for 8-10 hours.
Lead screws are consumables, and lead nuts can serve more than one home-made machine.
However, I have read more than once about how they used running nuts made of plastic or getinax.
A homemade CNC machine made from improvised means will allow you to process wood, plastics and non-ferrous metals.
For the processing of metals and steel, such a machine becomes unsuitable due to the weak rigidity of the structure.
However, it can be used for engraving or as a CNC-controlled drilling machine for metals.
But here's how milling - unlikely. When milling metals, shock loads occur - for example, when milling one groove, another groove meets and then a mechanical shock occurs, which is transmitted to the machine structure and the lead screw.
For home work, such as milling balsa model aircraft kits, this machine will easily justify the cost of making it!
You can download drawings of a homemade CNC machine here: Depositfiles or from our website
Homemade CNC machine
A set with which you can assemble your CNC milling machine.
Ready-made machine tools are sold in China, a review of one of them has already been published on Muska. We will assemble the machine ourselves. Welcome…
UPD: file links
I will still give a link to a review of the finished machine from AndyBig. I will not repeat myself, I will not quote his text, we will write everything from scratch. The title only lists a set with engines and a driver, there will be more parts, I'll try to give links to everything.
And this ... I apologize in advance to the readers, I did not specifically take photos in the process, because. at that moment I was not going to do a review, but I will raise a maximum of photos of the process and try to give a detailed description of all the nodes.
The purpose of the review is not so much to brag as to show the opportunity to make an assistant for yourself. I hope this review will give someone an idea, and it is possible not only to repeat, but also to make it even better. Go…
How the idea was born:
It so happened that I have been associated with drawings for a long time. Those. my professional activity is closely connected with them. But it's one thing when you make a drawing, and then completely different people bring the design object to life, and it's quite another when you bring the design object to life yourself. And if with building things I seem to be doing okay, then with modeling and other applied arts, not really.
So for a long time there was a dream from an image drawn in AutoCAD, to make a wedge - and it is in kind in front of you, you can use it. This idea slipped from time to time, but could not take shape in anything concrete, until ...
Until I saw REP-RAP three or four years ago. Well, a 3D printer was a very interesting thing, and the idea to assemble it for myself took a long time to take shape, I collected information about different models, about the pros and cons of different options. At one point, by clicking on one of the links, I got to a forum where people were sitting and discussing not 3D printers, but CNC milling machines. And from here, perhaps, the hobby begins its journey.
Instead of theory
In a nutshell about CNC milling machines (I write in my own words intentionally, without copying articles, textbooks and manuals).
A milling machine works exactly the opposite of a 3D printer. In the printer, step by step, layer by layer, the model is built up by fusing polymers, in a milling machine, with the help of a cutter, “everything superfluous” is removed from the workpiece and the required model is obtained.
To operate such a machine, you need the necessary minimum.
1. Base (body) with linear guides and transmission mechanism (can be screw or belt)
2. Spindle (I see someone smiled, but that's what it's called) - the actual engine with a collet into which a working tool is installed - a milling cutter.
3. Stepper motors - motors that allow controlled angular movements.
4. Controller - a control board that transmits voltage to the motors in accordance with the signals received from the control program.
5. Computer with installed control program.
6. Basic drawing skills, patience, desire and good mood.))
The points:
1. Base.
by configuration:
I will divide into 2 types, there are more exotic options, but the main 2:
With movable portal:
Actually, the design I have chosen, it has a base on which guides are fixed along the X axis. A portal moves along the X-axis guides, on which the Y-axis guides are located, and the Z-axis node moving along it.
With static portal
This design represents itself as a body, it is also a portal on which the Y-axis guides are located, and the Z-axis node moving along it, and the X-axis is already moving relative to the portal.
By material:
The case can be made of different materials, the most common are:
- duralumin - has a good ratio of mass, rigidity, but the price (just for a hobby homemade product) is still depressing, although if there are views on the machine for making serious money, then there are no options.
- plywood - good rigidity with sufficient thickness, low weight, the ability to process with anything :), and the price itself, a sheet of plywood 17 is now quite inexpensive.
- steel - often used on machines with a large processing area. Such a machine, of course, must be static (not mobile) and heavy.
- MFD, plexiglass and monolithic polycarbonate, even chipboard - I also saw such options.
As you can see, the design of the machine itself is very similar to both a 3D printer and laser engravers.
I deliberately do not write about the designs of 4, 5 and 6-axis milling machines, because. on the agenda is a homemade hobby machine.
2. Spindle.
Actually, spindles come with air and water cooling.
Air-cooled are cheaper in the end, because. for them it is not necessary to block an additional water circuit, they work a little louder than water ones. Cooling is provided by a rear-mounted impeller, which at high speeds creates a noticeable air flow that cools the motor housing. The more powerful the engine, the more serious the cooling and the greater the air flow, which may well inflate in all directions
dust (shavings, sawdust) of the workpiece.
Water cooled. Such a spindle works almost silently, but in the end, anyway, the difference between them in the process of work cannot be heard, since the sound of the material being processed by the cutter will block it. There is no draft from the impeller, in this case, of course, but there is an additional hydraulic circuit. In such a circuit, there must be pipelines, a pump for pumping liquid, as well as a place for cooling (radiator with airflow). Usually not water is poured into this circuit, but either TOSOL or Ethylene glycol.
There are also spindles of various capacities, and if low-power ones can be connected directly to the control board, then motors with a power of 1 kW or more must be connected through the control unit, but this is not about us.))
Yes, often in home-made machines they install direct grinders, or milling cutters with a removable base. Such a decision can be justified, especially when performing work of a short duration.
In my case, a 300W air-cooled spindle was chosen.
3. Stepper motors.
The most widely used motors are 3 sizes
NEMA17, NEMA23, NEMA 32
they differ in size, power and working moment
NEMA17 are usually used in 3D printers, they are too small for a milling machine, because. you have to carry a heavy portal, to which a lateral load is additionally applied during processing.
NEMA32 for such a craft is unnecessary, besides, you would have to take another control board.
my choice fell on NEMA23 with a maximum power for this board - 3A.
Also, people use steppers from printers, but since. I didn’t have them either and still had to buy, I chose everything in the kit.
4. Controller
A control board that receives signals from the computer and transmits voltage to stepper motors that move the axes of the machine.
5. Computer
You need a separate computer (possibly very old) and there are, perhaps, two reasons for this:
1. It is unlikely that you will decide to place a milling machine near the place where you are used to reading the Internet, playing toys, keeping accounts, etc. Simply because the milling machine is loud and dusty. Usually the machine is either in the workshop or in the garage (better heated). My machine is in the garage, it is mostly idle in winter, because. no heating.
2. For economic reasons, computers are usually used that are no longer relevant for home life - heavily used :)
Requirements for the car by and large about nothing:
- from Pentium 4
- the presence of a discrete video card
- RAM from 512MB
- the presence of an LPT connector (I won’t say anything about USB, I haven’t studied the news yet because of the driver that works on LPT)
such a computer is either taken from the pantry, or, as in my case, is bought for next to nothing.
Due to the low power of the machine, we try not to install additional software, i. only the axis and the control program.
Next are two options:
- install windows XP (it's a weak computer, remember right?) and the MATCH3 control program (there are others, but this is the most popular)
- we put niks and Linux CNC (they say that everything is also very good, but I didn’t master niks)
I will add, perhaps, in order not to offend overly wealthy people, that it is quite possible to put not a fourth stump, but some kind of ai7 - please, if you like it and can afford it.
6. Basic drawing skills, patience, desire and good mood.
Here in a nutshell.
To operate the machine, you need a control program (essentially a text file containing the coordinates of movements, movement speed and acceleration), which in turn is prepared in a CAM application - usually ArtCam, in this application the model itself is prepared, its dimensions are set, and a cutting tool is selected.
I usually take a slightly longer route, make a drawing, and then AutoCad, saving it *.dxf, upload it to ArtCam and prepare the UE there.
Well, let's start the process of creating your own.
Before designing a machine, we take several points as starting points:
- Axle shafts will be made of construction studs with M10 thread. Of course, there are undoubtedly more technological options: a shaft with a trapezoidal thread, a ball screw (ball screw), but you need to understand that the price of the issue leaves much to be desired, and for a hobby machine, the price is generally space. However, over time, I'm going to upgrade and replace the hairpin with a trapezoid.
- The material of the machine body is 16mm plywood. Why plywood? Available, cheap, cheerful. There are actually many options, someone makes from duralumin, someone from plexiglass. I prefer plywood.
Making a 3D model: 
Reamer: 
Then I did this, there was no picture left, but I think it will be clear. I printed out a scan on transparent sheets, cut them out and pasted them onto a sheet of plywood.
Sawed pieces and drilled holes. Of the tools - a jigsaw and a screwdriver.
There is one more little trick that will make life easier in the future: before drilling holes, squeeze all paired parts with a clamp and drill through, so you get holes that are equally located on each part. Even if a slight deviation occurs during drilling, the internal parts of the connected parts will match, and the hole can be reamed a little.
In parallel, we make a specification and start ordering everything.
what happened to me:
1. The set specified in this review includes: stepper motor control board (driver), NEMA23 stepper motors - 3 pcs., 12V power supply, LPT cord and cooler.
2. Spindle (this is the simplest, but nevertheless does its job), fasteners and a 12V power supply.
3. Used computer Pentium 4, most importantly, the motherboard has LPT and a discrete video card + CRT monitor. I took it to Avito for 1000 rubles.
4. Steel shaft: Ф20mm - L=500mm - 2pcs, Ф16mm - L=500mm - 2pcs, Ф12mm - L=300mm - 2pcs.
I took it here, at that time in St. Petersburg it turned out to be more expensive to take. Came within 2 weeks.
5. Linear bearings: f20 - 4 pcs., f16 - 4 pcs., f12 - 4 pcs.
20
16
12
6. Fastenings for shafts: f20 - 4 pcs., f16 - 4 pcs., f12 - 2 pcs.
20
16
12
7. Caprolon nuts with M10 thread - 3 pcs.
I took along with the shafts on duxe.ru
8. Rotation bearings, closed - 6 pcs.
In the same place, but the Chinese also have a lot of them
9. PVA wire 4x2.5
it's offline
10. Cogs, dowels, nuts, clamps - a bunch.
This is also offline, in hardware.
11. A set of cutters was also bought
So, we order, wait, cut and collect. 
Initially, the driver and power supply for it were installed in the case with the computer together. 
Later it was decided to place the driver in a separate case, it just appeared. 
Well, the old monitor somehow changed to a more modern one. 
As I said at the beginning, I never thought that I would write a review, so I am attaching photos of the nodes, and I will try to explain the assembly process.
First, we assemble three axles without screws in order to align the shafts as accurately as possible.
We take the front and rear walls of the housing, fasten the flanges for the shafts. We string 2 linear bearings on the X axis and insert them into the flanges. 
We fasten the bottom of the portal to the linear bearings, we try to roll the base of the portal back and forth. We are convinced of the curvature of our hands, we disassemble everything and drill holes a little.
Thus, we get some freedom of movement of the shafts. Now we bait the flanges, insert the shafts into them and move the base of the portal back and forth to achieve a smooth glide. We tighten the flanges.
At this stage, it is necessary to check the horizontalness of the shafts, as well as their alignment along the Z axis (in short, so that the distance from the assembly table to the shafts is the same) so as not to fill up the future work plane later.
We figured out the X axis.
We fasten the portal racks to the base, for this I used furniture barrels. 
Fasten the flanges for the Y axis to the uprights, this time from the outside: 
We insert shafts with linear bearings.
We fix the back wall of the Z axis.
We repeat the process of adjusting the parallelism of the shafts and fix the flanges.
We repeat the same process with the Z axis.
We get a rather funny design that can be moved with one hand along three coordinates.
An important point: all axes should move easily, i.e. slightly tilting the structure, the portal itself should move freely, without any squeaks and resistance.
Next, attach the lead screws.
We cut off the M10 construction stud of the required length, screw the caprolon nut approximately in the middle, and 2 M10 nuts on each side. It is convenient for this, after tightening the nuts a little, clamp the stud into the screwdriver and, holding the nuts, tighten.
We insert the bearings into the sockets and push the studs into them from the inside. After that, we fix the studs to the bearing with nuts on each side and counter with the second so that they do not come loose.
We fasten the caprolon nut to the base of the axle.
We clamp the end of the stud into the screwdriver and try to move the axis from start to finish and return.
Here we have a couple more joys waiting for us:
1. The distance from the axis of the nut to the base in the center (and most likely at the time of assembly the base will be in the middle) may not coincide with the distance in the extreme positions, because shafts under the weight of the structure can bend. I had to put cardboard along the X axis.
2. Shaft travel can be very tight. If you have eliminated all distortions, then tension can play a role, here it is necessary to catch the moment of tension of fixing with nuts to the installed bearing.
Having dealt with the problems and having received free rotation from start to finish, we proceed to install the remaining screws.
We attach stepper motors to the screws:
In general, when using special screws, whether it be a trapezoid or a ball screw, the ends are processed on them and then the connection to the engine is very conveniently made with a special coupling. 
But we have a construction stud and had to think about how to fix it. At that moment, I came across a cut of a gas pipe, and applied it. It directly “winds” onto the hairpin on the engine, enters the grinding, tightened it with clamps - it holds very well. 
To fix the engines, I took an aluminum tube and cut it. Adjusted with washers.
To connect the engines, I took the following connectors: 
Sorry, I don’t remember what they are called, I hope someone in the comments will tell you.
GX16-4 connector (thanks Jager). I asked a colleague to buy in an electronics store, he just lives nearby, but it turned out to be very inconvenient for me to get there. I am very pleased with them: they hold them securely, they are designed for a higher current, you can always disconnect them.
We put the working field, it is also a sacrificial table.
We connect all the motors to the control board from the review, connect it to a 12V PSU, connect to the computer with an LPT cable.
Install MACH3 on PC, make settings and try!
About the setting separately, perhaps, I will not write. It could go on for a couple more pages.
I have a whole joy, the video of the first launch of the machine has been preserved:
Yes, when this video was moving along the X axis, there was a terrible bounce, unfortunately I don’t remember exactly, but in the end I found either the washer dangling, or something else, in general, it was solved without problems.
Next, you need to put the spindle, while ensuring its perpendicularity (simultaneously in X and Y) to the working plane. The essence of the procedure is this, we attach a pencil to the spindle with electrical tape, thus indenting from the axis is obtained. With a smooth lowering of the pencil, he begins to draw a circle on the board. If the spindle is littered, then it turns out not a circle, but an arc. Accordingly, it is necessary to achieve alignment by drawing a circle. A photo from the process has been preserved, the pencil is out of focus, and the angle is not the same, but I think the essence is clear: 
We find a finished model (in my case, the coat of arms of the Russian Federation), prepare the UE, feed it to MACH and go!
Machine operation:
photo in progress:
Well, of course we go through the initiation))
The situation is both funny and generally understandable. We dream of building a machine and immediately sawing something super cool, but in the end we understand that this time will just take a lot of time.
In a nutshell:
With 2D processing (simply sawing out), a contour is set, which is cut out in several passes.
With 3D processing (here you can immerse yourself in a holivar, some argue that this is not 3D but 2.5D, since the workpiece is processed only from above), a complex surface is set. And the higher the accuracy of the desired result, the thinner the cutter is used, the more passes of this cutter are needed.
To speed up the process, roughing is used. Those. first, the main volume is sampled with a large cutter, then finishing with a thin cutter is started.
Next, we try, set up, experiment, etc. The 10000 hour rule works here too ;)
Perhaps I will no longer bore you with a story about the construction, tuning, etc. It's time to show the results of using the machine - the product. 
As you can see, these are mostly sawn contours or 2D processing. It takes a lot of time to process three-dimensional figures, the machine is in the garage, and I stop by there for a short time.
Here they will rightly notice me - but on ... to build such a bandura, if you can cut a figure with a U-shaped jigsaw or an electric jigsaw?
It is possible, but this is not our method. As you remember, at the beginning of the text, I wrote that it was the idea to make a drawing on a computer and turn this drawing into a product that prompted the creation of this beast.
Writing a review finally pushed me to upgrade the machine. Those. the upgrade was planned earlier, but "hands did not reach." The last change before this was the organization of the house for the machine: 
Thus, in the garage, when the machine is running, it has become much quieter and much less dust flies.
The last upgrade was the installation of a new spindle, more precisely, now I have two interchangeable bases:
1. With Chinese 300W spindle for fine work: 
2. With a domestic, but no less Chinese milling cutter "Enkor" ... 
With the new router came new possibilities.
Faster processing, more dust.
Here is the result of using a semi-circular groove cutter: 
Well, especially for MYSKU
Simple straight groove cutter: 
Process video:
On this I will curtail, but according to the rules it would be necessary to take stock.
Minuses:
- Expensive.
- For a long time.
- From time to time you have to solve new problems (they turned off the light, pickups, something unraveled, etc.)
Pros:
- The process of creation. Only this already justifies the creation of the machine. The search for solutions to emerging problems and implementation is what, instead of sitting on your butt, you get up and go to do something.
- Joy at the moment of giving gifts made with your own hands. Here it must be added that the machine does not do all the work itself :) in addition to milling, it is still necessary to process it, sand it, paint it, etc.
Thank you very much if you are still reading. I hope that my post, even if it does not incite you to create such (or another) machine, will broaden your horizons and give food for thought. I also want to say thank you to those who persuaded me to write this opus, without it I didn’t have an upgrade, apparently, so everything is in the black.
I apologize for the inaccuracies in the wording and any lyrical digressions. Much had to be cut, otherwise the text would have turned out to be simply immense. Clarifications and additions are naturally possible, write in the comments - I will try to answer everyone.
Good luck in your endeavors!
Promised file links:
- machine drawing,
- sweep,
format is dxf. This means that you can open the file with any vector editor.
The 3D model is detailed by 85-90 percent, I did many things, either at the time of preparing the scan, or in place. Please understand and forgive.)