Project Bootstrap – (Yet another xD) DIY 3 Axis CNC

Project Bootstrap is OCFreaks’ 2nd Official Project which is – a Homemade DIY CNC Routing and Milling Machine.

For those guys who are new to CNC and related stuff lemme give you a formal introduction to ‘CNC Machine’ :

Link to CNC on wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerical_control

It all started when I entered into Robotics & Embedded – Somewhere around in late 2009. Back then I was working on a Hexapod Robot project. I had made a new design for my hexapod and then was faced with a challenge. How do I cut the design ? I had to do it manually or get it fabricated. Pro fabricators wont accept such sample quantity jobs. So I had to manually cut the parts for my hexapod .. Damn! During that time a random thought came in my mind – Why not make a CNC router and cut parts for robotics projects at home? I was like .. hmmmmm .. but making a CNC is tough ask. For months I was still like .. hmmmmm .. can I make it? can I really make it? Finally in April 2012 somewhere around my birthday I decided – Enough of this ‘can I make it? crap’ , Lets start freaking buildin’ it. After my exams in June 2012 I started researching on DIY CNCs seriously .. I mean damn seriously .. endlessly going through CNC related stuff for hours n hours n hours. My CNC story starts from here! My CNC project is divided into Intervals – each interval has its own story to say.

Here is Quick Video of Interval 6 : Here I’ve used the CNC to engrave text on PCB Copper Clads:

So .. What next in pipeline? : 2nd Version of the current CNC and a 3D-Printer!

The CNC Build in a Nutshell(sort-of)

6mm Thick Wooden Plates cut as per Design:

Drilled Sandwiched plates with effective thickness of 12mm:

Base aluminum frame:

Anti-backlash Lead Nuts , Regular ball-Bearings , Thrust Bearings & Couplings , Shaft and Lead Screw end support blocks:

Cut & Drilled Aluminum Angles of thickness 2mm:

Open and Closed type Linear Motion Bearings for Linear Motion:

Nema-23 18.9Kgcm Stepper Motors:

20mm Shafts , M10x1.5 Mild-steel & Stainless-steel Lead Screws:

Fasteners:

1st Prototype of Opto-Isolated Parallel Breakout Board – Sadly this prototype failed and didn’t make it ): [2nd Prototype in Progress (:]

2nd Prototype of DRV8825 based stepper motor driver – This too didn’t make it since it had a few bugs ): [3rd Prototype in Progress (:]

5mm Thick Aluminum Angles for reinforcement:

Anti-backlash Lead Nut Housing:

Lead Nut where it should be: When the Lead Screw rotates the Lead Nut moves back-n-forth i.e it converts the rotational motion of stepper motors into linear motion.

X-axis Base on which Z-axis base is mounted:

Y-axis Base:

Z-axis Base :

Z-axis Lead Screw Assembly:

Thrust Bearings to secure Lead Screws in place:

Z-axis Assembly:

Z-axis Stepper Motor:

Y-axis Stepper Motor:

X-axis Stepper Motor:

Y-axis Limit/Home Switches:

X-axis Limit/Home Switches:

Z-axis Limit/Home Switches:

CNC Base assembly:

The Gantry:

CNC almost complete! :

CNC on Wheels! :

The final setup for Test Runs:

Test Print(after calibration) Result:

And its Made in India. (:

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DIY CNC Interval 1: Inception

I had originally thought(not planned) of building a CNC Machine back in 2011 .. but then it was just in my head since I was noob in mechanical stuff. Frankly speaking at that time I didnt even knew what is a lead screw , linear bearing , coupling , etc.. which form the basic building blocks of a DIY CNC. It was around in March 2012 that I finally decided to make one(along with quadcopter xD) and had the commitment. I researched a lot online for weeks to get myself comfortable with the mechanics of CNC Machine and related calculations. Had gone through a big number CNC Designs and finally made a rough blue-print of a CNC which I am gonna build. At the moment I’ve still not decided that which kind of Aluminum Extrusion will be used for making the frame.

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