Dan's 5x10 PPLLC & CandCNC Build

[Brand X]

With my very low drag z slide/correct spring, I have found absolutely zero need for a sensor setup, Down to the .030 anyway. (Handsaw blades) Most people really never setup refine the z slide to get where is works flawless. (IMO) If the floating head is not tuned, then the sensor is a good option.

[acourtjester]

I have mine wired for the feather touch to Z home and floating head switch to Z limit.
It is rare for the feather touch to not sense the metal but when it does the floating head switch stops to torch from crashing.
just raise up the torch and clean the surface and back up to the last M5 set the next line and go.

[Simko]

I set mine to do the ohmic sense first and if it misses the ohmic sense and triggers the floating head switch, it apples the switch offset automatically and continues with the cut like normal.

If for whatever reason, it misses the z-switch, I have the limit switch in my torch mount to trigger an e-stop.

See the PDF at the link below on how to set this up.

http://candcnc.com/commandcnc/32-bit/0.8.0_features.pdf

[DMoneyAllstar]

Thanks Steve! I like that setup.

[DMoneyAllstar]

Did some more practice cuts with some script font signage. I think I just jumped the gun and started trying to cut stuff before my gantry was ready. Had a simple 1000-line file stop for "axis following" errors on X and Y. I was able to cut the file in 3 starts/stops, but obviously that's not acceptable.

Primary causes:
1. I do not have my gantry bolts/nuts Loctited yet. My bad for getting the itch to cut something.
2. File I'm cutting isn't exactly clean -- more nodes than I'd like to admit.
3. The combination of #1 & #2 is jarring the pinion gear set screws loose on the Y-motors. Another file jarred the set screws on the Z's coupler.

I just need to setup a good playlist, ice down a couple cold ones, and crack open a bottle or two of blue & green loctite. This is a prerequisite to ANYTHING else I do to and on this table.

[acourtjester]

I hope you have flat spots on the shafts where the setscrews touch, and if possible to increase the size of the setscrews for better holding power.
I am not a big fan of loctite on setscrews as if you have the problem again now you have a problem getting the setscrew out to correct the slipping problem. On smaller pulleys I only buy steel not Aluminum so the setscrews don't strip out when you tighten them. Many will disagree but that is what I do.

[Simko]

The computer and controller have no way of knowing that your pulleys or pinion are slipping, nor do they care. You will get crappy cuts with loose pinions, but not following errors.

As I understand it, the x and y axis following errors are from something bogging the computer down to the point that it cannot communicate with the controller as fast as it needs to.

Maybe it is something with the computer, or maybe you hit the nail on the head with the 'more nodes than I would like to admit' comment. Open the file in Inkscape, select the path with too many nodes the goto Path->Simplify

[acourtjester]

The more nodes the more lines of g-code.

[tcaudle]

A lot would depend on how close the nodes in the file are to each other. The trajectory engine looks at the line and has a tolerance it has to hold. If the nodes are not in that tolerance it will buck and snort like a rodeo horse. SheetCAM si pretty good at blending the toolpath but if its ragged the motion will be too. Following errors on a stepper says it can't process the tool path fast enough. Are you running it out of the SSD or the USB thumbdrive?

So smooth up the artwork, run it out of the SSD drive and remove the thumbdrive while running code. If you want to loosen the tracking tolearnce for the toolpath look in the G-Code at the top of the code

G64 P0.010 Q0.001 (tracking tolerances set to 0.01)

You can make it do what MACH does and "cheat" the motion by increasing the P and the Q values.

[DMoneyAllstar]

Good stuff, thank you.

Sheetcam was pulling off the thumbdrive, but the TAP was on the local hard drive. Just the sound the gantry motors were making during the cut made it clear how many little bits of code it was processing.

Been cutting more 11ga & 12ga without any issues. =) Made another sign plus a bunch of small plate work for a sprayer attachment & mount for my zero-turn. It's addicting, lol.

Got my fine cut consumables yesterday, so anxious to those and the ohmic setup for a test run. Tonight is date-night with me and a bottle of blue loctite in the shop, ha.

Also...the Edison is finally coming out to look at my property next week per my request for a 2nd 200A leg & meter for my barn. They've been calling me for 2-3wks but my voice-mail-box was full (duhhhh) and their number was not local so I's ignore it. Having a 2nd meter is perfectly okay, except they charge a commercial min fee of $45/mo. So if I don't use it, I pay at least $45/mo. If I use $48 of electricity, I pay $48 and nothing more. Including the wire, conduit, new panel, meter, meter socket, permit, trencher rental...I'm around $1k. Plus another couple hundred $ to my licensed electrician friend giving me pointers & specs.

[DMoneyAllstar]

Great news...at least for the time being. My electrician took a deeper dive into my shop's wiring and confirmed the incoming wire to the 100A panel to be #3 copper which is correct for 100A. My original fear was based on comparing some aluminum wire tot he copper wire, so I was misleading myself.

All is well. Finally ordering some sheets of material plus have a small front end loader for handling. Game. On.

[DMoneyAllstar]

Some updates...

I added a center spine to the lower level of the table to make sure I can store some sheet inventory. And built a platform atop my hydraulic lift table to transfer material to/from the shelf. Works very well especially when using the mill's large sheets of cardboard in between sheets. I unload my trailer with my compact tractors front-end loader.

A helpful tip: if you have a loader or fork lift that's limited in its lifting power (mine is rated to 550#), you can request your sheets be loaded on separate pallets. I had a 5x10 sheet of 3/16 plate underneath my 3 sheets of 16-14ga all on one pallet. Couldn't lift the pallet off with my tractor, so had to separate (pain in the butt). Next time I will limit each pallet to 400# of weight. Alro Steel here locally doesn't charge extra. They prefer to enable more sales rather than prevent them. =)

CNC work has been going pretty smooth. One thing I learned when doing (specifically) some node-heavy script font cutting on thin sheet (16ga + thinner) is to bump the tracking tolerance on the top of the g-code from .01" to .02". It's artwork and .02" tolerance is PLENTY TIGHT. It pretty much eradicated any axis tracking stoppage on my home-built table.

Lastly...the P&O steel stores SO SO SO SO nicely. No corrosion whatsoever sitting in the open air inside the barn.

[Twisted 1]

Hi Dan. Just seeing this post as I am planning on a diy build in the future. Where did you get the aluminum rails the gantry slides on. Your build looks great and thanks for sharing the process of your build

[DMoneyAllstar]

Hi Dan. Just seeing this post as I am planning on a diy build in the future. Where did you get the aluminum rails the gantry slides on. Your build looks great and thanks for sharing the process of your build

Thanks!

The X/Y aluminum rails with hardened "V", the Z-axis and carriage with magnetic break-away all came from Precision Plasma.

You'd probably have to talk to Ron @ PPLLC to see where he used to get this "T" profile extruded rail with the integrated hardened vee. I bet it's custom-order. BWC & PBC make v-rail you can bolt onto steel tubing or 80/20 extrusions.


Just ran about 40k lines of code on some 16ga & 10ga over the weekend without any issues. Cut quality has been great and improving. Everyday I learn a little more.