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WorkBee CNC Machine

Discussion in 'CNC Mills/Routers' started by Ryan Lock, Sep 21, 2017.

  1. GrayUK

    GrayUK Openbuilds Team Elder
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    I had seen them before, but never relised that was what they were called. :)
    However, as unique and useful as they are, I really can't see why the good old fashioned clamps would not do the job perfectly well, without genarating the problem of clearance. :thumbsup:
    Gray
     
  2. Cloudbase Engineering

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    Oh Cool... Yes the car ones are lower profile and could work, but I need to use clecos to match the rivet sizes so can upsize the hole for another clamping method. They make low profile clecos.

    What are you building? I bought the rights to the Raceair Skylite and Lill Bitts and I plan to begin tooling up to Kit the Skylite and want the CNC to help with development. Once sorted out I would likely have kits water jet cut. Myself and a few other guys in EAA club finished an all plans built Cygnet SF-2a and its been flying since March last year. I am also about half way done on a build of a Zigolo MG-12 and the Skylite will be the next project....
     
  3. Scotty Orr

    Scotty Orr Journeyman
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    It was a plans-built "Poorboy" LSA (single-seat pusher - too heavy for Part 103). Unfortunately, it's at that 90% done, 90% to go stage - for a few years now....
     
  4. CNCKitCompany

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    Very cool, I didn't know what Clecos are. Thank you for sharing that video.
     
  5. halfshavedyaks

    halfshavedyaks Well-Known
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    Can anyone give me an idea about spindle weight and how it affects speed and acceleration on a screw driven workbee?

    I'm deciding between a approx 1.5kg router like the makita and a 2.6kg- 3kg 800w spindle. How much weight is too much? I realise there is no hard limit but at what point do you have to slow way down or otherwise limit performance?

    Is the difference between 1.5kg and 2.5kg enough that you'd have to slow down?

    Is there a sweet spot between power, weight and noise?
     
  6. halfshavedyaks

    halfshavedyaks Well-Known
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    Incredibly basic question - on a workbee that isn't square (ie 1000x750) which is the longer axis?

    I think I saw pics showing the Y axis being longer but I haven't seen anything conclusive.

    Would be a good thing to add to the description on ooznest.
     
  7. Cloudbase Engineering

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    I plan to get myself set up for one of these routers so thank you for all the previous answers. However, I need a bit more y axis travel. Could a 1500mm x 3000mm machine be made by joining extrusions and longer belts? Or perhaps 1000mm x 2000mm? If so how would I request to have the longer tubes or extra tubes added? Seems even if I buy through a local distributor, they contact you anyhow. Or I just buy direct from you...
     
  8. Yellers

    Yellers New
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    I finally ran my first 'proper' Workbee job, making a clamping system. I am using Marius Hornberger's clamping design based on pressure exerted by a lever system. I broke my first bit too which was kinda cool, there was flex in my wasteboard that I think caused it. I'd a bit of cleaning up to do on the belt sander but I think that's down to the quality of the bit and/or my plywood. Delighted with how it went, was weirdly nervous before running it but it worked out well! Next project is a dust shoe
     

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  9. andreis

    andreis New
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    I finally have my 1000x1000 Workbee screw driven machine ready and trying to understand couple of things:

    1. On Workbee Full Kit Assembly Manual, 4.1.1 X & Y Limit Switches, I don't get how far from the end of the extrusions the X-Axis Limit Switch should be... Is the Manual statement correct? "The distance between the Limit-Switch-Plate and the end of the extrusion should be 10mm." It cannot be since the width of the Y axis C-Beam extrusion is 40mm. See pic attached. If I will leave it to 10 mm, the X axis carriage will never hit the switch, right?
    IMG-2272.JPG

    2. Does anybody know the meaning of the leds on XPRO v3 board associate with each step motor... it turns from red to yellow and green ... but could not find the meaning. I definitely have to spend some time on debugging it, however, I need some guidance on LED indicators before getting into more details.

    Thanks,
    Andrei
     
  10. andreis

    andreis New
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    I guess I was answering myself on item (1) . The X axis carriage could travel above the Y axis C-Beam extrusion ... just missed it.
    However, on (2), I am still uncertain.
     
  11. Ryan Lock

    Ryan Lock Veteran
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    Sorry i haven't replied to this thread, must of the missed the notifications.

    @halfshavedyaks I usually recommend going no more than 3kg weight. However i have seen lots of Workbee recently with watercooled spindles working just fine. The first number is always the X Axis, so on a 750x1000mm, the 750 is the X and 1000 the Y.

    @Cloudbase Engineering We do stock the extrusions up to 3m in length. So you can go that big. However we don't offer it as an option, as we have seen it done in the past, and it be quite unstable. Also with the amount of kits we are making now, we have had to stop doing custom sizes :(.

    @Yellers Glad it came out well. Would be great to see them in action.

    @andreis It should be 10mm from the end of the extrusion. It should still hit it fine :) Each colour represents which coil is active.
     
  12. Jacob123

    Jacob123 New
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    I am on the cusp of ordering my first cnc router. I have it narrowed down to the Workbee and the Shapeoko.

    Which is the stronger and more rigid machine? Which would be more accurate?

    I like that the Workbee uses screws, but i have not been able to find any information on the rigidity compared to the Shapeoko.

    Any help is greatly appreciated!!
     
  13. T4Concepts

    T4Concepts Journeyman
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    The rigidity would mostly be based on the overall size of the machine you intend on buying, and on the type of spindle or router used. A water cooled system is not only very expensive but very heavy! I looked at Shapeoko also at first, but went with the WorkBee as I liked the idea of it being highly configurable. As we speak, I'm adding a couple more C-Beam extrusions to the overall design to raise the cutting depth and strengthen it .............. not that it really needs strengthening, as it's solid as a rock ;)


    TURK
     
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  14. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    I would say that the Workbee is far superior to the Shapeoko. More wheels, Workbee has 48 Extreme V-wheels, Shapeoko has 12 delrin wheels. Better extrusions, better base construction, screw instead of belt drive. No comparison, IMHO. Workbee is 4X the machine that the Shapeoko is.

    MG
     
  15. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    Clecos are kind of like a temporary, reuseable pop rivet. You use them to hold 2 pieces of sheet metal together while fitting or drilling, in a hole.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. Jacob123

    Jacob123 New
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    I recently purchased the workbee kit from openbuilds. Can anyone tell me if there is a kit somewhere for all the parts it doesnt include?
     
  17. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    Not really. You need a controller (arduino), stepper drivers DQ542 or equivalent, and a power supply. Everything except the Arduino is available at the OB store. Or, if you want to spend some more money for an improved system, try the Buildbotics controller (Buildbotics Open-Source CNC Controller). There are literally thousands of ways you could go with this. Even an ESS or UCC100 and Mach3, if you wanted. All have stepper drivers and power supply in common. I use Sainsmart stepper drivers and the above power supply and arduino mounted on a panel that fits on the back of the X axis, so no cables and no separate control boxes. Just a power cord and a USB cable.

    upload_2018-6-24_20-18-50.jpeg

    Make sure you run 14Ga ground wires to all moving parts of the machine and base, and put fuses in your power leads to the stepper drivers.

    MG
     
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  18. Jacob123

    Jacob123 New
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    Thanks. Great info. I already have the CNC xPro V3 controller stepper driver. What else do I need to get this thing going?
     
  19. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    I would definitely NOT recommend the Xpro. Anyone who's seen my posts knows I have an extreme prejudice against that particular piece of hardware. Suffice to say IMHO it has no business controlling anything bigger than a NEMA17 motor. Just because you CAN use a particular piece of kit, doesn't mean you SHOULD.

    I already gave you the complete list of what you need. It's all there in the previous post. You can add all kinds of accessories, like limit switches, probe, e-stop, spindle control, etc, but they can be added at any time.

    If you have specific questions, ask away. Perhaps read the blog on my website, 3DTechWorks.ca. It has loads of technical info.

    MG
     
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  20. Jacob123

    Jacob123 New
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    #380 Jacob123, Jun 27, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2018
  21. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    I prefer the Arduino Nano and it's screw terminal shield, its a lot easier to work with than an Arduino UNO. 1/4 the size as well.

    The stepper drivers you show would work fine.

    Stepper driver power should be 16Ga wire with 5A fuses to each driver. Wire each driver individually back to the power supply, do not daisy chain the power. Wiring for the input side of the drivers to the arduino can be 22 or 24 ga, not critical.

    DO NOT connect the motor power supply DC ground to either chassis ground or Arduino ground. The Arduino (and therefore your PC) is isolated from motor power by built in optoisolators in the drivers, don't compromise this. Ground all parts of the machine (X,Y,and Z) axes and main chassis to the AC power ground on the power supply input (14ga wire) and through the AC line cord. This is important for safety, noise immunity, and draining of static charges.

    MG
     

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    #381 Metalguru, Jun 27, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2018
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  22. Jacob123

    Jacob123 New
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  23. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    Yeah, the Nano shown should work ok. Be aware that those kits come unassembled and you have to solder everything to the board.

    PSU might be OK, but you have to be careful with those noname Chinese power supplies. They very rarely have UL approval, and so are not certified to any safety standard. I'd stick with the Mean Well LRS-350-24, it is CSA and UL approved and is only a couple bucks more.

    https://www.amazon.com/Enclosed-LRS...0153564&sr=8-16&keywords=mean+well+LRS-350-24

    MG
     
  24. Jacob123

    Jacob123 New
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    #384 Jacob123, Jun 28, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2018
  25. Giarc

    Giarc OpenBuilds Team
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    I do not know where you are located, but you can get 18 gauge shielded wire at the big box home stores like Lowes. You can buy it by the foot in the store which is nice. I think I paid 24 cents/foot. I used the 18 guage 4 wire for my steppers and it works great. They may also have 16, but I did not see any with 4 wires when I purchased mine. They do have two wire which would work for limit switches, but I do not think it is necessary for a 5 volt signal. But MG knows way more than I do on the subject so I would defer to him.
     
  26. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    Whatever floats your boat. I find that stuff with Prime shipping is always a bit more money than non prime, so the difference in costs are usually a wash. There are dozens of listings for that power supply on Amazon.

    Again, careful with buying wire at the local big box store. Generally all they have is thermostat wire or bell wire which is generally solid core. Definitely not good for constant flexing. I just go to my local electronics outlet, but I'm in Canada, so I can't help much with that. Don't you have the equivalent of an "Electronics Big Box Store" down there? Fry's or something? You could try the usual suspects such as Element 14, Allied, Digikey, Newark, Jameco, etc. There is a multicore wire made for Surround Sound speakers which may be commonly available.

    18ga should be good enough for motors unless you have a really long run. I said 16 ga just for the short wires between the driver and the power supply.

    MG
     
  27. Jacob123

    Jacob123 New
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    Unfortunately my local lowes, HD, and Menards ONLY sell it in 500ft spools. :/
     
  28. Jacob123

    Jacob123 New
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    Ok I have all the electronics ready to go. Just need to buy cable. I found a decent source on ebay, 16 awg is basically the same price so ill just run everything stepper motor related with 16awg.

    Why does it need to be shielded? Just curious.
     
  29. Metalguru

    Metalguru Veteran
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    Doesn't need to be shielded. But you can use shielded wire if you want. Just keeps radiated noise to a minimum. Make sure to only ground the shield to chassis (not DC) and only connect it on one end, not both.

    MG
     
  30. Jacob123

    Jacob123 New
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    Thanks again for all the help MG.

    Would you mind sharing some more details/pictures of your wiring setup? Seems to be very clean looking ..
     

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