Upgraded 3018 Pro using MGN15H Linear Rails and a 500w Spindle

Howdy All, Im loving OB Control since switching to it a couple of days ago and I thought I'd share my design to make the 3018 Pro mini CNC machine actually useful (it mills Aluminium now):

My design (You'll need a couple of 3D printed parts - preferably printed in ABS+) and the build instructions are HERE.

I've also remixed a case for the MKS DLC32 Controller and a Dust Shoe system.

My next step is to replace the 2040 Side rails with 2080 rails to recover the lost Z-height (parts ordered). I may also convert it to a 3040 to get a decent work area (300x180 is quite limiting, 300x320 would be much better).

and here it is in action:



Early version of the "Sucker" dust shoe design - the new version goes to the bottom of the collet.




I also made a relay to control the 100VDC 500W spindle via the DLC32 - I kept the Power switch in the loop as a safety feature. And the best part is I made it on my CNC!

 

Control is definitely my preferred Gcode sender now, it's really great! I needed to re-trim my spoil board and was feeling a bit impatient, so I maxed out the speed at 1,000 mm/min with 0.2 mm DoC and it handled it like a champ!



I think that to go any faster I’ll need to upgrade to ball screws, as the lead screws cause my high torque 42mm stepper motors to skip steps.

I also made a new Probe today using Nikodem's design, and it works really well.

 

I started on the 3040 bed upgrade + Z-height upgrade the other day - I swapped the supplied 2040 Aluminium extrusions for 2080 extrusions to give me the extra Z-height. Now I just need to put it all back together and test it.

 

I decided I was unhappy with the plastic bearing holders, especially seeing as I found several had cracked. So I designed a mount to use aluminum linear bearing blocks that I had left over from another project. The mounts were printed on ABS+.

 

As I have the design all sorted now, including an updated Y-axis Limit Switch trigger, I’ve published it for others to use.

3018 Pro to 3040 Upgrade with Aluminium Mounts and Endstops

 

Basic 3040 spoil board is done! I just need to make my version with m6 inserts now.

And yes i cheated and used two 3018 spoil boards I had left over.

Btw the built surfacing wizard in OB CONTROL is great!

 

cheers, the only bit that isn’t very rigid is the bed (the linear rods will flex downwards a little if you push down on the bed.). It doesn’t seem to be an issue tho.

The blower on the spindle? yes that is 3D printed as the stock unit has major imbalance issues, resulting in a lot of vibration.

 

I've decided that I really dont like how flexible the Y-axis Linear rods are ... so I ordered a set of 450 mm Linear Rails and 4x MGN15H carriages. I did consider going to a moving X-gantry (on the Y-axis) but decided to keep it simple for now and I will just install them on 2040 Aluminium extrusions in place of the Linear Rods.

450 mm length of the rails is enough to allow easy conversion later when I get around to it.

 

My MGN15H rails and carriages will be here in a couple of days which motivated me to finish the design work for this upgrade.



And the mounting brackets are currently being printed in ABS+ with 5 walls / layers and cubic infill to ensure they are strong and solid.



I might even mill them out of 5052 aluminum once the machine is up and running again.

i also designed some drill templates which I’ll need to print out too.

 

Cheers, I’ll have to see if I can find some 60 series stock to use.

 

Cheers, I’ll look for 6082T6 as that looks ideal.

 

I finally finished my Y-axis linear upgrade - it got put on hold for a few months due to urgently needed carpal tunnel surgery.

Anyway, it came out quite well despite finding a few issues along the way - I really need to update the design before I publish it. Mainly due to 2040 extrusions being a mistake - I had to cut down a hex wrench to fit in a few locations and changing to 2020 extrusions will solve that issue.

Overall I'm very happy with the upgrade - the Y-axis is now rock solid with no flex at all.

 

Cheers mate, I think it's finally a useful little CNC machine now.

PS, AvE fan? (I certainly am)