Do you know a cheap hobby CNC PCB router for that just handles the small PCB sizes of the free EagleCAD?

rimus wrote:

I would like to know if someone has good experience with a very cheap

small CNC router that can be used for PCB prototyping.

There is some information here:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16899

but I can't find a machine as small (read cheap) as I would think is

possible to find.

Anyone?

Just to add something: I am not after the do-it-yourself kits. Only

ready-to-use machines.

rimus wrote:

I would like to know if someone has good experience with a very cheap

small CNC router that can be used for PCB prototyping.

There is some information here:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16899

but I can't find a machine as small (read cheap) as I would think is

possible to find.

Anyone?

Just to add something: I am not after the do-it-yourself kits. Only

ready-to-use machines.

rimus <rasmus_pedersen@yahoo.com> wrote:

rimus wrote:

I would like to know if someone has good experience with a very cheap

small CNC router that can be used for PCB prototyping.

There is some information here:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16899

but I can't find a machine as small (read cheap) as I would think is

possible to find.

Anyone?

Just to add something: I am not after the do-it-yourself kits. Only

ready-to-use machines.

How about the Elektor profiler Pro

http://www.elektor.com/projects/profiler-pro-upgrades.957535.lynkx

--

-Kenny

This may or may not help. You're talking money and theyre

MASSIVELYoverpriced. The cheapest i think you'll get away with is $1200..

for cheap plastic garbage. I have a cnc minimill in my garage. All total it

cost me about $500 to build. It will machine quite literally - anything.

Titanium, aluminum, steel.. and yes, circuitboards.

You can build your own for .. well nearly free. If you only want it for cnc

routing you can build a simple enclosed desktop mill that is the size of a

printer. You need a 2axis board, two steppers (hefty ones not printer

steppers). The steppers will cost you $30 to $50 each. If you buy a High

quality board like Gecko or xylotex  the board will cost you $150 to $250

though you could build your own. PCB's dont require anything close to the

accuracy machining does (.001" or more). For a z axis a solenoid would work

fine. Get a motor controller for $10. and the mechanicals. You can use a

dremel if if you want to be cheap (like drills the play in the things is

pathetic though).

In other words you can build your own for say... $100-300 , have it

enclosed, quiet, and preciseand have fun doing it or you can spend $2k for

the same thing  that  throws chips everywhere, is loud as hell and has to be

repaired by a producer who may not exist next weak. But tell ya what toss me

a grand ill build it for ya :P

"rimus" <rasmus_pedersen@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:h4ehnl$29l$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

rimus wrote:

I would like to know if someone has good experience with a very cheap

small CNC router that can be used for PCB prototyping.

There is some information here:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16899

but I can't find a machine as small (read cheap) as I would think is

possible to find.

Anyone?

Just to add something: I am not after the do-it-yourself kits. Only

ready-to-use machines.

Kenny M wrote:

rimus <rasmus_pedersen@yahoo.com> wrote:

rimus wrote:

I would like to know if someone has good experience with a very cheap

small CNC router that can be used for PCB prototyping.

There is some information here:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16899

but I can't find a machine as small (read cheap) as I would think is

possible to find.

Anyone?

Just to add something: I am not after the do-it-yourself kits. Only

ready-to-use machines.

 

How about the Elektor profiler Pro

http://www.elektor.com/projects/profiler-pro-upgrades.957535.lynkx

 

 

 

It looks nice, but the price is way out of reach I think for a few hobby

PCBs. It looks like $2900? But thanks for the suggestion though.

creid wrote:

This may or may not help. You're talking money and theyre

MASSIVELYoverpriced. The cheapest i think you'll get away with is $1200..

for cheap plastic garbage. I have a cnc minimill in my garage. All total it

cost me about $500 to build. It will machine quite literally - anything.

Titanium, aluminum, steel.. and yes, circuitboards.

You can build your own for .. well nearly free. If you only want it for cnc

routing you can build a simple enclosed desktop mill that is the size of a

printer. You need a 2axis board, two steppers (hefty ones not printer

steppers). The steppers will cost you $30 to $50 each. If you buy a High

quality board like Gecko or xylotex  the board will cost you $150 to $250

though you could build your own. PCB's dont require anything close to the

accuracy machining does (.001" or more). For a z axis a solenoid would work

fine. Get a motor controller for $10. and the mechanicals. You can use a

dremel if if you want to be cheap (like drills the play in the things is

pathetic though).

In other words you can build your own for say... $100-300 , have it

enclosed, quiet, and preciseand have fun doing it or you can spend $2k for

the same thing  that  throws chips everywhere, is loud as hell and has to be

repaired by a producer who may not exist next weak. But tell ya what toss me

a grand ill build it for ya :P

They might be overpriced, but I don't understand why that is the case.

Why is there not a single one that I can find on google that is in the

price range you mention ($100-$300). They are about 10 times more

expensive, and all I wanted was to play with small double sided PCBs

around the size of EagleCads free version: small.

 

"rimus" <rasmus_pedersen@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:h4ehnl$29l$1@cheetah.cadsoft.de...

rimus wrote:

I would like to know if someone has good experience with a very cheap

small CNC router that can be used for PCB prototyping.

There is some information here:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16899

but I can't find a machine as small (read cheap) as I would think is

possible to find.

Anyone?

Just to add something: I am not after the do-it-yourself kits. Only

ready-to-use machines.

They might be overpriced, but I don't understand why that is the case. Why

is there not a single one that I can find on google that is in the price

range you mention ($100-$300). They are about 10 times more expensive, and

all I wanted was to play with small double sided PCBs around the size of

EagleCads free version: small.

Because they can. Youd be shocked at the garbage they sell to machine

hobbyists with the same kind of markup.

For 3 times the cost of my cnc mill you can get a cheap JUNK cnc hobby

mill.. that happened to have been the #1 seller for a decade or so.. that is

inferior in literally every category.

If you want to do really small.. build your own. Im going to give you a

crash course.

The single most important thing on a cnc mill of any kind are the

ballscrews. Those are literally screws.. with nuts on them. The trick is

they have no backlash (wiggle.. sloppiness). There are ways to make some

acceptable.. for instance if you have a mill... but bettr just to buy them.

For the lengths you're talking about your talking 20, 30, 50 bucks. You also

need ''ways". Think of it as tracks. That can get a lil complex but Gantry

mills bypass all that by just using round rods. Look up "drill rod". For the

size you need you're talking like.. 5 bucks. It is dimensionally accurate

hardenable steel. You THINK you've seen round stuff..

What you do for the x and y axes is mount two perfectly parallel pieces of

drill rod. Mount your motor on those (different mechanisms for each axis).

Perfectly machined holes in say 1/2" or more 6061 aluminum (you can buy

that/have it done). Voila the things cant get out of alignment. You move

them via toothed belts around pulleys made for them. Say 8 bucks an axis.

Zero backlash.

For the z axis (up/down) you can use a lot of different designs.

.

You need a stepper controller board. Most expensive part. Build yourself a

bipolar chopper driver.. make that 3. Or buy one from xylotex,gecko

wherever. $150 from xylotex. $50ish you build it yourself (or less). If you

only want to do like.. 3"x3" boards you could get even cheaper and fit the

whole deal in a 12x12x12 enclosure that fits on your desk. Make a mount for

a dremel or.. god forbid a GOOD spindle and there ya go. Hook it up to a

computer via a Parallel line and your'e set to go.

Honestly this would be a good project for you anyway if you're a hobbyist.

Learn about hbridges, steppers, mosfets and the like. Look on google. I have

some designs on a yahoo group i made but i forgot the group. One was

actually mostly made of concrete heh. Look up CNC on yahoo groups. Oh.. and

look up "GINGERY".

You can do it man!

Hi Guys,

Comments in line.

creid wrote:

They might be overpriced, but I don't understand why that is the

case. Why is there not a single one that I can find on google that is

in the price range you mention ($100-$300). They are about 10 times

more expensive, and all I wanted was to play with small double sided

PCBs around the size of EagleCads free version: small.

Because they can. You'd be shocked at the garbage they sell to machine

hobbyists with the same kind of markup.

For 3 times the cost of my cnc mill you can get a cheap JUNK cnc hobby

mill.. that happened to have been the #1 seller for a decade or so..

that is inferior in literally every category.

A bit harsh ! But I do agree that there is a lot of junk purveyed.

Some of the ex school machines of the BBC era are very good and still

kicking about. (Note: reference to UK schools)

If you want to do really small.. build your own. Im going to give you

a crash course.

The single most important thing on a cnc mill of any kind are the

ballscrews. Those are literally screws.. with nuts on them. The trick

is they have no backlash (wiggle.. sloppiness). There are ways to make

some acceptable.. for instance if you have a mill... but better just

to buy them. For the lengths you're talking about your talking 20, 30,

50 bucks. You also need ''ways". Think of it as tracks. That can get a

lil complex but Gantry mills bypass all that by just using round rods.

Look up "drill rod". For the size you need you're talking like.. 5

bucks. It is dimensionally accurate hardenable steel. You THINK you've

seen round stuff..

The cheapest source for these rods is a scrap inkjet printer ! and you

will get a pair of guides thrown in.

What you do for the x and y axes is mount two

perfectly parallel pieces of drill rod. Mount your motor on those

(different mechanisms for each axis). Perfectly machined holes in say

1/2" or more 6061 aluminum (you can buy that/have it done).

I've used "V" blocks to support the guide rods. It makes adjustment

easier.

Voila the things cant get out of alignment. You move them via toothed

belts around pulleys made for them. Say 8 bucks an axis. Zero

backlash.

Again these components can be salvaged from scrap printers along with

the stepper motors and drivers.  The best ones can be found in old

impact printers, particularly the "Mannesman" machines.

For the z axis (up/down) you can use a lot of different designs.

 

You need a stepper controller board. Most expensive part. Build

yourself a bipolar chopper driver.. make that 3. Or buy one from

xylotex,gecko wherever. $150 from xylotex. $50ish you build it

yourself (or less). If you only want to do like.. 3"x3" boards you

could get even cheaper and fit the whole deal in a 12x12x12 enclosure

that fits on your desk. Make a mount for a dremel or.. god forbid a

GOOD spindle and there ya go. Hook it up to a computer via a Parallel

line and your'e set to go.

The cutting head motor for the best accuracy is probably the hardest

part.  You need to have quite a high spindle speed and a shaft that

will take a collet chuck.  Finding a suitable motor with minimal side

play won't be easy or cheap.

The end play can be controlled with a thrust pad on the other end of the

spindle. I used a single ball from a ball race and a carbon brush on my

motor.

Honestly this would be a good project for you anyway if you're a

hobbyist. Learn about hbridges, steppers, mosfets and the like. Look

on google. I have some designs on a yahoo group i made but i forgot

the group. One was actually mostly made of concrete heh. Look up CNC

on yahoo groups. Oh.. and look up "GINGERY".

 

You can do it man!

Interesting thread !  I hope that my comments are useful.

--

Best Regards:

                     Baron.