BRX and my CNC

[Garyhlucas]

I have a home built CNC that runs on Mach 3.  I have two spindles, one is a router with variable speed from 8,000 to 30,000 rpm, the other is a minimill R8 spindle with a DC motor that is about 100 to 5000 rpm.  I also have a mini lathe stripped of everything but the spindle and tail stock, and the spindle has a large stepper motor to turn it and position it as a 4th axis. Tools are mounted to the spindle with a quick change tool holder. Then there is an extruder head with a stepper motor and a heated barrel plus a heated bed.  The reprap hobbyiest temperature controls melted down, so now I have some solid state relays and thermocouple sensors with 4-20ma transmitters.  I also have a program controlled air blow off and droplet mister, plus a shop vac.  I have a DL06 I got from an old job handling most of the I/O but I have yet to get the 3D printing to work or the lathe functionality as there are some limitations to Mach 3 and the DL06. 

This got me thinking about BRX.

So here is why I think a BRX replacing the DL06 would finish off my machine. First, analog inputs from the two thermocouple transmitters and two auto tuned PID loops to control the temperatures for 3D printing.

High speed pulse for driving the lathe spindle at a constant speed, Mach3 drives it for 4 axis motion, switched through relays that connect the stepper driver to the appropriate signal source.  Currently no way to run the lathe spindle at constant speed. Can the BRX read a PWM signal from Mach 3 and output the speed as a stepper pulse rate? 

When I am using the DC mill spindle can BRX read PWM input as analog 0-10 volt signal to the DC motor controller?

When using the stepper lathe spindle, can I generate a once per revolution index pulse from the stepper output to synch the spindle for threading?

I attached a couple photos.  Large work envelope for a mini mill, 18" x 18" x 18". It is a vertical mill, horizontal mill, lathe and 3D printer. Would like to add a laser as well.

[BobO]

Somebody is gettin' their nerd on! That's awesome!

Can the BRX read a PWM signal from Mach 3 and output the speed as a stepper pulse rate? 

Sure. There is no PWM input, per se, but you could easily set up one of the high speed counter/timers as a rising to falling timer, and then do the math against the known base period. I used that exact method to test the PWM output channels. Works great.

When I am using the DC mill spindle can BRX read PWM input as analog 0-10 volt signal to the DC motor controller?

The analog inputs on the brick have nearly a 1Khz update rate and 0-10v works nicely.

When using the stepper lathe spindle, can I generate a once per revolution index pulse from the stepper output to synch the spindle for threading?

I'm pretty sure we could come up with a way. It might be fairly brute force, like using a match register interrupt trigger, but it should be no big deal. Only consideration is the max spindle speed, but even at something like 50000 RPM (um...no), it should still be fine.

[plcnut]

Cool project!

[DLTimmons]

Now that's a multi-function machine

[Controls Guy]

I have a home built CNC that runs on Mach 3.  I have two spindles, one is a router with variable speed from 8,000 to 30,000 rpm, the other is a minimill R8 spindle with a DC motor that is about 100 to 5000 rpm.  I also have a mini lathe stripped of everything but the spindle and tail stock, and the spindle has a large stepper motor to turn it and position it as a 4th axis. Tools are mounted to the spindle with a quick change tool holder. Then there is an extruder head with a stepper motor and a heated barrel plus a heated bed.  The reprap hobbyiest temperature controls melted down, so now I have some solid state relays and thermocouple sensors with 4-20ma transmitters.  I also have a program controlled air blow off and droplet mister, plus a shop vac.  I have a DL06 I got from an old job handling most of the I/O but I have yet to get the 3D printing to work or the lathe functionality as there are some limitations to Mach 3 and the DL06. 

This got me thinking about BRX.

So here is why I think a BRX replacing the DL06 would finish off my machine. First, analog inputs from the two thermocouple transmitters and two auto tuned PID loops to control the temperatures for 3D printing.

High speed pulse for driving the lathe spindle at a constant speed, Mach3 drives it for 4 axis motion, switched through relays that connect the stepper driver to the appropriate signal source.  Currently no way to run the lathe spindle at constant speed. Can the BRX read a PWM signal from Mach 3 and output the speed as a stepper pulse rate? 

When I am using the DC mill spindle can BRX read PWM input as analog 0-10 volt signal to the DC motor controller?

When using the stepper lathe spindle, can I generate a once per revolution index pulse from the stepper output to synch the spindle for threading?

I attached a couple photos.  Large work envelope for a mini mill, 18" x 18" x 18". It is a vertical mill, horizontal mill, lathe and 3D printer. Would like to add a laser as well.

Dude!  I'm pretty sure I want to be you when I grow up!   

[Garyhlucas]

Thanks for all the comments.  We call it the Ifactory! 

I built it to get my 11 year old grandson interested in building things. He's now 14 and starting high school in a STEM program and they have a FIRST robotics club.  I volunteered to be a board member and mentor to the kids.

[Controls Guy]

What do you use for software to design 3D files for the printer?  I'm thinking of getting one for some parts of my own, but am a complete noob to that process.

[Evilbeard]

What do you use for software to design 3D files for the printer?  I'm thinking of getting one for some parts of my own, but am a complete noob to that process.

I currently use Fusion 360 by Autodesk. It will do all the CAD work, as well as convert it to the CAM (g-code) for your machine.

I currently have a machine that I'm in the process of building. I bought a 3D printed kit from Vicious1.com that uses 1" conduit as rails for the axis. It'll do 48x48 as a kit for around $500. I'm using it to build parts for my much more robust build.

I've bought a TinyG from Synthetos, and I'm working on buying ballscrews, linear bearings, and a air cooled spindle (from ebay and automationoverstock) on making a 4x8 foot table capable of doing milling operations.

I must say there, Garyhlucas, I have some serious vice envy. Those are good looking.

[Garyhlucas]

What do you use for software to design 3D files for the printer?  I'm thinking of getting one for some parts of my own, but am a complete noob to that process.

I have SolidWorks and Rhino and used SolidEdge at my last job. I've looked at Fusion for my grandson to use, seems quite capable and perfect for the home hobbyist.  I use CamBam to do the programming for CNC.  I've been a CNC programmer and can program by hand but life is too short for that today. A lot of people try to do 3D machining from solid models but that is actually a really inefficient way for most things.  2-1/2D, XY coordinated motion and a tool depth does 90% of the work much quicker and the 3D stuff gets used only for the details you simply can't do any other way.  Programming time varies from about 1 minute to a maximum of about 1/2 hour for the stuff I do.

For the printer I have Simplyfy3D for the slicer.

[Garyhlucas]

Evil,
Thanks for the kind words.  Most of my machine is surplus parts and some are very high quality like the THK rails and ballscrews.  The frame all came from a machine I built about 20 years ago and the customer gave me the material when he retired it.  The design was my attempt to do all kinds of crazy work with a homebuilt machine.  For instance I can put a victaulic groove on the end of a 20 ft long 10" pipe by flipping the head to make it a horizontal mill because the spindle moves not the table. I actually needed this for stuff I was building at work because the big CNC vertical mill couldn't do it.

Once you have the CNC it is amazing the stuff you can make.  The 3D printer hasn't been a big driver yet because I can usually carve something from a solid block fast than a printer can do it. The printer would win on really complex stuff.  But the mill wins on aluminum, steel, stainless, and modifying parts made by any other process.

[Evilbeard]

Evil,
Thanks for the kind words.  Most of my machine is surplus parts and some are very high quality like the THK rails and ballscrews.  The frame all came from a machine I built about 20 years ago and the customer gave me the material when he retired it.  The design was my attempt to do all kinds of crazy work with a homebuilt machine.  For instance I can put a victaulic groove on the end of a 20 ft long 10" pipe by flipping the head to make it a horizontal mill because the spindle moves not the table. I actually needed this for stuff I was building at work because the big CNC vertical mill couldn't do it.

Once you have the CNC it is amazing the stuff you can make.  The 3D printer hasn't been a big driver yet because I can usually carve something from a solid block fast than a printer can do it. The printer would win on really complex stuff.  But the mill wins on aluminum, steel, stainless, and modifying parts made by any other process.

The issue I have with the 3DPCNC is that it uses a DeWalt DW660 high speed spiral cutter as the spindle. It does fine for carving wood, and some aluminum, but I really don't want to tax it with any load for steel, so it's not really viable because of the slow feeds. I'm working on cutting all the aluminum plates I need for my larger build (I got some 80/20 scraps from work that are 4-5' in length and will make a lovely gantry), and I've bought a 2.2kW air cooled Chinese 18k RPM spindle and VFD. That should give me plenty of oomph on harder metals, plus I get the much larger collet for improved tooling. Once I get the large cnc table done, I want to buy a laser, extruder, and a plasma cutter (to make it a plasma table if needed). I'm really loving the ability to make cool stuff. I just love learning!  I'd like to take on some small "hobby" jobs through word of mouth, and eventually make enough to buy an actual hobby CNC like a Tormach.

I'm using Fusion, and it's great. I don't have an extruder, so I just mill with it. The ability to simulate and see the path is great. I highly recommend it. Being someone who's continuing my education at my advanced age (going to community college for some technical classes in CNC and machining), Autodesk gives you a free 3 year license. Still, at $300, it's not much for such great software.