Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] re:defiance vmc wasRe: Re: wrong conversion factor ...

What Gordon has in mind is to develop several machines that will all use
interchangeable parts...slides, spindles, castings, etc. The spindles will
work on the project I've already released. The idea here is to build STURDY
machines using the fewest number of interchangable parts while allowing a
variety of machines to be built from those parts. the parts should all be
available at a REASONABLE cost. Using as many interchangeable parts as
possible will help bring the costs down. I've got most of it nailed down
now too.

I'd like to know everyones thoughts re using aluminum castings and filling
them with a metal filled epoxy? the owner of the Bisonite company lives
right down the road from me. The two of us are working to get several rifle
action kits into production. Our biggest hurddles have been finding someone
to CNC some prototype wax patterns for us and someone to make the actual
castings.

Gordon AKA Smoke
-----Original Message-----
From: ballendo@... <ballendo@...>
To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@egroups.com <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@egroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 3:37 PM
Subject: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] re:defiance vmc wasRe: Re: wrong conversion
factor ...

>Marcus,
>
>Yep, once you taste the "good stuff", the "regular stuff" just isn't
>the same... I'm using a 56k dial-up connection to "read" and to type
>this, and I REALLY miss my DSL!
>
>The Defiance is a great little machine! One of their main selling
>points is their "high-speed" contouring algorithms and capability. I
>would guess this accounts in large part for the price tag. And it's
>software based! Which means we can "figure out how..." Hmmm...
>
>Re: the "synthetic" granite: Isn't this a polymer? Light machines
>corp makes a similar size machine (as the defiance) and uses
>ANOCAST "filled" polymer castings for the machine structure. When I
>first heard of this several years back, I investigated... GREAT
>STUFF, unfortunately it has a price to match! Since then, I,ve been
>lookin' for the hobbiest version (A metal? filled composite), and
>have seen some interesting developments, but nothing that
>really "fits the bill". Dennis Bohlke and Greg Pettengill at super-
>tech have used some aluminum filled urethane in their "kit" routers.
>
>One of the great things about this sort of approach is that you "hold
>the bearings/ways in position" and cast the support around them.
>Making repeated (after the setup jigs are made) precision machining
>unnecessary. And the damping and structural qualities are inherant in
>the material!
>
>You are right about how simple the basic structure of a VMC (or CNC
>lathe) is compared to a traditional manual machine. But...
>
>There is a romance to the old machines... And "updating" them (giving
>them new life) just feels good. And IF you can get a good 'un at a
>fair price, seems a nice way to go. But...
>
>It would be nice to see someone (or a group of someones :-)) approach
>this CNC thing from a "defiance" sort of direction. Maybe that's what
>Gordon AKA smoke has in mind? I've been thinking a lot lately about
>using some cheap "import" grade B granite surface plates "bolted"
>together as a machine structure. In an L shape, with some linear
>bearings also bolted on. 4x24x36 plates are only 130 bucks! Should be
>able to get 12x20 XY travels. Of course the plates are FLAT, but not
>necessarily parallel or with perpendicular edges... Maybe...
>
>Thanks for your reply.
>
>Ballendo
>
><snip>Then I got a chance to drive a high end Okuma for a couple of
>>months.Boy did I ever get spoiled!
>>I now own a cute little Defiance VMC that I picked up from a company
>>that went "buns up" a month after they bought it.
>>I look at the construction of that little mill, and I think to
>>myself: This would be really easy to build!
>>It is basically an "L" shaped synthetic granite block with a couple
>>of sets of linear guideways bolted on, a simple head that rides up
>>and down, and a couple of surface ground hot rolled mild steel
>>plates for the saddle and table. It is driven by servomotors and
>>ballscrews. It is a HELLUVA little machine!!
>>It is rigid, it is dead nuts accurate, and it runs like a bunny all
>>day, every day,for me. (I do a lot of prototyping in plastics)
>>It weighs only 500 lb and it plugs into the 110 wall socket.
>>Travels are 12" in "X", 8" in "Y" , and 9" in "Z". The table is 21"
>>x 7"
>>Seems to me that this would make a marvellous machine for a hobbyist.
>>Problem is, the all dressed version is about sixty grand
><snip>But to make one... probably not all that hard!
>>Marcus
>
>
>
>
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