If anyone has seen my aluminum motor mounts on the MPCNC, you will know that I push the hell out of my current setup. Poor dw660 is probably sad from being run 4 hours nonstop a day. Anyways, I am looking for an upgrade. My current mpcnc arangement is great but it just can’t keep up as a production machine for my needs. I suppose it would if I ran it alllll day, but like many other users have told me, is that I cannot leave the machine alone. I have already maxed out the machine for what it is. I already have polished my cam up and took it a step further by introducing an air blast system. There isn’t much else I can do to make it cut faster.
This leads me to wanting to make a new machine that can better handle my needs. Would a lowrider be considered a worthy upgrade in cutting performance. My plan was to have it built as a 2’x4’ size to increase ridigity even further. I am not cutting full sheets, but more like barstock. That small of a lowrider is still bigger than my current arrangement.
If I were to make a lowrider, what considerations would I need to take? Can I recycle most of the MPCNC parts over like the bearings, pulley, steppers, and control board? That would be sweet.
Sorry for all the questions, but this is sort of a risk for me. It is either I upgrade my machines or I go to ChinaTown (alibaba) and get them made overseas.
I’m not sure a lowrider is what you’ll want. Yea, it can do it, but you’re going to be running into the same issues. You’re kind of in the bigger all metal cnc territory now. The mpcnc and lowrider are great for those one off jobs in aluminum, but you’re now that you’re doing production runs, you see the issues. You’re also doing something that’s really better done on a cnc mill, or even a waterjet, not a cnc router. They’re similar, but different.
If you can find a place with a water jet or laser and have them cut you a batch you will be good to go.
As for the machines I doubt anything remotely in our price range with get even close to double your current cut speed. Diminishing returns, at this point every dollar you spend will get you incrementally less speed increase.
If you want to increase your production without subbing out your job you need to optimize everything.
Can the material be thinner?
Can you cut only the important inner features on the CNC and do the rest by hand with a template and a band saw (pretty cheap)? This would be ideal, you could be doing something as the machine is working, this could very easily more than double your production.
Can any of the features be smaller?
Can you optimize the gcode anymore, eliminate some travel moves, or any air cuts you have?
Create some fixtures to make parts swaps faster?
CNC out a mold and cast some of your parts?
Sorry, this is what runs through my head all day. This is what my job is. I am always trying to design new parts that are better and faster to make.
My design cannot be water jet. Im really stuck here. I can think of a few ways to make the design cheaper but they all sacrifice something. Also, with all the inventory I bought, making changes is not feasible.
I need some fixtures. For now my mpcnc will be mowing along for days. REALLY wish I could have it on all day. Need to think of something. Fireproof enclosure? It would be worth it.
Carve out 1 full set, then use them for templates. After that just carve out the center features with the cnc and use the templates with a flush cut router bit and a basic router table to cut the outer shape, I think that could very easily triple your output. Also give you something to do while the cnc is running.
I would use that idea if I had a router table or even a band saw. I just want to be able to run it all day. I’m at school til 3:30 and only have a few hours free to actually work on it. Could it be time for an enclosure? If it is in a safe spot I can’t see any potential damage. It helps a lot I run the same gcode over and over so no issues can be called from human error in the programming. I cut metal not wood so the worst case is maybe the dw660 catches fire or the bit breaks and ruins the job.
Not saying its fail proof but coming home to finished parts would be incredible. I really got my gcode down and I’m confident in my work holding. My air blast also spits condensates water so the wood under the aluminum is always wet. Almost certain its treated too. My friends and I tried burning it as firewood and it only charred. For there to be a fire disaster it would have to be electrical of some sort.
Worn out brushes, chipped bit, dull bit, mount comes loose, material comes loose. Very bad idea and I am sure ever person in here agrees. There is no way your home owners insurance would cover that if anything did happen. You have a dream of a fully automated money making machine. Someone always needs to be nearby. I turn my printers off if I leave for very long.
You can easily grab a router table and a router on craigslist for $40. If you haven’t made $40 profit yet you are not selling them for enough money. If you have a router you can make the table, the lowrider is just an upside down router table on a cnc platform.
Besides all the other fire story’s that every one here has shared, just to drive this home. The engineering company I was working for had the compressor catch fire, very random but you just don’t leave power tools on.
I am making good profit. It just can’t put out fast enough. I have improved a lot though. I did end up going with moving the bar along vs cutting it. Tapping holes I haven’t fixed yet.
So it appears making a machine isn’t the answer. Still considering two mpcncs though. Just too tempting because I already know the system. The noise would be deafening though. Two dw660s. Yikes. Twice the rate for $400? Hhhmm
What a day it would be when I can make the magic money machine. Maybe I could just hire someone to stand there and watch for $10 an hour.
Also what I was thinking. Have a clearance hole with a bolt all the way through and a lock nut on the backside. Thinking of making a v2 at this point. I can design a mount so damn cheap its irresistible. Lacks the idler feature and would be sort of bland, but effective and simple.