MPCNC average assembly time for a noob?

Assuming I have all the parts, on average how long would it take for a noob to put an MPCNC together?

That depends on how well you read instructions and understand how it goes together. If you take your time to make sure its going together correctly it should only take a few hours. Most guys put it together over a few days spending a couple hours at a time. Just depends on how fast you want to knock it out and how well yoy have planned and layed it out to begin with. Since it is very customizable and everyones skill levels and speeds are different its hard to say for each person.

2 Likes

I spend the more time getting is square and level and the wires nice than I do actually assembling it.

That sounds like a lot of squaring and leveling. Which parts need to be level? Is it done by shimming?

If the corner tubes are all the same length, you should be good. The feet clamp to the tubes, so you can adjust the height that way. The x and y rails need to be parallel to the table. After that, unless something is printed wrong, everything else will be parallel to the table. Then the only thing you have to worry about is the z axis being perpendicular to the table. I spent a few hours building my first one, but that was because I was using wrenches and no ratchet. There’s a metric shit ton of nuts and bolts in the center assembly…

2 Likes

Hahaha. I’ll second Barry’s sentiments. Even with a ratchet there are a bunch of bolts. That aside, if you take care building the table so you have a very square and very level build surface you will be off to a good start. Apply some deadly accuracy to the cuts on your outer tubing and then assemble with the ends flush to the end of the brackets. You will be square. I also cut the tubing for the feet so that all four are as precisely the same length as possible and then bottom them out in the feet and rail brackets. You will be level. Verify with a spacer to check for consistent gap between the feet and corner brackets. Everything is tweakable, if it needs a nudge one way or another. That is the beauty of this machine. Love it and it will love you back. It is like tuning a musical instrument. You will know when you nail it. The song will be sweet.

2 Likes

Yup, I like that, gunna keep it and say I came up with it. :wink:

When you all say “level”, do you really mean flat? I was going to put wheels under it, but if it has to be level, then maybe I should build it that way and just not move it.

No, you are on the right track. I meant flat, in relation to all of the four corner areas for your feet being level with each other along any given plane. I move my machine around all the time without issue. The rest of the work surface doesn’t matter so much. Whenever I replace the spoil board I machine it so the work surface is parallel to the gantry.

1 Like

We mean level or parrallel. Machine to work surface. Level is just the easiest way to confirm everything is consistant. If your build surface is level and true and then your machine is also level then you eliminate potential problems when you go to use the machine. We are talking relative planes.

After I built my machine (about 4 hours) it took me about 3 weeks to get the wiring working. I still haven’t made it pretty. :smiley:

You mean driving the steppers?

I’d consider myself an mpcnc noob. I took my time, working a couple hours a day, over the course of maybe three weekends. I did take the trouble to make the wiring nice. The instructions a very good. I didn’t need to ask any questions until I got to the endstops. My machine is running, but by no means dialed in.

What is it that needs to be “dialed in”?

My table is pretty rough, I didn’t take time to make it nice. I know it’s not level in many places, so I’ve got work to do to make a nice surface. I want to use the dual endstops, and I’m just getting started with that. Having trouble with the x-axis atm. I’m just using a pen for now, I want to really understand the work flow before I strap an endmill to it. I assume I’ll probably have to take it apart and put it back together again after breaking it in. It’s nicer to try to figure things out with the machine in the warm basement instead of outside in the cold garage.

Maybe you can simply shim under the legs to make the legs co-planar, and then do a bed-leveling on the spoiler board. Then, voilà!, you’re done with that part of it.