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Post by likeablebump on Apr 7, 2020 3:40:08 GMT
I got my Power Route together a couple nights ago, and tonight I started to mill a tramming bar out of 6061 aluminum. So far I've only faced both sides but I'm pretty impressed! The router badly needs to be trammed, but I don't think it's too bad for just eyeballing the assembly. I know it's way overkill to machine the bar out of aluminum but I'm planning on cutting a lot of aluminum in the future and wanted the practice. I'll try to post more pictures tomorrow night after I get a chance to work on it. Don't know how to embed imgur albums so here's a link. imgur.com/a/TteSiBs
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Post by Bruce on Apr 7, 2020 16:48:00 GMT
congrats on your Power Route build. Looks like you have a great start.
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Post by Derek the Admin on Apr 9, 2020 2:45:06 GMT
Nice work! Thank you for sharing. As Bruce mentioned, you are off to a good start.
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Post by likeablebump on Apr 10, 2020 3:06:52 GMT
Well, I got a chance to make a little progress. I had a few hiccups, (broke my first endmill) but overall it has gone okay. I am especially happy with the pockets for capturing the 1/4" nut on the backside. I'm down to my last operation. I need to mill out a fairly precise 1/4" hole and open up a slot so I can clamp it in my spindle, and clamp my dial indicator to it. What would you guys suggest for that? I do have access to a drill press, and maybe I should just do it that way and open up the slot with a bandsaw. I was also considering trying to mill it all with an 1/8" endmill, but that seems like a bad idea. Also, my surface finish really leaves a lot to be desired, for sure on the external contour and chamfer. I'm hoping most of this is down to the router not being trammed in at all. Let me know what you think! I'm new to the cnc world and aluminum milling and would love some tips.
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Post by likeablebump on Apr 11, 2020 4:03:38 GMT
I got a table built for the router today, and finished up with the tramming bar. I also went to the local glass supplier and they cut and gave me a 24" x 24" x 1/4" piece of glass! I'm going to try to get it dialed in tomorrow. It is currently at least 0.100 off over the 24" swing of the bar. Much worse than I thought.
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Post by btreichel on Apr 11, 2020 5:32:21 GMT
I got a table built for the router today, and finished up with the tramming bar. I also went to the local glass supplier and they cut and gave me a 24" x 24" x 1/4" piece of glass! I'm going to try to get it dialed in tomorrow. It is currently at least 0.100 off over the 24" swing of the bar. Much worse than I thought. FYI, my mdf bed varied by several tenths of a mm.
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Post by likeablebump on Apr 11, 2020 14:40:36 GMT
The MDF has been faced by the router.
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Post by linkreincarnate on Apr 17, 2020 5:20:27 GMT
Looking forward to seeing what you do with aluminum, be sure to share feeds and speeds and bits etc. I am about to make the jump from wood to aluminum myself.
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Post by peterd on Jan 11, 2021 21:49:31 GMT
Nice work! Any chance you can post your full tramming procedure. My PowerRoute was way off and I need to tram. Where did you shim?
Thanks in advance!
Best,
Peter
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petek
Junior Member
Posts: 72
Machine: Power Route
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Post by petek on Jan 26, 2021 15:07:26 GMT
No idea if you did this already, but consider ensuring the bed height is even before tramming(deck height relative to the beams the gantry rests on). Easy to check, just chose a set of evenly-ish spaced points around the deck. Then use the z probe at each point - and keep track of machine - z readings. Z microstep resolution will be 0.005mm fyi. I found my own assembly of my power route to be 0.7mm higher in one corner than another. I used a dial indicator to help me monitor changing the relative deck height (basically you loosen the screws fixing the y-axis frame rails to the front and rear frame rails, then raise or lower the deck with a dial indicator on the deck and indicating the side rail. See pic indicator setup while adjusting relative deck height. Attachment Deleted
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Post by peterd on Jan 31, 2021 15:42:00 GMT
I haven't checked this but I will. I love my PowerRoute, but It would be really nice if the machine came with more advanced alignment and maintenance instructions, as well as eccentric bolts for tramming- similar to the Avid CNC machines. Pre-cut shim plates would be nice too. The setup instructions only referenced using a ruler and alignment by eye. When it came to alignment, loosening locktighted bolts and making iterative hand adjustments, hoping for the best just doesn't seem appropriate for a machine that is, otherwise, so well designed and built. Having said all of that, I'm still learning as I don't come from a machinist background. Much of the issue is no doubt my own ignorance.
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petek
Junior Member
Posts: 72
Machine: Power Route
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Post by petek on Feb 8, 2021 8:02:22 GMT
I agree. A proper commissioning sheet and maybe videos to dial everything in would be awesome. FWIW, I just finished leveling each horizontal cutting boundary corner relative to the rear RH corner using the z probe. I was able to get them within 0.0014” (0.035mm). That’s the limit of the repeatibility when moving the z-probe puck on the aluminum t-slot deck-with all of its surfaces. Otherwise with the double ballnut I set up on my z axis I added I get 0.005mm (0.0002”) repeatability with the z-probe when not touching it.
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petek
Junior Member
Posts: 72
Machine: Power Route
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Post by petek on Feb 25, 2021 8:25:32 GMT
FYI: I just designed a system to help us to make fine adjustments to the Power Route's gantry. It will enable alignment or fine adjustments of the mid & Upper rails - about about x, y, and z axes. Assuming you've leveled the deck, this should allow you to make the adjustments to not only tram the head, but also to make it maintain the alignment as the router/spindle moves across the gantry.
PM me if you're interested in purchase.
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Post by ricko on Mar 20, 2021 19:33:59 GMT
To tram the router, you will likely need to tilt it slightly in the clamp. I had to drill and tap three very small holes in the clamp to accept setscrews so that I could adjust the tilt of the router from under the clamp using the setscrews, then tighten the clamp and check tram. still a lot of trial and error. Once trammed, I surfaced the spoil board. Voila
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