It's been a while, but I finally got my upgraded CNC built!

I kept the dimensions from my previous Solsylva.com router. Howevevr, I made some modifications to the design to better suit my needs; I was doing more and more jobs and was 'growing out' of my previous machine!

First, I constructed the entire frame and carriage out of 1" black phenolic. Stronger and heavier than wood, it cuts well with normal woodworking tools. In fact I cut all the pieces using my old machine, with a dinky 1HP router! It also holds tapped threads well, and I utilized this in the design. As a testament to the Solsylva design, it withstood all the abuse I threw at it, cutting this phenolic and even aluminum, as in my previous builds.

Second, I was able to purchase these used ROLLON lineear rails off eBay for a very good price. In fact, they're cheaper than other brands, yet are very heavy duty. The rails I feel add structural ridgidity and weight to this machine, shich should help with cutting.

Third, for the Z axis, I used skate bearings like the last machine. However, I integrated the bearings with the carriage sides. This meant being more precise with the carriage construction, and adjusting the preload with the router plate rails.

Fourth, I milled stepper motor mounts out of 1/2" HDPE. I used 1/2" aluminum tube for spacers, and they're held captive with pockets milled on the plates. 5/16"-18 bolts hold them down. They're amazingly stiff, though I only have about 1/16" total adjustment, so I was very careful to lay out their position.

Fifth, I made new bearing blocks out of the same HDPE. Since I used regular bearings, I put a very slight preload on the leadscrews.

For the X axis, I used a slightly different configuration, havivng bearing blocks arranged with collar clamps in a "fixed end" bearing style. This keeps the belt from pulling the leadscrews out of whack. I also reconfigured my X stepper motor assembly; to take up slack in the belt, it runs through 4 idlers in a "W" pattern. The belt is tightened by raising the stepper plate; the idlers remain in a fixed position.

Other notes: Computer is a Pentium4, 2GHZ, with 512MB RAM, and 32MB nVidia GeForce card. Contoller is a Xylotex 3-axis. Steppers are Xylotex 425in-oz on all three axes. Leadscrews are McMaster Carr 1/2"-8, 8 start (1TPI effective) giving me a resolution of .005. Leadnuts are anti-backlash nuts from dumpsterCNC.com. Couplings are Lovevjoy L-series, but I havev ordered the GS series for better performance. I use Vectric VVarve Pro 5.5 for all design and post-processing, and Mach3 controller software.

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