CNC
This project has been on my list since my first year of university. After discovering a passion for advanced manufacturing, I was inspired to design and build my own desktop CNC mill.
The following images display all of the components I purchased for the desktop CNC, while below you can see the CAD design for the mill that I am currently building.
Throughout the summer of 2022, I dedicated my time to fabricating my desktop mill in the Robotics shop. I used a variety of tools, including a mill, miter saw, drills, jigsaw, and taps. The material I worked with was primarily aluminum, and the structural components consist of aluminum extrusion, aluminum rectangle tubing, perforated square tubing, and aluminum plates. Additionally, I created a few 3D-printed mounts as temporary placeholders until they can be milled.
The mechanical components include SFU1204 ball screws and HGR15 linear rails, while the electrical system features a 1.5kw 110V spindle, Nema23 126 Ncm stepper motors, a Mach 3 controller, and a 400W 24V 17A power supply.
The build process can be seen below.
Fabrication of the Base
Fabrication of the
Z-axis Assembly
Fabrication of the
Y-axis Gantry Assembly
Fabrication of the
Z-axis Gantry Mount
As the project is relatively new and the lack of time due to school, it is still a work in progress which most of the mechanical components complete.
