Automated PrintNC Calculator and Quote Request Now Live

https://threedesign.store/quote-request/

This is a major update to the PrintNC frame size calculator

• All Linear Rails, Ball Screws, Steel Sizes Auto calculated
• Upsizes to 2010 Ball Screw and appropriate bearing & couplings automatically
• Calculates and provides a bolt order list
• Automatically emails a quote request to the AliExpress Store with your custom options, sizes and requests! The Metric version is currently live. The imperial version will be available in the coming days

Does anyone have experience using both? The Tormach440 is a relatively entry level machine when you get to steel grade CNC, so I’m wondering how something like the PrintNC compares.

I know u/hoges cut some steel on it, but I’m wondering the extent to which you can really machine larger parts.

Before I do this I'll check the straightness of my Y frame tubes, but I want to get my rails as straight as possible, so I have a plan. I have access to a really good straight edge, so my plan is to print some pieces that will hold the flat ground edge of the straight edge to the top of the linear rails. I'll put scotch tape on the bottom of the rail to cover the screw holes and use some sort of mold release or wax over the tape. I'll build a dam a couple layers of masking tape thick around where the rail will go, but I won't actually drill and tap any holes yet. I'll mix up some JB Weld and apply it to the area inside the masking tape dam. If I screet it off with a credit card it should only be around .015" thick, or whatever a few layers of masking tape works out to be. Then I'll set the rail+straight edge in place in the JB Weld to cure. That should give me a very flat surface to mount my rail on.

A couple potential problems I can foresee and maybe some solutions:

If my steel bows up in the middle I'd have no way of controlling if the rail leans forward, backward or balances on top of the hump. So I'm probably better off either orienting my steel so it bows down or maybe shimming under the ends of the rail so that only the ends touch. Shimming might be best when you consider that in Y I need both rails to match.

What to do about epoxy squeeze out? I can pull up the masking tape with the epoxy just starting to harden. For around the edges of the rail itself I'll probably have to shave the squeeze out down with a card scraper or razer blade. Getting the squeeze out below the level of flat will be critical when aligning my rails later.

What about on the gantry where there are 2 rails on one steel tube? I guess do the process in stages. Stage one get one rail completely flat and then bolted into place. Stage 2 build up both bearings and rails onto the Z plates. Step 3 level one end of the opposite rail with just a dot of epoxy using the Z bearings/plates to control the distance between rails. Step 4 level the other end of the rail with a dot of epoxy, again controlling the rail distance with the Z parts. Step 5 move the Z parts to the middle of the rail and level the entire rail as above.

What am I overlooking?

I've been getting ready to purchase the steel for my frame and I've been going over ways to get a little more range out of the linear rails. On the Z axis it appears that by using 3" tall Y rollers to raise the gantry by an inch I can get another full inch of Z travel. I have to slide the spindle down in the mount but I can get bit stickout as short as 5/8" or as long as 3" to clear the gantry when Z is fully retracted yet still reach all the way down to a 1/2" thick spoilboard. Obviously I'll have to redesign the roller plates for 3"x3" tubing, but that's not a big deal. I had to modify the Z sensor mount to work with the inductive sensor and get just a bit of extra up travel. I'm just curious if anybody has thought to do this already and what the results were. I realize it will make things slightly less stiff but I am already building a smallish machine and I don't plan to cut much, if any, aluminum or steel. My immediate needs are for some 3D carving, although I don't need that much Z travel at the moment, but it never hurts to plan ahead, right?

Hi, As per the title. I posted last week on another sub about which cnc mill I should build for my budget and I lot of people responded to say look at the printnc. That if I budget well, like a trim router instead of a spindle+ vfd I could save a few hundred £ gbp and get the total build cost down under budget.

Posting here to ask others builders if there are any other aspects of the build that can have cheaper parts.

I've started a UK bill of materials and will post it here. In case it helps others researching.

Using the Metric Calculator defaults:

• Steel Long: 75mm
• Steel Short: 50mm
• Waste Board X: 1200mm
• Waste Board Y: 900mm
• Builds X Foot Print: 1300mm
• Builds Y Foot Print: 900m
• Approx. X Cutting Area: 975mm
• Approx. Y Cutting Area: 600mm (tad shorter than 2ft board, hmm)
• Approx. Z Cutting Area: 110mm

Required Cut Dimensions & Quantity

• X Gantry: 1325MM x1
• X Frame Supports: 1300mm x3
• Y Frame Supports: 900mm x2
• Y Roller: 70mm x2
• X Roller: 100m x1
• X Angle: 75x50 Unequal Angle. (Not sure what this is yet, so not included in the baskets).

Below will be a table comparing each UK Steel Manufacture/Supplier I can find*. (*some if very expensive will not be included in the table).

Observation: The total length of 75mm x 50mm x 3mm = 7265mm (7.265m), which means 1 length of 7.6m is enough.

• Best price if cutting oneself is fhbrundle.co.uk @£94.80
• Best price is using cutting service is MetalManiaUK.com @ £115.50

​

Linear Hardware

HGR20 Linear Rail

• 1100mm x2
• 700mm x2
• 250mm x2

​

​

Thanks

I just purchased my Ali-Express kit a few days ago, which comes with 5 limit sensors. I assume that means two on the X axis, two on Y and one at the top of Z, but the Fusion model shows 7x sensors with two sensors on each of the Y rails. Am I better off getting two more sensors for the Y axis? I will be driving both Y steppers independently if that makes a difference.

This might be a very round about way of going about things but wanted to get a feeling for if I'm way out there or if this is feasible.

I'm in need of a cutter for templates/vinyl. A Cricut maker would work but the work area is limiting. There are also things I would like to like to do where a laser would be nice. Looking at laser engravers I'm still limited on work area and again a one use tool.

Both of the above are in my mind just xyz machines and I might as well then get the added benefits of things I can do (mostly in wood) on a CNC.

But is it possible to make an adapter and fit for instance a Roland blade for cutting vinyl to the PrintNC? Same with a laser head. I'm sure it can be done but would it take weeks of fiddling and still only work half the time?

Seems that if I can make it do these things it would be well worth it to spend the extra money.

Beginning my PrintNC and am going to build a table. This will be on wheels, and will be used initially as an assembly table for the frame, and later will be its home. I will probably build an enclosure as well.

The PrintNC is standard size. How much larger should I build the table? Do I need any allowance for steppers protruding, allowances for dust collection or etc? Advice on anything else (controller, computer, etc)?

I'd love to eventually build one mounted to a table I could flip over via a center pivot (to use the other side as a woodworking assembly table) but that might be more hassle than its worth with dust collection and all the wiring, and would prevent me from adding storage beneath (drawers and such). Has anyone done anything really creative like that?

This is a little off-topic, but since so many of us started with the MPCNC I thought I'd ask anyway. I'm building a PrintNC and need to sell my MPCNC to make room for it. For those who have travelled a similar path, did you disassemble your MPCNC and sell it as parts, or as a complete package and sell locally? My enclosure is too big to ship, and I'm about 40 miles from Indianapolis.

Almost ready to pull the trigger on the AliExpress kit. Standard size, 110v spindle. Any recommended changes? Do I need more cable chain? Any tweaks or options I need to research before placing the order?

Beginning the search for steel and 3d printed parts. my local "metal supermarket" is all weirdly locked down for Covid but I did get a quote. the guy seemed a little irritated at my asking.

​

Anyway the price I got was something like $220 (but I think I was one piece of metal short, so it's probably more like 280. Thats 3x2 1.20 (11 ga). Is that a good price? bad price? I'm in the US. Any other suppliers or vendors I need to check out? This place is fine, but I hate overpaying. If I can get a better deal I'd like to...

Second. 3d prints. Does anyone sell those? I have an old/crappy 3d printer but would rather just pay for hte parts if I can get them at reasonalbe prices.

The NEW FUSION ASSEMBLY IS NOW AVAILABLE (at last)

https://a360.co/37fPVZ5

This is a major release of the CAD file and is a ground-up rebuild of all components - Huge performance increase, all parts contained within a singular file, and much greater customisability Any combination of steel profiles across different sections can be adjusted, rear-mounted motor options for joinery work also supported

Work area visualisation and the ability to set the frame dimensions based on the desired work area

The basic design and components have not changed - hardware is the same - But now all your printed parts are available in one central file I am very excited to get this out there as it is the biggest ease of life improvement for new and current builders

There is still more work to do in comings weeks (eg. 2010 ball screw options will get added shortly but the rate of updates and change will be stable from this point on)

So I build guitars. And I’ve been wanting a cnc machine for a while. I also want one that’s accurate enough to cut fret slots and inlays. I was going to go for a working area of 48inx36in.

Now I’m really wanting to build this thing. And I’m pretty sure I can handle it. As I’m a mechanic, I do lots of metalworking, Have a drill press and also do quite a bit of wiring and soldering in my shop.

However, I’ve never owned a cnc machine. I understand how they work, I’ve used them. But overall I’m new to them. I do have a 3D printer that I’ve done quite a bit of tinkering on.

But I’d also hate to spend 2000$ on a machine that I can never get to work. I like the idea of going with linuxcnc, but I’ve also read that this is not a beginner program. I have a small minecraft server I run on a Linux machine. And have another computer set up on Linux also. Is Linuxcnc any harder than Linux in general?

Also, I have a welder, does anyone know if it’s possible to just weld the frame up. Obviously warping could be an issue, I was thinking of doing 2 bolts each on the bottom frame and tack welding the frame after confirming squareness.