Last nights progress on a family sign for some newlyweds!
You have quite an interesting z axis! Could you explain how you modded it? Does it give any extra rigidity? What extra parts are needed?
HAHA! @Nick_Charlton My setup is a modified original ShapeOko! The Z-axis is actually the one thing that I haven’t made any real modifications to. I did add the second makerslide on the gantry and upgraded the motor mount plates to the ShapeOko 2 version. I wish I could justify the purchase of the upgraded acme screw for the Z-axis but, it’s doing just fine for what I need it to do.
I have to keep adding some lubrication to the delrin nut but everything is very stiff so far. I used to get some bad deflection before I added the second makerslide on the gantry.
Hope this answers your question.
Ohhhhh wow! Please excuse my ignorance haha! Never actually seen a shapeoko 1!
@Nick_Charlton No worries on the ignorance! It’s rare that they are still kicking around. Edward Ford was shocked that I still had it running with the original endplates. (note the big thick metal plate between the two rails.) I have new endplates (courtesy of Edward) and I’m just trying to find some time to make that modification.
@Marc_Schaefermeyer haha, yeh I’m suprised! Seems to have fared you well! Yeh I think I might stop upgrading my so2 and leave shapeokos all together unfortunately, I found a CNC made by a designer in sweeded called platform CNC which looks really solid and has large work area and comes to roughly the same price as an so3 when you include the ridiculous shipping charges to the UK!! so2 just isn’t rigid enough for my aluminium cutting needs
@Nick_Charlton That looks pretty sweet and rigid. For what I’m doing this should work for a while. The SO3 is rigid as anything I’ve seen in the consumer market. The rails on it are beefy! They aren’t extremely long but long enough for most things. Good luck!