I completed the UHMW carriage on the CNC machine this weekend. The runners for the rails are done and mounted, and the driver-nut for the lead screw has been made and installed. I also ordered a 1/4" coupler from Reid Tool to attach the lead screw to the stepper-motor. Once the coupler is installed, everything underneath the carriage will be done. I tried to connect the lead screw to the stepper-motor using heat-shrink tubing as suggested by John K, but did not like the flexibility that remained in the joint…so I ordered the metal coupler with two set screws instead.
Discovered that the UHMW does not need to be tapped to allow for use of machine screws as was recommended in the plan. The UHMW can be self-threaded by the screws themselves (into pilot holes) during construction….a major time-saver.
Next step will be the construction of the mechanism that rides on top of the carriage (i.e, the cutter-head and second stepper motor).
Advertisement
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
About mattsanf
Matthew Sanfilippo is currently Executive Director of PSII (Pennsylvania Smart Infrastructure Incubator) and the CenSCIR (Center for Sensed Critical Infrastructure), Associate Director of ICES (Institute for Complex Engineered Systems), and Associate Director of PITA (Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
Prior to CMU, Matthew was Director of Applied Technology for Michael Baker Corporation, a large engineering and energy services firm. Matt managed a technology consulting division for Baker including Geographic Information System (GIS), software and web development, multimedia, virtual reality (VR), visualization, Global Positioning System (GPS), mapping and surveying services.
Before joining Baker, Matt was an Innovation Director for Redleaf Group, a Venture Capital/Operating Company focused on Information Security, Supply Chain, Network and Mobility Solutions. While at Redleaf, Matt managed technical due diligence for seed-stage investments and coordinated relationships between Redleaf and their partner companies after investment.
Prior to Redleaf, Matt was CIO of GZA GeoEnvironmental Technologies, a Boston-based engineering firm, and operations manager for their Internet start-up division that focused on web-technologies for health and safety and manufacturing metrics.
Matt is current board member and past Chairman of the Board for the Botanic Garden of Western Pennsylvania, a board member of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation (PHLF), and a former member of the Information Sciences and Technology Advisory Board for the Pennsylvania State University Beaver. Matt is also a former Vice President of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association of Internet Professionals and former Vice President of the Board of Trustees for Baker Combined Charity of Pennsylvania.
Leave a Comment
Comments (0)