building cnc for glass cutting

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17 Jan 2011 06:31 #6737 by sherif.taher
Hi, I'm quite new to building CNC machines and don't have much experience with the hardware available out there

I want to build a CNC setup to cut glass, I saw some examples on youtube that seem to work well scoring glass (
). I've done research around and found out some useful tips, I decided to build the setup using zen toolworks 7"x7" DIY kit,

I believe I need at least 4 axis control, x,y,z and a rotary axis to swivel the glass cutter tangentially to the direction of cutting. Can someone recommend suitable driver cards and stepper motors that have worked well with EMC before, I'm looking something basic and cheap

Can the swivel motor be the same as the x,y,z steppers ?

thanks

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17 Jan 2011 12:13 #6741 by Rick G

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17 Jan 2011 12:36 - 17 Jan 2011 12:39 #6742 by BigJohnT
It looks like the zen comes with some nema 17 motors. I used Gecko 203v drives on my plasma. I think the 203v's are over kill for such a tiny thing so you might look at the G251 or G540.

www.geckodrive.com/product.aspx?c=3&i=14469

For the C axis you will need some kind of gear box to take the thrust loads and gear down the stepper. Steppers are not rated for any loads on the shaft other than torque. You might inquire on the zen forum if owners of the zen think it would take the thrust loads of cutting glass... I cut a piece of glass once and as I recall it takes some force but that was a long time ago...

John
Last edit: 17 Jan 2011 12:39 by BigJohnT. Reason: opps the pico is not a drive

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19 Jan 2011 06:58 #6769 by sherif.taher
Hi guys, thank you very much for the quick reply, I found the following bit

www.widgetworksunlimited.com/CNC_Diamond...p/cnc-dmnd_engrv.htm

it applies regulated adjustable pressure to the tip and it's advertised to cut glass, seems like the perfect solution that will eliminate the fourth axis requirement, did anyone try it before? any feedback?

most likely I will go with that solution

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24 Jan 2011 13:55 #6822 by andypugh
sherif.taher wrote:

www.widgetworksunlimited.com/CNC_Diamond...p/cnc-dmnd_engrv.htm


Looks like a simple (but expensive) solution.

You could always add the 4th axis if that doesn't work. (Actually, I very much doubt that you need a powered Z axis for your application).

Have you checked eBay? There are some very cheap stepper-motor and driver deals out there. Not the greatest quality, but certainly usable.
cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-Axis-CNC-Router-Stepper...23-PSU-/260713472888
For example.

I have a little bit of experience at creating a kinematics module which automatically sets a head to follow the tangent of the current path. If you decide to go with a wheel-type cutter then ask again here.

(I also have a bit of experience at stained glass work, but had not previously considered putting the two together.)

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29 Jan 2012 13:43 #17254 by nemoskull
dont forget some kind of coolant. cutting (grinding) holes in glass is difficult by hand and needs to be kept cool. was a glazer for a number of years.
just sayin'.

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