Hi All
Ioannis:
I am looking for parts that would give the precision for the job.
I have dabbled in building manufacturing CNC machines, the word that stands out is precision / repeatability , and for that you need to spend proper money. I know you are using precision in the subjective sense, but just look over at the hosted sister forum (no name ) and look at the problems that even a simple CNC can generate like the recent debacle over a “hobby” colinbus kit.

We know there is a plethora of sites dedicated to CNC but I have found that www.cnczone.com and its extensive forum always always worth a visit. In the UK automotion has been making a presence over the last few years at the big manufacturing exhibitions. They have a some reference books particularly “linear and rotary motion components” which is a handy start, they are at www.automotion.co.uk

Of course Wixroyd has to be listed for accessories.

In any event one main enemy is going to be vibration, the foundations of a plant in my opinion is of singular importance, you can spend hours farting around tweaking with dampers, braces etc, but there is nothing to beat a good solid ground flat base and if you can’t bolt it to a concrete floor then secure it to a pile of concrete slabs.


As for fascias, I sometimes use Quick-Mark which is the replacement for the 3M Dynamark, but if you are only wanting one-off prototypes, there is nothing to beat a photocolour inkjet print and a simple laminating machine. Use a laser or sublimation inks for UV stable prints, I havn’t tried it with a wax printer yet. Fix them with a permanent photomount spray, if you do suffer from possibility of curl then use carpet fixing spray adhesive. Sometimes I use my PCB layout software (Eagle) as the Artwork source, creating separate colourways in unused layers, very useful when rearranging components that project or are position critical through the enclosure/artwork.

Duncan