Teknic Power Supply for Router

[MecTechMike]

Folks,

I'm working with a school to build a router with a dual Y axis. The route is 4' x 4' gantry using 5mm lead ball screws. What kind of Teknic motors and power supply/supplies are you fellas using?

Thanks,
Mike

[Gary Campbell]

I use 20+ a year. Motors are calc'd for their individual placement requirements. Power supplies are 1 or 2 IPC 3 or IPC5, depending on motor draw. I only use Teknic power supplies with Teknic motors.

[thomas.dahl@web.de]

I am also curious which Clearpath motors people are actually using on their machines of this type... There are a lot of options and models. Looks like many would work just fine.. But what motors have others settled on and are actually using?

[Dave_C]

I am also curious which Clearpath motors people are actually using on their machines of this type... There are a lot of options and models. Looks like many would work just fine.. But what motors have others settled on and are actually using?

This is always the big question for DIY guys!

It really boils down to a few things:

What voltage are you going to run them on and it is usually 48 VDC up to 75VDC.

How much speed do you need and there is a trade off between power (NM) and speed (RPM) as the same physical size motor can be wound series or parallel.

And even after you have picked the motors you think you need you have to make sure you have enough amperage from your power supply to move all motors at the same time.

The way I have done it in the past is to look at other manufactures and see what size motors they use. Yes it takes some time but it will give you some good guide lines.

Every system is different and if you aren't sure, go for the higher power (NM) and maybe less speed.

My rule of thumb is big machines need power while smaller lighter machines can opt for speed. Or another way of looking at it, how much mass do you need to move and how fast do you want to get it up to that speed?

Just my two cents worth.

Dave C.

[thomas.dahl@web.de]

Hi Dave,

Thank you for your very constructive advice.

We are planning to use the 75VDC power supply recommended by Clearpath.

The machine is a very common design gantry CNC machine..Similar to the attached picture.

I have gone through the various motor specifications and understand most of the variables. There seems to be a lot of personal choice involved when selecting a motor combination.

I am just curious what motors others have settled on and are using. Call it a reality check if you like.

[hebs]

I got these for my 400kg mill (Sieg SX4 / Grizzly G0720R):

IPC5 powering 3 x SDSK motors:
X & Y axis: CPM-SDSK-2331S-ELS (fine resolution with seals)
Z axis: CPM-SDSK-3432S-ELN (fine resolution without seals)

Probably over kill for a router (or maybe not).
First of all I worked out the motor torque/power requirements for my mill - I did loads of research online for success stories of comparable sized mills (any brand stepper/servo). Then I considered my slowest acceptable federate for rapids and based on the max RPM of the motor (and ballscrew pitch) I selected a motor that had a maximum RPM about 20% above my target (possibly overkill).

I now have a machine that achieves my rapids target and can throw around the heavy axis quite easily. The motors would trip out at a reed rate about 20% above my target so my estimates weren’t far off.

Clearpath SDSK area perfect partner to centroid!

[Richards]

Like others have said, sizing motors requires calculations based on mass and speed. The little SDSK-2321S-RLN will drive a 5mm per turn ball screw at slightly faster than 500 inches per minute. It starts out with over 500 oz-in of peak torque and then drops to about 100 oz-in of torque continuous. Price is $299. The SDSK-3421P-RLN has slightly more peak torque but about 50% more continuous torque at the 231S's top speed. It can run a little faster, too. It costs $349 each.

By extending the ramp time in Wizard, a smaller motor might be able to move a greater mass.

Teknic has people who know their stuff. They also have a very good 90-day return policy for people like us who aren't sure which motor to use. Buy two motors, one that you think will work, and a larger motor. Try them both on your heaviest axis. Once you see what works with your machine, send the other one back and then purchase motors for the other axes.

If you end up using the 34XX motors, ask them about using two power supplies and their power hub board. You can plug two power supplies and four motors into the hub.