i wrote some minor posts in the past - and i am really thankful for the help i get.
i startet planning a cnc lathe 2 years ago and since half a year i am busy with building the machine itself. i want to share my thoughts and my progress with you. i did a lot of research before starting the planning and there are not so many infos in the internet as i though, especaly when you look for semi professional solutions. so with that report i want to give something back.
my initial plans:
i habe a conventional mini lathe, around 120kg, since 15 years and do really cool things on it. but i want to see some progress and looked for a bigger lathe. but conventional machines will not improve my work, so i startet to think about CNC. I had no experience with CNC at all, so everything was new for me. but i now the reports about homemade milling machines, so my thoughts were: well, i need a machine bed, a headstock and 2 axis, thats all. cannot be a big thing. now i know, in theory it isnt a big thing, but the real life is different
first step was finding a headstock. and this was the most difficult part. nearly nothing was available on the market, until i found a headstock of a Weiler 160 CNC Lathe, a 100kg solid steel part with 55027-5 taper and 42mm spindle bore - a little bit to big and heavy, but it looked good to me. after having the headstock in my workshop i realised, that all of the bearings were broken - changing it was really a challange and expensive. but since i started the journey, there is no way back.
the second question was about the machine bed. there was also no fitting product available so i startet looking for a massive granite block with inserts for the threads. but then i realised, that it would be too heavy and not good to handle in my small workshop. so i changed the concept to a 500kg casting iron plate with 1200x700x200mm size. when i thought about the tailstock i had the idea to combine it with a milling spindle. to i created a concept with 2 parallel Z Axis and one for the lathe operation, the other one for milling operation.
after having a concept, i startet collecting the needed parts and in october 2023 i ordered the steel and startet welding.
the single steps of the building progress can be found in the google album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/M6hT74zYTCGFTgs86
to summarize the specs:
1500kg machine weight
4kw Spindle servo with combined C Axis, upto 4000 rpm
750w axis servo
450mm Z1 travel
120mm X1 travel
central lubrication system
closed loop with linear scales on all axis
Acorn6 with Ultimate Lathe Software
fully enclosed housing to use lubrication and cooling while working
8-tool turret is planned
servo milling spindle with Capto C3 tool change system
here you can find a youtube video which is showing the concept of the machine. when you check the playlist you will find some other videos of the building progress
today i finished the X1 axis and now the first chips are not far away anymore. if you are interested in the progress i will keep you updated and show the upcoming updates.
best regards,
Michael