Milling machine power feed

[Stevohdee]

hey guys

Developed RSI after turning the x axis for hours on end, hence had to make power feed device. OMG... never gunna do it the old way ever again!!
Here's what I came up with...











cheers stevoh

[PJs]

Bravo, Nice and clean Stevoh! Looks like you already got an award for it on the inside of the sheet metal. Did you fabricate the controller board? I see the screw coupling and flex coupler but curious how you did it. Been a few conversation here about how it gets done and would enjoy your take on doing it.

Thanks, Great share!

PJ

[Stevohdee]

Thanks PJ,
I've got an electronics engineer friend whos amazing, I just tell him what I need and he makes it. He found the motor and electronics and I designed the box around the bits and installed them. The box is made from spare award A4 size plates I used to engrave, had so many @ one stage just threw them out. Here's a few pics of coupling.





This pic shows the material I found on the side of road... yaaayy, freebie!!



cheers

[PJs]

Thanks for the additional pics Steveoh! Had no idea you did engraving as well, always like the art of it. Nice to have Buds that can help out like that and a pretty clean little board. Nice hunk to find on the side of the road. I was going to ask the same question Frank did about engagement. Think there was a discussion here awhile back about a dissengagement system. Think yours may be open to that by changing the tapered coupler a bit, but if it works for you by turning the motor, should be OK.

Thanks again and congrats on the cool upgrade!

PJ

[Frank S]

Do you have the ability to disengage it for those times when you will need to use the manual wheel?

[Stevohdee]

Do you have the ability to disengage it for those times when you will need to use the manual wheel?

Hey frank, no disengage system, turning the wheel by hand just turns the motor with it no problem

[Frank S]

I was just wondering because I used to have a Bridgeport with power feed I had to dis engage the feed to use the hand wheel
Edit, is the electronics and the motor capable of upgrading to NC or CNC later on if you wanted to do so?

[Stevohdee]

I was just wondering because I used to have a Bridgeport with power feed I had to dis engage the feed to use the hand wheel

I guess different kind of motors or gearing

[Frank S]

I guess different kind of motors or gearing

The Bridge port had a 96v DC motor with right angle drive something like 12 wires came out of it

[Stevohdee]

Hey frank, about cnc capability, dont know, my friend did try a stepper motor to start with & couldnt get it to work, it was going to be driven with a digital panel which i thought too painful to use, so I opted for simple system, good ol fashioned knobs