Budget CNC machining
Channel: LinuxConfAu 2018 - Sydney, Australia
Date: 2018-01-25

Ben Martin

http://lca2018.linux.org.au/schedule/presentation/55/

Turning a budget $600 chinese 3040 CNC into a monster that eats 1/2 inch 6061 alloy for lunch. Why you shouldn't be intimidated by upgrading a CNC to run open firmware and be more capable and extend the software interface to the machine.

Along the way replace the controller which wanted a parallel port with a SmoothieBoard running open source firmware on a cortex-m microcontroller, build server software to allow MQTT machine control opening the door to MQTT remote controls and MQTT over WebSockets bootstrap web interfaces. The big gulp situation of one way butchering the original spindle mount when you upgrade to a 2.2kw, 24krpm cutter. The more advanced upgrades to completely replace the z axis assembly to gain more travel in the lead up to 4 and 5 axis machining.

Some might say that managing file lists and cut jobs with MQTT is a contortion of the technology, but if it's useful and it works then why not?

This talk was given at Linux.conf.au 2018 (LCA2018) which was held on 22-26 January 2018 in Sydney Australia.

linux.conf.au is a conference about the Linux operating system, and all aspects of the thriving ecosystem of Free and Open Source Software that has grown up around it. Run since 1999, in a different Australian or New Zealand city each year, by a team of local volunteers, LCA invites more than 500 people to learn from the people who shape the future of Open Source. For more information on the conference see https://linux.conf.au/

#linux.conf.au #linux #foss #opensource