New To Me Compact 5 for CNC

[rodm717]

I just picked up Compact 5 and am converting from manual to cnc. Craftsman, I believe, due to the all grey color and lack of emco badging. I picked up a original emco cnc cross slide, cnc cross slide ball screw and nut, cnc longitudinal ball screw and ball nut, cnc motor brackets, cnc belts, and two Keling nema 23 270 oz.in. 2.8a dual shaft steppers. I could not find two mxl 16t 050 pulleys , 1 source that had only one 11mm left, in the US. I have four 11mm coming from China, a Christmas present i guess, unless i find another US source.
I plan on using another 4 axis control to start. But, don't think i'm going to enjoy re configuring drives between a lathe and mill.
I'm sure it will have its own control in short order.

I needed to mod the chip pan to accommodate the bearing bracket for long screw and also notch out the factory iron at rear bearing housing.
Other than settling on tool holding, i hope to have this figured out soon.
There are a few nicks on ways that i need to address with a stone. For less than $1k net all in for a C5 cnc, i'm a happy guy.

If anyone has recommendations for OXA or other tool holding, i'd love to hear.

 

[markba633csi]

I believe Emco made a Compact 5 CNC version but it will be interesting to see how yours turns out!
Nice precise lathe
mark

 

[rodm717]

Yes, they did. That is where the parts are coming from, a cnc version. They are plug and play with manual c5 lathe. The chip tray, rear bearing block and a pocket for front bearing block need modded. Most people end up retrofitting controls , i.e, steppers, drivers and control board anyway.
The only thing missing, but not needed option is a turret tool post. They go for $600- $700.
This conversion is more cost effective than buying the cnc version in most cases. By quite a bit actually.

I have the lathe broken down and trying to figure out the best way to pocket front and model rear bearing blocks. The chip pan cutout was easy.
The front require a .06" deep pocket and rear a .87" slot. I could caveman it, but would prefer milling.

 

[rodm717]

I ended up milling the front bearing block .06" instead of pocketing mill iron. Then proceeded to mount cnc saddle and transfer punch hole locations for front and rear bearing block on bed. I positioned saddle, as close as possible, to each block during transfer operation for best alignment . Very happy with results so far.

 

[rodm717]

I ended up slotting front floating bearing bracket to ensure proper alignment. I also broke off one of the plastic mounting flanges operating long ballscrew with a drill. (Low speed, low speed). Which prompted a fix.
I designed and fabricated a bolster plate for ball nut to saddle connection utilizing the existing M4 points for attaching wiper and adding a optional hole for drilling a third mounting point in plastic. A lot faster than a new nut mount while improving the connection. M5 and M4 x 12mm screws.
Anyone interested, i can make more of these plates and may list a few on ebay. These plates are .25" thick and are machined on a cnc mill. These are stepped fit over and used in conjunction with stock wiper plate. Has an additional hole to drill and trap another mounting point in plastic.
The rear bearing block lines up, but unfortunately is not square. Off by about .025" Fully functional, but not perfect.

 

[rodm717]

At this point waiting on mxl motor pulleys.
Hopefully arrive sooner rather than later.
I ordered 16t and 15t pulleys 11mm wide.
Worst case,I turn down flange for 1mm as the belt spec is 1/2".

 

[rodm717]

Getting close now. Purchased Keling/Automation Direct KL-5042 drivers and got upgraded to 5042e drivers. Couldn't find the difference between the two. Have a auto tool turret coming from a cnc5 lathe and the pulleys and motors are mounted. I also ordered a 12v psu and dtdp relay. I may also have to order a separate timer to get it to work properly with pokeys57cnc controller.

 

[rodm717]

So i finally decided to go full bore on controls after playing around with idea to just use a generic BOB. I changed my mind when I saw these blogs- - https://blog.poscope.com/auggie-cnc-machine-controller-for-pokeys/
- https://blog.poscope.com/encoder-threading-mach4-lathe-usb-cnc-controller-pokeys57cnc/

I already have been using pokeys and Mach 4 with my mill and really like it. Looking at Acorn, it is somewhat comparable, but limited in basic cnc machining functions, while pokeys does a whole lot more and traction with mach 4 developers is going to lead to even more.
The auto turret came in and operates correctly in manual.
I also fabricated a long screw cover in 16ga. alu
I am stuck on motor and control choice. Dc would be great, but have not located a decent set-up that surpasses 400w.

 

[rodm717]

So I ordered a Techtop GR3-AL-TF-56C-2-B-D-.5hp 3600rpm motor and Automation Direct GS1-10P5 VFD. I also received a 600p/r rotary encoder and did receive some info and guidance from another forum on set-up with pokeys on tooling turret and optical sensor.
Seems like a prolonged journey, but will get there eventually.
Fresh paint, rigid mounting and a 16ga. aluminum control box are some of the next steps, along with bench testing all components. Rigid mount may end up being overkill, but would rather error on side of caution and hopefully a better finish on turned parts.

 

[rodm717]

Finally decided on and ordered HTD5m-15mm Pulleys and belt.
At this point trying to decide how to modify original chip tray, adding rigidity and some room for the motor. Inverter Duty aluminum motor, but definitely industrial. It looks huge in comparison with original motor. While there is room and the cross-slide shouldn't need to come any further, it's a bit tight and want to add a shroud to keep debris off motor.