Precision Matthews PM-728VT CNC conversion

Teknic_Servo said:
Hi 7milesup,

Controllers that output 5-24 VDC step and direction commands are compatible with ClearPath-SD. Therefore, if your specific Linux controller outputs digital step and direction signals (see page 152 of the ClearPath user manual for specifications), then it should work well with ClearPath-SD.

FYI, we've had a number of customers successfully use the LinuxCNC controller with ClearPath SD motors.

-Ian R., Teknic Servo Systems Engineer
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Awesome! Thank you so much for your reply.
 
School me on enclosures please.

I have received confirmation from Teknic that my order has shipped; PM says the mill will ship end-Dec or early Jan. So now I am deciding on the enclosure.

I plan to put the electronics (Acorn, relay board, Acorn Power supply, Teknic IPC5 power supply, a DIN rail mounted 24V Mean Well power supply), and Teknic DC power distribution hub) into a metal enclosure, attached to the mill.

Ideally the enclosure will be dust protected and will have an attachment wall for Ethernet in, wall power in (240 and 120V), and connections to the three motors, e-stop and 3 inductive limit stops. The three motor cables (6 cables) will go through the wall through some opening, but the other will attach to the wall with connectors.

My main experience is with the Avid CNC RouterParts system which has a very nice 400 x 400 x 200 mm steel case and nice connectors on a removable side plate.

I need advice on what enclosure, what size, and which accessories (ie female-to female ethernet connectors, power in connectors, etc) do you recommend.
 
koenbro said:
School me on enclosures please.

I have received confirmation from Teknic that my order has shipped; PM says the mill will ship end-Dec or early Jan. So now I am deciding on the enclosure.

I plan to put the electronics (Acorn, relay board, Acorn Power supply, Teknic IPC5 power supply, a DIN rail mounted 24V Mean Well power supply), and Teknic DC power distribution hub) into a metal enclosure, attached to the mill.

Ideally the enclosure will be dust protected and will have an attachment wall for Ethernet in, wall power in (240 and 120V), and connections to the three motors, e-stop and 3 inductive limit stops. The three motor cables (6 cables) will go through the wall through some opening, but the other will attach to the wall with connectors.

My main experience is with the Avid CNC RouterParts system which has a very nice 400 x 400 x 200 mm steel case and nice connectors on a removable side plate.

I need advice on what enclosure, what size, and which accessories (ie female-to female ethernet connectors, power in connectors, etc) do you recommend.
Click to expand...

Check out Automationdirect.com, they have many enclosure options. Also check cnc4pc.com.
 
When I was building my CNC machine I did some searching on Amazon and came across a really nice Hoffman 24"x20"x8" steel pull box. Not sure why but the price was only $36 and free prime delivery. Now its $250. I have no clue why you can occasionally find really (really) good deals on Amazon (overstocking? discontinued?) but may be worth a look. It weighed 35lbs... shipping would have cost me more than I paid for it. The case worked perfectly. I was able to mount a plexiglass standoff board and DIN rails for a professional, clean setup. Even had room for a VFD in the case.
 
I’m a little late but on my Grizzly G0704 I used 570in/oz NEMA 23 steppers and 5mm pitch screws on all three axis. The machine is capable of high rapid speeds but I keep it set at 120IPM.

I used a 19” x 8” x 24” rack mount enclosure I bought on eBay. I paid around $100 for it.
 
On my PM-940V VNC conversion I used a Hubbell-Weigmann N41224160C enclosure from Automation Direct https://www.automationdirect.com/ad.../enclosures/wall-mount_enclosures/n412241608c. I cut large holes is the side where I mounted panels for my connectors. If I add or change connectors, I only have to replace the panel.

I used Molex connectors since they match the connectors on the Clearpath servos and I had some. If I do it again, I would probably use aviation style connectors.

For the Ethernet connection I used: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/harting/09454521504/3974499. It is a panel mount shielded Ethernet connector with a pigtail. They make different lengths of pigtails.

Here is what mine looks like:

IMG_2730.jpg
IMG_2734.jpg
 
ptrotter said:
On my PM-940V VNC conversion I used a Hubbell-Weigmann N41224160C enclosure from Automation Direct https://www.automationdirect.com/ad.../enclosures/wall-mount_enclosures/n412241608c. I cut large holes is the side where I mounted panels for my connectors. If I add or change connectors, I only have to replace the panel.

I used Molex connectors since they match the connectors on the Clearpath servos and I had some. If I do it again, I would probably use aviation style connectors.

For the Ethernet connection I used: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/harting/09454521504/3974499. It is a panel mount shielded Ethernet connector with a pigtail. They make different lengths of pigtails.
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That's a nice setup -- very similar to what I am going for. Also thanks for the link to the Ethernet bulkhead connector -- I have some female-to-female connectors, but they are unshielded and will buy the one you have. I was surprized to see that a lot of the enclosure boxes have solid walls -- I would make them with removable panels on at least two walls. So I have ordered a generic box from Amazon with a blank gland plate that I am going to cut with the plasma.

What tool did you use to crimp the Molex connectors?
 
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Can
Teknic_Servo said:
After doing some research into the PM-728, I have estimates for the typical load weight and cutting forces for each axis.
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Hi Ian,

Would you mind sharing your weight estimates here?

Thanks,


Chris
 
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FWIW: I found a thread where someone had weighed the head and table on a PM-25. The head was ~60lbs and the table was ~67lbs.
 
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