Friday, March 21, 2014

DIY CNC Build in Switzerland - Building the Gantry

Finally, I finished cutting the aluminium extrusions according to my design.
As you can see in the picture above, there is only one problem: the hacksaw traces. The cut was perfectly straight and right angle. Here is the picture of all the pieces cut for the gantry.
All the pieces are cut with the jug I built except the middle size ones. I have cut those with my angle grinder:) So, lets start building the gantry. In order to mount the aluminium extrusions to eachother, we need a special set screw, which has a tapered screw hole in it. This can be bought from special stores or aluminium profile sellers.
What I did was to screw this set screw into the hole of aluminium extrusion.
You should clear 5 mm in the bore of aluminium extrusion to mount the T type aluminium extrusion mount bracket. This comes in two pieces. One is attached to the set screw and one is slided into the target extrusion for mounting.
The two pieces are mounted together via these connection point with 2 screws.
Actually, while I was trying to fit the extrusions, I found a better design to mount my steel rods. So I have updated the Sketchup desing(not uploaded yet). See below.
The distance between the alu extrusions should be exactly same at both sides to make sure smooth assembly. So here is the (almost)finished gantry. I need to cut some pieces to add to top of the gantry for better support.

3 comments:

  1. Dear Ozgur,
    I came across your post while searching for extruded aluminium T-slot rails for a project I've been planning for some time. I'm new to Switzerland, from South Africa and don't speak German (yet). The aluminium rails you're using appear to be exactly what I'm looking for. Would you be so kind as to suggest a supplier in or near Zurich? I would really prefer not to have to order these from overseas. Many thanks for your time.
    Kind regards,
    Woody

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    Replies
    1. Hi Woody,

      I am currently in vacation. Everything related to aluminum extrusion is stored to my laptop. I will send you the details when i am back. I ordered from a company(Germany) only once. The rest of aluminum extrusions are coming from special recycling center.

      Regards,
      Özgür

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