I've been interested in your machines, but the designs seem to side load most of the v-bearings, which raise questions about bearing life, and reliability. Isn't there a better choice of bearing configurations?

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Question #: 8009

Question: I've been interested in your machines, but the designs seem to side load most of the v-bearings, which raise questions about bearing life, and reliability. Isn't there a better choice of bearing configurations?

Current Solution

All of our machines exhibis radial loads on all of our bearings with the exception of the bearings on the z-axis lead screw that holds the lead screw in place. These lead screw bearings are held between a coupling and a collar and the load on these bearings are well within their specifications.

The v-groove bearings that are used for movement along rails have load centered between the double races of the bearings (from where the point load from the rails exist within the center of the "W" profile of the bearing). There may be slight axial load on bearings on the z-axis positioned on the rails for z-axis up and down movement and y-axis side to side movement where torsion load exists from load on the end mill during the milling process; however, this is a very small fraction of total load on these bearings are are well within specification.

Can you let us know where you see side (axial) load on our bearings, so we can better describe the conditions? Thanks.

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I NEED HELP IN GATHERING PUBLISHED INFORMATION ABOUT THE RISKS POSED BY CELL TOWERS PLACED ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. THERE WHICH WOULD ENABLE ME TO GATHER/CALCULATE OR MEASURE RADIATION SPECIFIC SITE?
The best single reference is the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Website. Look for:
Bulletin 56, "Questions and Answers about Biological Effects and Potential Hazards of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields,"

Bulletin 65, "Evaluating Compliance With FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields,"

"A Local Government Official's Guide to Transmitting Antenna RF Emission Safety: Rules, Procedures, and Practical Guidance."
An excellent technical paper with field measurements of cell-tower emissions was published by R.C. Petersen and P.A. Testagrossa in the journal Bioelectromagnetics, volume 13, page 527ff, 1992. If you need onsite technical support and services there are various consultants available, such as Richard Tell Associates, Inc. Gary Zeman, ScD, CHP Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
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I NEED HELP IN GATHERING PUBLISHED INFORMATION ABOUT THE RISKS POSED BY CELL TOWERS PLACED ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. THERE WHICH WOULD ENABLE ME TO GATHER/CALCULATE OR MEASURE RADIATION SPECIFIC SITE?
Hi, I am very interested in this CNC Router unit [4'x8'], but from South Africa with our exchange rat [1$ =13,4 ZAR presently, make these kits out of reach. The plans part has been discontinued, but in our situation, would you reconsider and supply full plans and instructions at a cost? please let me know.
Dealing with a 4' x 12' machine, our blackFoot kit will be your best option. Since our machines are only limited to the width but not length wise, you can add however much extra rail and roller chain to accommodate your extended length. Now adding our 4th axis kit (https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/axes-4th) will be needed for your 4th axis (unless custom design is required).

These items will be the best requirements to build a 4' x 12' 4th axis machine.
Machine (either parallel/USB BoB): https://www.buildyourcnc.com/blackFoot48v40.aspx
4th axis: https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/axes-4th
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Hi, I am very interested in this CNC Router unit [4'x8'], but from South Africa with our exchange rat [1$ =13,4 ZAR presently, make these kits out of reach. The plans part has been discontinued, but in our situation, would you reconsider and supply full plans and instructions at a cost? please let me know.
Hi, I am very interested in this CNC Router unit [4'x8'], but from South Africa with our exchange rat [1$ =13,4 ZAR presently, make these kits out of reach. The plans part has been discontinued, but in our situation, would you reconsider and supply full plans and instructions at a cost? please let me know.
We are toying with the idea of re-introducing plans for some of our machines. Please give us a call to discuss further.
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Hi, I am very interested in this CNC Router unit [4'x8'], but from South Africa with our exchange rat [1$ =13,4 ZAR presently, make these kits out of reach. The plans part has been discontinued, but in our situation, would you reconsider and supply full plans and instructions at a cost? please let me know.
I WOULD LIKE TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE PHYSICS PRINCIPLES REGARDING USE OF MOBILE PHONES AND DEVELOPMENT BRAIN TUMORS. I'VE BEEN THROUGH MANY SITES BUT THEY CAN NEVER GIVE AN EXACT ANSWER. REALLY SOMEONE TUMORS OR DOES IT HAVE DO WITH INTENSITY RADIATION DISTANCE BETWEEN PHONE INDIVIDUAL?
It is not clear that mobile phones do produce brain tumors, or any serious health effects for that matter. A number of epidemiology studies have been almost completely negative on the issue.

See the article I wrote with John Moulder in IEEE Spectrum magazine and also Moulder's FAQ on mobile phones and health.

There has been a lot of discussion over the years about the possible mechanisms by which microwave energy such as emitted by cell phones might produce biological effects. The one unequivocal mechanism is the heating of tissue, but mobile phones operate at power levels that are too low to cause noticeable heating in the user. Scientists have speculated about other mechanisms, but these theories remain unproven and many of them have been challenged on biophysical grounds.

Whatever may be the risks or nonrisks of mobile phone radiation, a hands-free kit is an effective way for the user to reduce his or her exposure to radiofrequency energy while using a mobile phone.

Kenneth R. Foster, Professor
Department of Bioengineering
University of Pennsylvania
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I WOULD LIKE TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE PHYSICS PRINCIPLES REGARDING USE OF MOBILE PHONES AND DEVELOPMENT BRAIN TUMORS. I'VE BEEN THROUGH MANY SITES BUT THEY CAN NEVER GIVE AN EXACT ANSWER. REALLY SOMEONE TUMORS OR DOES IT HAVE DO WITH INTENSITY RADIATION DISTANCE BETWEEN PHONE INDIVIDUAL?
I'm interested in buying your blacktooth laser engraver for cutting out inlays on woodworking projects. I am new to laser engraving/cutting, and CAD. What is the simplest beginning software setup available to allow me to cut 2D shapes and letters for inlay work?
With our blackTooth kit, if you were to go with our lowest cost machine being $1700. With the parallel breakout board the best new beginner programs you can use, would be Mach 3 and ArtCAM, since it is a good program for beginning users.

Now if you feel a little comfortable with CAD/CAM, I would recommend CAMBAM and is a good overall software since it has a large design screen which allows you to view your design more clearly.

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I want to avoid the Parallel Port option and go with USB. In that case, is Planet-CNC Software, and ArtCAM the best combination? Does Planet-CNC do the same thing as Mach 3 only with different physical ports?
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I'm interested in buying your blacktooth laser engraver for cutting out inlays on woodworking projects. I am new to laser engraving/cutting, and CAD. What is the simplest beginning software setup available to allow me to cut 2D shapes and letters for inlay work?
BUT DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING ABOUT COOLING THE LASER OFF - IS YOUR SETUP LIKE MOST OTHERS NEED BUCKET OF DISTILLED WATER TO PUMP THROUGH MACHINE?
Cooling is not as tricky as you might think. There is 3 ways to approach this, only 2 really matter for a low scale 40w setup. First one is the cheapest and easiest. The higher the temp of water the worse your performance will be, from what I understand anything in the 30C range is about the most tolerable it gets. Lower is better. But not frozen...from what I've been told a very experienced cutter, he found 8C was the highest power he achieved.

1. Use a 5 Gallon resovoir system which gives you a fairly large space of water to heat up before you need to tend to it. Add about a cup of anti-freeze to the mix of DISTILLED water. You don't want ANY minerals in the water that might build up in your system. The anti-freeze works to keep algae and other ickies from growing in your water.

2. Use a smaller resovoir system (or even closed loop) and install 1 or more radiators found in CPU cooling systems with 120mm fans attached. This will continously cool your water system to ambient room temperatures, but with a tiny resovoir it will be difficult to add things like ice-packs to drop the temps if the ambient is quite hot.

3. Using an industrial coolant system. Overkill and unless your cutting A LOT, this is a very expensive option to take. You can also explore the idea of Peltier cooling but it is extremely expensive electricity/BTU wise compared to an industrial cooler.
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BUT DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING ABOUT COOLING THE LASER OFF - IS YOUR SETUP LIKE MOST OTHERS NEED BUCKET OF DISTILLED WATER TO PUMP THROUGH MACHINE?
I am having a significant amount of trouble getting the 1/2" ID bearing to fit over the 1/2" 5 start lead screw. I can only get it about half an inch onto the rod. Any tips to get it to slide further?
There should be no problem with getting the 1/2" ID bearing on the lead screw, unless there is a bent in the lead screw or it has a piece of debris that is causing a issue.

Unless one of these items were purchased from a 3rd party, then there might be tolerance issues from the original manufacture which might cause this issue.
If possible please send photos to customerservice@buildyourcnc.com
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I am having a significant amount of trouble getting the 1/2" ID bearing to fit over the 1/2" 5 start lead screw. I can only get it about half an inch onto the rod. Any tips to get it to slide further?
[77] Hello. I’m interested in buying a water cooled spindle and VFD. I have an Avid Pro CNC and would love to control it using Mach 4 but I keep hearing it’s difficult to integrate. Also, is the water pump 120 or 240? I’d love any advice etc. eBay is a web of confusion with all of the options. Thank you.
You will need to look for the parameter that controls the run frequency. The frequency can be controlled bu the panel, external terminals, or the RS485 TX/RX terminals (UART protocol). You will want to change that parameter so it uses the panel. If you are referring to the maximum panel dial frequency is only allowing 200-300 rpm, then look for the parameters to control the frequency.

For 200 RPM:
Hz = 200/60 = 3.33 Hz

For 300 RPM:
Hz = 300/60 = 5 Hz

Conversion to RPM:
If you ever find yourself yearning to reverse-engineer the process, the formula is as follows:

RPM = Hz × 60

Look for values that match somewhere between 3 and 5 in your frequency parameters and replace them with 400 to give you 24,000 RPM max.
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[77] Hello. I’m interested in buying a water cooled spindle and VFD. I have an Avid Pro CNC and would love to control it using Mach 4 but I keep hearing it’s difficult to integrate. Also, is the water pump 120 or 240? I’d love any advice etc. eBay is a web of confusion with all of the options. Thank you.
HI, I HAVE INTENTION OF PURCHASING YOUR 1/2 INCH PRECISION LEAD SCREW SET TO BUILD MY CNC MACHINE, COULD THE SCHEMATIC DIMENSION ANTI-BACKLASH NUT, BEARING FOR AND SHIM? ALSO IS 2.2KW SPINDLE ABLE MILL ALUMINUM WHAT ACCURACY?
BYCNC response:

Milling aluminum is no problem with our machines.

Here is a video we recently did with our 4'x8' machine. The aluminum piece is about 1/4" thick: https://buildyourcnc.com/tutorials/tutorial-greenbull-aluminum-cutting

The accuracy you will see from our our 2.2kW spindle is entirely dependent on the precision of your build, so it's not possible to say what level of accuracy you can achieve without an examination of the complete system. However, our spindles have a runout of less than .0001 in, which includes the collets that we sell. If you use a collet from another manufacturer, we cannot guarantee this TIR (Total Indicated Runout) dimension.

For the dimension drawing of the anti-backlash nut, please contact us directly by phone or email to techsupport@buildyourcnc.com

User response:
I have emailed waiting for your reply.

User response:
Hi, I am still waiting for your email reply.

BYCNC response:
Your email has been sent.

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HI, I HAVE INTENTION OF PURCHASING YOUR 1/2 INCH PRECISION LEAD SCREW SET TO BUILD MY CNC MACHINE, COULD THE SCHEMATIC DIMENSION ANTI-BACKLASH NUT, BEARING FOR AND SHIM? ALSO IS 2.2KW SPINDLE ABLE MILL ALUMINUM WHAT ACCURACY?
HI, I HAVE INTENTION OF PURCHASING YOUR 1/2 INCH PRECISION LEAD SCREW SET TO BUILD MY CNC MACHINE, COULD THE SCHEMATIC DIMENSION ANTI-BACKLASH NUT, BEARING FOR AND SHIM? ALSO IS 2.2KW SPINDLE ABLE MILL ALUMINUM WHAT ACCURACY?
BYCNC response:

Milling aluminum is no problem with our machines.

Here is a video we recently did with our 4'x8' machine. The aluminum piece is about 1/4" thick: https://buildyourcnc.com/tutorials/tutorial-greenbull-aluminum-cutting

The accuracy you will see from our our 2.2kW spindle is entirely dependent on the precision of your build, so it's not possible to say what level of accuracy you can achieve without an examination of the complete system. However, our spindles have a runout of less than .0001 in, which includes the collets that we sell. If you use a collet from another manufacturer, we cannot guarantee this TIR (Total Indicated Runout) dimension.

For the dimension drawing of the anti-backlash nut, please contact us directly by phone or email to techsupport@buildyourcnc.com

User response:
I have emailed waiting for your reply.

User response:
Hi, I am still waiting for your email reply.

BYCNC response:
Your email has been sent.

Additional Information:

Additional Information:

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HI, I HAVE INTENTION OF PURCHASING YOUR 1/2 INCH PRECISION LEAD SCREW SET TO BUILD MY CNC MACHINE, COULD THE SCHEMATIC DIMENSION ANTI-BACKLASH NUT, BEARING FOR AND SHIM? ALSO IS 2.2KW SPINDLE ABLE MILL ALUMINUM WHAT ACCURACY?
In the Build your own CNC machine book, You said you use 1 1/4" angle on the main table but 1" would be better. So my question is Should I use 1" angle on the main table (4' length) and 1 1/4" angle for the BRA's and other rails?
You can use either 1" x 1" x 1/8", or 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" x 1/8" angle on the table sides. The BRAs should all be 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/8". The Y ans Z axes should use the 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/8" angles.
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In the Build your own CNC machine book, You said you use 1 1/4" angle on the main table but 1" would be better. So my question is Should I use 1" angle on the main table (4' length) and 1 1/4" angle for the BRA's and other rails?
Am I supposed to drill a hole in the back of the gantry to access the wires for the motor?? There does not seem to be a way to access the wires for the x axis motor once the gantry back is installed.
The installation of the motor inside the gantry is mounted and wired before installation of the back plate of the gantry. For Example, our blackFoot machine seen in steps(124/139), you can see that the gantry and and z axis is complete finished before back plate is placed.
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Am I supposed to drill a hole in the back of the gantry to access the wires for the motor?? There does not seem to be a way to access the wires for the x axis motor once the gantry back is installed.
Wiring the greenBull stepper motors, in the video you say to look at the data sheet for the motor, which is the 651, in the data sheet it shows A, B, C, D, for the colors, and in the video you say A+, A- and so on. Is there a video for wiring the connection to the RedFly that I bought to better explain what I need to do next. I'm using 16c4 SO cord, so I can match color to color on the motor side.
The upper right hand corner of the data sheet found at https://buildyourcnc.com/Documents/PN.SM86HT80-5504B-U(inhouse%20PN.85BYGH450A-47-80)%20(1).pdf labels the coil wires A-D and also by color, which refers to the colors coming off of the motor. Our specification for A+, A-, B+, B- follows the labeling of the driver connections where A+ is coil A's positive lead and the same for the B coil. If you find yourself wiring 4-wire stepper motors without a datasheet, you can easily determine which colors go together with an ohmmeter. Each pair associated with the same coil will have continuity (negligable resistance) between them.

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https://buildyourcnc.com/Documents/PN.SM86HT80-5504B-U has an error
HTTP Error 404.0 - Not Found
The resource you are looking for has been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable
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Wiring the greenBull stepper motors, in the video you say to look at the data sheet for the motor, which is the 651, in the data sheet it shows A, B, C, D, for the colors, and in the video you say A+, A- and so on. Is there a video for wiring the connection to the RedFly that I bought to better explain what I need to do next. I'm using 16c4 SO cord, so I can match color to color on the motor side.
I LIVE IN ITALY AND WISH TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RADIATIONS CAUSED FROM MOBILE TELEPHONES. TELECOM WOULD LIKE PLACE A WIRE-ANTENNA THE HEARTH OF MY TOWN, I'M AFRAID IT. WHICH KIND RISK HEALTH COULD IT CAUSE? THANK YOU IF WILL SEND ME SOME INFORMATION SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES THIS PROBLEM!
See the question on our "Ask the Expert" question-and-answer list on cellular towers under nonionizing radiation for a discussion of RF safety issues associated with cellular radios. The technology underlying cellular radios and base station antennas is similar around the world, but there are differences in systems design and RF safety limits in different countries. For a summary of cellular radio RF safety issues with attention to international differences see the excellent Web page, Cellular Phone Antennas (Base Stations) and Human Health, by John E. Molder, Ph.D., from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Gary H. Zeman Sc.D., CHP
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I LIVE IN ITALY AND WISH TO KNOW MORE ABOUT RADIATIONS CAUSED FROM MOBILE TELEPHONES. TELECOM WOULD LIKE PLACE A WIRE-ANTENNA THE HEARTH OF MY TOWN, I'M AFRAID IT. WHICH KIND RISK HEALTH COULD IT CAUSE? THANK YOU IF WILL SEND ME SOME INFORMATION SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES THIS PROBLEM!
THERE HAS BEEN A CELL PHONE BASE INSTALLED IN THE FIRE TOWER. PANELS ARE VERTICAL AND LOCATED ABOUT 75 FEET AT TOP OF UNLIKE SOME TOWERS I HAVE SEEN NO ROUND DISKS BEAMING LIGHTS. NIGHT, TOWER MATERIAL DARK. DOES THIS MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE RELATED HEALTH ISSUES WITH RF EXPOSURE IT POSSIBLE RECEIVE-ONLY TRANSMITTER ?
There has been a cell phone base installed in the fire tower. The panels are vertical and located about 75 feet at the top of the tower. Unlike some towers I have seen there are no round disks and no beaming lights. At night, the tower and cell phone material are dark. Does this make any difference in any related health issues with RF exposure and is it possible the tower is a receive-only transmitter ?
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THERE HAS BEEN A CELL PHONE BASE INSTALLED IN THE FIRE TOWER. PANELS ARE VERTICAL AND LOCATED ABOUT 75 FEET AT TOP OF UNLIKE SOME TOWERS I HAVE SEEN NO ROUND DISKS BEAMING LIGHTS. NIGHT, TOWER MATERIAL DARK. DOES THIS MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE RELATED HEALTH ISSUES WITH RF EXPOSURE IT POSSIBLE RECEIVE-ONLY TRANSMITTER ?
I have my whiteAnt extruding and printing but the prints seem a bit "spidery". The the filament strands are not tightly knit together and there are gaps. Are there adjustments that should be made for temperature, speed and distance to accomodate the thinner extrustions of the MK7 extruder?
Please amke sure that you have performed the calibration. Check in the control panel used for manual control, and set the temperature to 205 degrees Celcius, and make sure the program is seeing the temperature rise. Once the temperature has reached 205, manually jog the feed for the extruder and make sure you are extruding evenly. Make sure all your bolts are tight, and that you have your machine on a level surface. You may try placing your machine on a board, and using some "L" brakets against the bottom feet area, to stablize the machine from torquing. Also, make sure your extruder head is clean and free of debris. If all of this does not help, you can give us a call and we will see if there is anything else we can figure out that may help.
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I have my whiteAnt extruding and printing but the prints seem a bit "spidery". The the filament strands are not tightly knit together and there are gaps. Are there adjustments that should be made for temperature, speed and distance to accomodate the thinner extrustions of the MK7 extruder?
Its mentioned that your USB Breakout board is based on Planet-CNC's MK1 board. Planet-CNC on their forums mention that they've discontinued their MK1 because of a low buffer memory which caused jitters and jerks in the machine? Am I likely to face a similar problem with your board?
Dealing with our USB BoB, it is really similar to the MK1 board, but is also loosely based on their DIY board as well. We have not seen that much of jitters or jerks, that we have noticed here while fabricating and testing the boards. We have not heard that many issues dealing with the board about abnormalities in running, unless we have not been notified in regards to customers who have used them under continuous use.
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Its mentioned that your USB Breakout board is based on Planet-CNC's MK1 board. Planet-CNC on their forums mention that they've discontinued their MK1 because of a low buffer memory which caused jitters and jerks in the machine? Am I likely to face a similar problem with your board?
Hello, I'm interested in GreenBull 5'x10' CNC machine kit with 40W laser head. Is it possible to receive an offer for this size cnc machine kit with all the mechanics, electronics and laser parts, but without all the wooden parts? We would like to build this kind of laser cutter machine with metal frame and parts. And is it possible also to get 3D drawing for machine? Waiting for your answer.
We do offer all of the parts; but it is best to purchase them a la carte. You will probably not want the hardware since this would not conform to a design in metal.

All of the mechanical parts are available here:
https://buildyourcnc.com/CNCMachineMechanicalParts.aspx

All of the electronics you would need is available here:
https://buildyourcnc.com/electronicscombo.aspx

All of the laser components are available here:
https://buildyourcnc.com/LaserComponents.aspx

And the spindles and VFDs are available here:
https://buildyourcnc.com/SpindlesAndAccessories.aspx

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Hello, I'm interested in GreenBull 5'x10' CNC machine kit with 40W laser head. Is it possible to receive an offer for this size cnc machine kit with all the mechanics, electronics and laser parts, but without all the wooden parts? We would like to build this kind of laser cutter machine with metal frame and parts. And is it possible also to get 3D drawing for machine? Waiting for your answer.
I purchased the driver boards and MB shield for the White Ant. None of the headers are labeled. Is there a diagram showing which headers is for which axis? Is there also a diagram showing which pin on the driver is ABCD? I have watched the vids and the boards in them do not match what was sent to me.
The axis and connection information for the 3D Printer Main Board can be found here in the instructions below the product information.

https://www.buildyourcnc.com/item/3D-Printer-Component-electronicsAndMotors-3d-printer-mainboard-FDMElectronics-3dprintermainboard
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I purchased the driver boards and MB shield for the White Ant. None of the headers are labeled. Is there a diagram showing which headers is for which axis? Is there also a diagram showing which pin on the driver is ABCD? I have watched the vids and the boards in them do not match what was sent to me.