The 5 Axis CNC Robot from ShopBot

[nick]

Hey guys...has anybody heard if the 5 Axis CNC Robot from ShopBot is going to hit the market soon or will it stay a prototype for some years?

Just curious...

[Brady Watson]

5-axis hardware is relatively cheap. It's the design software and toolpathing software that does true 5-axis toolpathing that is the real cost. Figure $30-40k for software that acutally works the way you expect it to.

-B

[scottgus]

Are there any limitations on the gear ratios for the A and B axes before the Shopbot control software and/or usb-serial communication get bottlenecked?
Example: Could I simultaneously run 50:1 or 100:1 harmonic-gear (high-torque, low-rpm) motors at 0.5 or 1 rev/second on the A and B axes and still get reasonable (perhaps 6ips) out of my X and Y axes (1:1 motors) and 3ips on my Z axis (10:1 motor)?

[Brady Watson]

There are no limitations on what gear ratio you can run using SB3.

Communication bottlenecks would be no more prevalent than any other controller on the market. SB's new USB controller is actually a little faster than Mach3 in terms of step rate frequency etc. You'll have to contact SB directly for specific data on that.

Yes. You can run those speeds, if your hardware can handle it. You can mix & match motors as long as each channel has the same gear ratio.

-B

[joe]

Brady,

Let me see, there's hardware and software. Mach 3 is software, and the USB Controller is hardware. I'm not sure how you are making the comparison.

[Brady Watson]

Joe,
Both are controllers. Mach uses Windows & a special driver (for timing) to output step & dir signals to your breakout board. SB3 sends commands to the outboard hardware controller on the board, which sends signals to the mainboard (which can be considered a breakout board of sorts.)

Different configurations & architecture - same result at the stepper motor wires. I use both Mach & SB3 on different equipment. Both do their job. There are also many other CNC controllers out on the market (and OEM) that are either strictly software with a breakout, or software + outboard hardware. At the end of the day, if it moves your tool the way you want it to, then you've got yourself a good setup


-B