one very valid question is what the spindle should be
how fast should it spin, how much power does it need
The rigid router is VAST overkill for the maslow, our feed rate is very slow,
and unless you go to a single flute bit and the minimum router speed, it’s very
hard to get a proper chipload.
It’s nice to have a 1/2" chuck so that you can use nice long bits (but you
really need a longer Z axis to get the full benefit of them.
The typical VFD spindles are going to have a similar problem, they are all vast
overkill and they still spin too fast.
something based on a brushless DC motor can maintain the torque to do the
cutting, even at lower speeds, but finding one designed for a suitably high
voltage is an issue.
From the discussion with the community I will be offering three tiers of kits with various options. The baseline maslow classic will be a $500 kit with the parts shipped in the original kit including a brushless spindle and option to mount your own. Next tier is a portable field ready machine that collapses into a convenient size with the metal frame and upgraded components this will be closer to $750. A machine capable of working with aluminium will also be offered with a target price of $1000.
interesting, I thought about making an aluminum frame available. but anything over 4’ long starts to get really expensive to ship, minimum $80 within usa.
Why is an aluminum capable machine twice the price of a regular machine? What components will be upgraded to make it “aluminum ready”?
The aluminum ready machine ships with a steel frame, anti-sag chain and far more powerful brushless motors for drive motors and powerful spindle with encoder to allow it to do things like tap holes in a 1/4 in aluminum plate. The motor drivers will be derivative of the Odrive.
Have been reaching out to the community to find what is most important to develop. Found the Maslow as a space efficient prototyping tool but was dismayed by the unavailability of kits and looked for ways to push the platform further. Now we know what is important to develop we will build proof of concept and attempt to crowdfund. Even if we aren’t fully funded the product will be proofed out to use in house.
I am interested. Brushless and different gear ratio requires major software changes. That is the perfect opportunity to make the code more modular. Please contribute your code back to the community.
How do you expect to drill and tap holes in aluminum with a Maslow like machine? If you can do that, you should be able to do 3D sculpting as well.
So far, this sounds more like marketing, but I would like to help make it real.
Tapping aluminum would require a motor to run 1500rpm or slower and you’d need lubricant too because with out it, the tap would eventually gum up and break. Cutting aluminum is a project worth tackling, but tapping it is best done afterwards. One can easily use a hand drill and spiral point tap to quickly make threads in aluminum up to 1/4" thick. I do it all the time.