Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

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mcsteve
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Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by mcsteve »

I have been working with my Shark Pro Plus off and on for the past 3 years. I have made a lot of sawdust, a few nice projects for around the house (clocks, shoe racks etc) and have gotten pretty good at doing lythophanes. However, the usable workspace size of this system is very limiting for the type of project I would really like to use it for (live edge table tops etc.).

I have looked through this section of the board and have not found any posts of people making their cutting area larger. Has anyone done this and if so, posted about what they did and what was needed? I am wondering if I should sell the shark and purchase a larger table (4x4 or 4x8) or if a project to enlarge my existing Shark to a 4x4 cutting area would be feasible.

Thanks in advance for any advice, or links to posts I may have not found yet.

Steve
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Rando
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Re: Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by Rando »

mcsteve:

If I had to guess, I'd say because the amount of work and cost would actually be more than a new machine in that size.

When you include that steppers and controller electronics are CHEAP now (by comparison to a decade ago), if what you're doing is getting new mechanical/structural bits, then you're likely better off getting new electronics. That way the old machine is still running while the new one is being constructed.

The primary reason people don't much with enlarging the axes' range might come down to:

Increasing the range of the X-axis (along the width of the gantry, typically) would require replacing the entire gantry back and slide rails, as well as the bits underneath the table, the bed-support, and of course adding the bed parts to the existing bed. You'd also have to move out the two y-axis slide rails to accommodate.
Increasing the range of the Y-axis (parallel to the t-slots, typically) means a new y-axis lead-screw, new rails, new base,
Increasing the range of the Z-axis means raising the gantry and replacing pretty much the entire z-axis lead-screw and slide rails.

So, it looks to me like it would be easier and cheaper to build out a new machine from parts, than it would be to modify an existing shark.

Let us know what you decide, and we'd love to see how it comes out.

Regards,

Thom
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Kayvon
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Re: Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by Kayvon »

The common approach for Shark owners is to purchase a larger size. This makes sense, given that we purchased a pre-build platform to begin with, rather than making our own from scratch.

I would think that expanding the capacity of a CNC would require rebuilding a large portion of it. That's an intriguing proposition. We already have the controllers, motors, etc. You'd need a new frame and new pieces that stretch the length of the frame. And you can use your existing CNC to build the parts for the new one, right up until you're ready to transfer the motors over.

While you're at it, you could reinforce the gantry exactly the way you want. At some point, I guess you're walking the line between "upgrading" and building an entirely new CNC.

It sounds like a fun project! I'm in. :)

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Kayvon
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Re: Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by Kayvon »

Thom beat me to the reply. I knew I shouldn't have waited before hitting submit!

sharkcutup
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Re: Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by sharkcutup »

I believe it would be fun and interesting to build an entirely new machine to a larger size and to keep the old one running making projects depending upon, of course, you have the room to do so!!!
You could also use your existing machine to create/make parts for your new machine!

As Thom (Rando) has said
Let us know what you decide, and we'd love to see how it comes out.
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Re: Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by Rando »

Kayvon wrote:Thom beat me to the reply. I knew I shouldn't have waited before hitting submit!
It's not a competition :D.

The trick is to ignore spelling-check and all but the worst grammar and fact errors, and do the initial reply posting. Then edit to fix the issues :D.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It does a mind good to see multiple of us standing at the ready to help, so I'll raise my morning cup of "500-mile Chai" in your just ever-so-slightly-slow honor :twisted:

LOL...

Back to the subject at hand (see how I added this later?), what's interesting is that for me, right now, if I was to put out for a second machine, it would be for a small engraving-class machine, to offload from the larger Shark (HD2+ for me).

Best to you all.

Thom
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mcsteve
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Re: Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by mcsteve »

Thanks all for your feedback. I consider myself to be a bit technically savy and as kavon stated "It sounds like a fun project!". The existing control and drives are what made me start thinking about this as a project since most new machines would obviously include those components, as well as the software I already have. But to the point others made, It would require the construction of an almost complete gantry and table, making this an almost complete new build.

Since asking this, I have been looking online and there are several companies in North America that make table kits and sell the various components on an a la carte basis. I'll be checking with some of them to see what a new gantry and rails would cost and the rest I can construct myself. Perhaps that would be the way to go as I also have another table I picked up for cheap from an auction. It was designed as a plasma table and I thought I might one day find a need for it. The table did not have a CNC or plasma with it but the drives are almost identical to the ones on the Shark. While the gantry and rails would not suite a router, the table is 4x4 and could be a good starting point.
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Kayvon
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Re: Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by Kayvon »

As you go forward, will you document what parts you end up using and how it goes? This is a really cool project and I'm certain others will want to follow in your footsteps. Take the '4th axis' build on this forum, for instance. Several people made their own versions after seeing how well Bob's turned out.

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mcsteve
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Re: Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by mcsteve »

Kayvon wrote:As you go forward, will you document what parts you end up using and how it goes? This is a really cool project and I'm certain others will want to follow in your footsteps. Take the '4th axis' build on this forum, for instance. Several people made their own versions after seeing how well Bob's turned out.
I definitely will. The more I hunk about this more I think I’ll try to convert the other table through new components, and the advice to keep the shark running makes the most sense.

Stephen
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Re: Increasing usable workspace size (larger cutting area)

Post by Rando »

mcsteve wrote: I definitely will. The more I hunk about this more I think I’ll try to convert the other table through new components, and the advice to keep the shark running makes the most sense.

Stephen
What's that they say? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" I suppose the corollary here would be "If it ain't broke, don't break it." ;-)

Cheers!
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