Build: XZero Predator... With more teeth!

I also am not sure what state of reliability with ethercat linuxcnc is.
Beckhoff an sich a a slow company like Mesa. But the stuff will work over 25 years.

plus the ethercat versions of all the drives adds a good $1000US to the machine.
Hmm. what is the problem? You must make the difference over here between chinese market and swiss made marked.
But if customer's want a chineze ethercat motor driver, it's fine for me.

So remember the class. Swiss class is Bechoff ethercat + drives and I/O.
The Chinese market is very bad for you.

I also am not sure what state of reliability with ethercat linuxcnc is.
You are not sure. But i am sure, i am a pioneer about new thing's, i like new things, and i sell ww.

The cost is more complex than "this drive is more than that one".

On the small machine, i am using JMC integrated AC servos. Coupled with a Delta 24V power supply, these cost $600US for the set of 3.

ONE Delta Ethercat 200w servo motor and drive set costs more than $600US.

The Delta's are better in every conceivable way.. But the price gets pushed to a different market.

Most Xzero machines cost well under $5000USD complete and running. This is where we are building from. Turning around and selling very nice $20000 machines is not where we are trying to start. We want a big level up in performance, but a comparatively small level up in price.

My running tab puts the new 300x300x100mm travel MINI at $8999US including ATC and the JMC servo set, ground screws, linear scales, vac table, PC and control panel "ready to run". Most machines for $8999 have a chinese water cooled spindle and steppers, rack and pinion and a terrible control.

That's our game, making everything else at the same price look terrible

@Werner Automation,

We want a big level up in performance, but a comparatively small level up in price.
Hmm. if it's 5000 or it's 8500 or 15000. I agree if it's a very nice machine, that has the goal's inside.

That's our game, making everything else at the same price look terrible
Okey.


The cost is more complex than "this drive is more than that one".

It's actually very simple. Today i was called from Ireland for a tube cutter.
And you know. Tube cutters are expensive and hard to do if you are new to this technology.

So maybe i want to make a tube cutter to Ireland. Under the conditioning that i can be at the isle of man next year.

All fine for me.



And cost's are at minimum 25000 for a simple 12m1 version of a Grotius tube cutter. But they stay in live.

But can you sell 300 of them a year?

There is a big saturated market for no nonsense expensive stuff.
There is a niche market for custom stuff no one else makes.
There is a market for cheap toys too.

We live in the ether in the gray area trying to balance the quality we need to do real work, with the price that matches what's in our pocket.

Most of the customers do not own any sort of business or have a profitable product. Actually, most make guitars, which means by definition they make no profit (except maybe my old neighbour Linda)

The chinese machines under $10k don't *really* do a great job for them, but they don't have more than $10k so they make do. There is no up sell - they don't have any more money. We want to make them a machine that they can still afford, that is a vast improvement over what they can get now.

Can anyone spot the problem?





Where can if find a smaller PSU and VFD. I would like to hide a slimmer PSU under the table if possible. but I cant find one. VFD is hard, cause it is 750 on 110v single phase. The delta in that image might actually be the smallest.

How reliable is a single ended encoder read by a mesa board? (not sure which board i'd need yet).

I have AMS AS5311 chips on adapter board, and they output single ended quadrature (or SSI). Would be nice to not have to make a differential converter board for each one. The cable runs are very short on this machine - 2 to 5 feet.

Went back to the delta din psu. It's just a better psu.

I drew up a little 3D printed "PC Case" that holds everything inside it and holds the control panel up.

Should be nice.

Speaking of, printer, is up and running. The bed isn't heating, so i need to see whats wrong there, but it's almost time to start printing a control panel! I will start a new thread just for the control later as i will have all sorts of questions on getting the features working in linuxcnc and then for the UI!.

I can has buttons?



I printed some buttons for the control in clear PETG.

You can sorta read the writing through them, but its not ideal. Otherwise I am pleased with them.

If you take a minute so sand the surfaces smooth with 600 grit, they should take a waterslide decal nicely and then a coat of clear acrylic.

In any case, I will keep them for now, and start working out the housing.

They look pretty terrible up close, haha. I think most 3D prints do.

In real life they aren't so bad. I only cleaned up the upper right one.